On Tuesday, voters across the Miami Valley will once again decide on a host of local issues, candidates and tax levies. For a rundown of some of those ballot issues, we spoke with Dayton Daily News Assistant News Editor Jeremy Kelley. He begins with a look at the Montgomery County Commissioners race.
Jeremy Kelley: In Montgomery County, you've got Democratic incumbent Carolyn Rice running against a relative newcomer in Jordan Wortham on the Republican side. Montgomery County races countywide generally have skewed slightly Democratic. You have three Democrats on the commission right now, but it's not a blowout. It's usually close. You also have in Warren County, incumbent Republican Tom Grossman, facing a Democratic challenger in Nabila Babar. Interestingly, in some of our counties, the county commission races aren't even contested. In Miami County and Greene County, you have folks who are going to be basically automatically re-elected. There's also a Montgomery County auditor race that's got some attention, both for significant issues of who's controlling the county's purse strings. Democratic incumbent Karl Keith running against Republican Karl Kordalis.
Jerry Kenney: And as usual, communities will also be deciding on several tax levies this time around, correct?
Kelley: Yeah, it's actually interesting. There are a huge number of tax levies on the ballot. Most of them are renewals, but in a few cases, yes, there are significant levies where communities, where school districts are seeking new funding. Kettering Schools is one of the most prominent. They're seeking a 5.99 mill operating levy. That's a fairly high ask. Kettering has been on the ballot every three or four years for school funding. They're touting, obviously, their performance on the recent school report card where Kettering student growth was among the very best in the state.
Other tax levies that are on - Miamisburg and Miami Township, they are co-partners in the Miami Valley Fire District, which serves both communities, and they have an 11-mill tax levy on the ballot that would change the funding stream. Currently, those two communities both contribute, but at different levels to fund the fire service. This levy, if approved, would kind of replace the entire system. Now, it would mean a significant increase in taxes, so it'll be interesting to see how voters respond to that request.
Beavercreek is always an interesting case when it comes to taxes. They are one of the very, very few cities in Ohio that doesn't have an income tax. They're funded specifically by property tax. So, there are two property tax levies on the Beavercreek ballot, one for roads and one for police. Not as large as the other ones are, ones 2.5 mills and one is 2.15 mills. But in Beavercreek, the tax debate has been interesting just because so many other cities are funded via their income tax. Beavercreek doesn't have that option. They've sought it before, but voters have said no. So, then how do the voters respond when it comes to the property tax levies, which is how the city funds so much of its service?
And also, yes, Trotwood is seeking an income tax increase in their case, not property tax, to fund roads. They've said that there are certain things that federal funds that they've received can pay for, but there are many road projects at the local level that those funds don't qualify for. So they're seeking a 0.5% income tax increase to fund a variety of road projects that they say they haven't been able to get to.
Kenney: Let's wrap up with anything you can tell us on some of the Statehouse races.
Kelley: There are both contested and uncontested races in the area —the state House primarily, not state Senate. There's only one state Senate race, District 7 primarily in Warren County that's contested. But for example, in Montgomery County, you have three Republican incumbents, Andrea White, Phil Plummer, and Rodney Creech, who are running for reelection against Democrat challengers. Addison Caruso is running against Andrea White. Lauren Jackson is running against Phil Plummer and Amy Cox is running against Rodney Creech. Those last two races are actually repeats of previous races where the same two candidates are facing off who have in the past.
You also have a race in Warren County where there are two new candidates. There is no incumbent, the 56th District, Adam Matthews and Joy Bennett. I guess the one race that has actually had maybe more sparks to it than others have been in Greene and Clark counties, the race between incumbent Bill Dean and Democrat James Duffee, District 71. Some sharp differences, to say the least, in their approaches to abortion policy and some other social issues.
Kenney: Jeremy Kelley is assistant news editor with the Dayton Daily News. Jeremy, thanks so much for the update on this election.
Kelley: Thank you for having me.
