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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.

Slim picking for voters in Tuesday primary election

Tuesday is a primary election day in Ohio, but voters in many townships, villages and cities in southwest Ohio won’t have anything to vote on.

The candidate races and ballot issues in southwest Ohio counties are few and far between – in fact, in Butler County, there is no election at all.

In Hamilton County, only 129 of the county’s 545 precincts will be up and running Tuesday, according to Amy Searcy, director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections. The 129 precincts are in 87 polling places.

None of them are in the city of Cincinnati, which has no ballot issues and does not hold a partisan primary for mayor or city council. Cincinnati will hold a non-partisan primary for mayor on Sept. 10; and city council candidates file in August for a non-partisan field race in November.

Some suburban villages and municipalities in Hamilton County hold partisan primaries. But there are only two contested races on the ballot on Tuesday, in Norwood and Greenhills.

In Norwood, two Democrats, Robert G. Kelly and Keith D. Moore, are in a contested race for city law director. In Greenhills, Republican voters can choose between David B. Moore and Maria C. Waltherr for mayor.

There are a number of ballot issues in Hamilton County communities:
-    A 2 mill levy in Norwood for road and bridge construction and repair
-    A 5 mill renewal of the operating levy in Silverton
-    An additional 1.75 mill levy for fire services in Delhi Township
-    Three ballot issues in Sycamore Township to create a joint economic development zone with neighboring communities
-    A bond issue for new construction and improvements in the Forest Hills School District
-    An additional tax levy in the Oak Hills School District to avoid an operating deficit
-    An additional tax levy in the joint Deer Park-Silverton fire district
-    And a tax renewal and increase in the Miami Township Waste District.

Warren County has no candidates on the ballot, but several ballot issues, including Waynesville village tax renewals for police and street maintenance, an additional tax levy for Clearcreek Township and Springboro for fire and EMS service, an additional tax levy in the village of Carlisle, and an additional tax levy for the Carlisle Local School District.

Clermont County has an additional tax levy for the Milford Exempted Village School District on the ballot. Elections director Judy Miller said there are two voters in the Forest Park School District and their votes will be handled by Hamilton County.

Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

More information on Tuesday's election can be found at the websites for Hamilton County, ClermontCounty and Warren County.

 

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.