Politics

Howard Wilkinson: Politics and More

0000017a-3b40-d913-abfe-bf44a4f90000Howard Wilkinson joined the WVXU news team as the politics reporter and columnist in April 2012 , after 30 years of covering local, state and national politics for The Cincinnati Enquirer. On this page, you will find his weekly column, Politically Speaking; the Monday morning political chats with News Director Maryanne Zeleznik and other news coverage by Wilkinson. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Wilkinson has covered every Ohio gubernatorial race since 1974, as well as 16 presidential nominating conventions. Along with politics, Wilkinson also covered the 2001 Cincinnati race riots, the Lucasville prison riot in 1993, the Air Canada plane crash at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 1983, and the 1997 Ohio River flooding. And, given his passion for baseball, you might even find some stories about the Cincinnati Reds here from time to time.

Many ballot issues but few candidate races on Tuesday's Ohio primary ballot

91.7 WVXU | By Howard Wilkinson

Published May 5, 2015 at 4:00 AM EDT

There are plenty of local tax levies and bond issues to be decided in southwest Ohio in Tuesday's primary election, but contested candidate races are few and far between.

In fact, in the four southwest Ohio counties of Hamilton, Clermont, Butler and Warren, there are only two contested races, both in Hamilton County and both on the Republican side. All other race for suburban city, village and township offices are uncontested.

In Hamilton County, the two contested races for Republican voters are:

Cheviot mayor, where Republicans William H. Clark III and Deborah M. Slaughter are running to take on Democratic incumbent Samuel Keller in the November election.
Norwood mayor, where Republicans Ken Crawford and Chuck Russ are vying to take on Democratic incumbent Thomas Williams.

Hamilton County elections director Sherry Poland said that, in Hamilton County, 79 of the county’s 373 polling places will be open Tuesday.
Polls in those areas with issues and candidates to decide will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

To find out if your polling place is open and to answer other questions, contact your county board of elections. Here are links:

The following is a list of tax levies and bond issues on the ballot in the four southwest Ohio counties:
Hamilton County:

Arlington Heights: Additional 9 mill tax levy for operating expenses.

Elmwood Place: 10 mill tax levy renewal for current expenses.

Winton Woods City School District: 8.79 mill bond issue for new construction.

Lockland Local School District: Additional tax not exceeding 11.2 mills for current expenses.

Northwest Local School District: 3.15 mill bond issue for new construction and improvements. (includes part of Butler County)

Cheviot: Additional 3 mill tax levy for construction, resurfacing, and repair of streets, roads and bridges.

Forest Park: Additional 5.75 mill tax levy for fire services.

Harrison: Additional 2.4 mill tax levy for fire services.

Butler County:

Fairfield Township: 4.9 mill levy for public safety.

Edgewood City School District: 5.4 mill substitute tax levy for five years.

Lane Public Library: 0.75 mill tax levy renewal for 10 years.

Midpointe Library: 0.75 tax levy renewal for five years. (Overlaps with Warren County)

Warren County:

Franklin Township: Additional 14.57 mill tax levy for fire services.

Salem Township: Additional 3.9 mill tax levy for fire services for five years.

Harlan Township: 2.9 mill tax levy renewal for fire service, five years.

Kings Local School District: 3 mill tax levy renewal.

Warren County Career Center: 3.5 mill replacement levy for continuing period of time (including one precinct in Clermont County, Goshen Township Precinct N).

Carlisle: 0.5 percent income tax for continuing period of time.

Some voters in Warren County have ballot issues which overlap with other counties:

Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local School District: Replacement 5.5 million levy for continuing period of time.

Xenia Community City School District: Two issues: 11.75 mill renewal for seven years, and a 0.5 percent income tax renewal for seven years.

Clermont County:

Only one precinct – Goshen Township N – has a ballot issue. It is in the Little Miami School District and voters there can vote on the Warren County Career Center levy.