State Representative Denise Driehaus is officially launching her campaign for Hamilton County Commission. She's running to unseat incumbent commissioner, and commission president, Greg Hartmann.Driehaus is wrapping up her fourth and final term in the Ohio legislature. She serves on several committees including Ways and Means and Economic Development, and is the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee.
In a statement, Driehaus says, "The work of the County Commission touches the lives of every resident
and I am committed to bringing the same dedication, vision, and action to the Commission that I bring to the state legislature."
Hartmann is in his second term on the board. He began his first term in January 2009.
Driehaus says the current Republican majority has repeatedly "kicked the can down the road" on issues such as the Metropolitan Sewer District. She says the county "needs a commission that will work with both Republicans and Democrats, with cities, villages, and townships, with Business and Labor to build a better Hamilton County."
However, Hartmann's office disagrees with that assessment, stating that the commissioner "has voted to cut $40 million from the Hamilton County budget" while leading "investments in public safety and economic development."
Driehaus and Hartmann won't be the only two fighting for a commission spot. Commissioner Todd Portune, a Democrat, is also up for re-election. Hamilton County GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou says Anderson Township Trustee Andrew Pappas will run against Portune.
WVXU's Howard Wilkinson wrote about these two match-ups earlier this year. Click here to read his full analysis.
