Nov. 3 ballots include school, road, library issues

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A library issue, school levies, city charter amendments, road levies and mostly unopposed Republican incumbents are on Champaign County ballots for the Nov. 3 general election.

Issues include the following:

-Champaign County Library – a 0.8-mill, five-year renewal levy for current operating expenses

-Graham school district – a one-mill, five-year renewal levy for permanent improvements

-Maple Grove Cemetery (includes Mechanicsburg and Goshen Township voters) – a 0.5-mill, five-year renewal levy for maintenance and operation

-Adams Township – a 2-mill, five-year replacement levy for roads and bridges

-Jackson Township (excluding St. Paris and Christiansburg) – a 0.6-mill, five-year replacement levy for roads

-Johnson Township (excluding St. Paris) – a one-mill, five-year renewal levy for roads

-Salem Township (excluding Urbana) – a 2.9-mill, five-year renewal levy for roads

-Village of Mutual – a 1.5-mill, five-year renewal levy for maintaining fire equipment and sites

-Miami Valley Career Technology Vocational School District – a 2.18-mill, 10-year renewal levy for operating expenses (includes some voters in the Jackson East precinct)

-Northwestern Local School District – a 6.86-mill, five-year substitute levy for “necessary requirements” (includes some voters in the Mad River A and Urbana South precincts)

-Northwestern Local School District – a one-mill, five-year renewal levy for permanent improvements (includes some voters in the Mad River A and Urbana South precincts)

Proposed Urbana City Charter amendments

-That the following be deleted from Section 2.03 (Compensation) of the city charter: “Any changes in the salaries of elected officials for the ensuing term shall be set at least 5 days prior to the last day for filing for candidacy and salaries may not be changed during the term.”

-That the city establish a salary commission, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by council, to set salaries of the mayor and council members. Commission members may not be council members or city employees or part of their immediate families.

-That vacant council seats should remain vacant until the next election, rather than council appointing un-elected members

-That the following be deleted from Section 2.09 (Legislative Procedure) of the city charter: “Council shall pass no ordinance or resolution which adopts a position contrary to a recommendation of the Planning Commission, made within the scope of its authority, except by a vote of majority. Council may enact ordinances that supersede state statutory provisions with respect to acquisition and disposition of property upon a majority affirmative vote.”

-That the president of council fill a vacant mayor’s position only until the next election

-That the mayor must have the consent of council to fire the director of law or director of finance (the mayor currently must have council’s consent to hire these directors)

-That Section 2.17 (Publication of Ordinances and Resolutions) be amended to read that a list of adopted legislation is to be submitted to a newspaper of general circulation and/or digitally in the city and posted in the city building and online. Currently, the section does not include the words “and/or digitally.”

County candidates

Coroner Dr. Joshua Richards is a write-in candidate for the position of coroner. His plan was to retire from the post at year’s end, so he did not file as a candidate in the Republican primary. No one filed for the position, so Richards filed as a write-in candidate on Aug. 5.

Unopposed Republicans on the Nov. 3 ballot include Timothy Cassady, who won against county Commissioner David Faulkner in the primary, and the following incumbents: Commissioner Steve Hess; Sheriff Matthew Melvin; Judges Brett Gilbert and Lori Reisinger, Common Pleas Division, domestic relations, juvenile, probate; Prosecutor Kevin Talebi; Recorder Glenda Bayman; Treasurer Robin Edwards; Clerk of Courts Penny Underwood; Engineer Stephen McCall.

State, U.S. candidates

U.S. Rep Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) faces Libertarian Steve Perkins of Pataskala and Democrat Shannon Freshour of Marysville.

State Sen. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) will face Democrat Ken Poling of Lima.

State Rep. Nino Vitale (R-Urbana) faces write-in candidate Ted Greek of Urbana.

Write-in candidates

Write-in candidates’ names do not appear on ballots. Nor does the term “write-in candidate,” Meredith Bodey, director of the Champaign County Board of Elections, said, adding that a space to write a name and an oval to color will appear in candidate categories in which there is a write-in candidate.

She said county boards of election must have names of write-in candidates on their websites by Sept. 18. She also said voters need not be concerned about spelling a write-in candidate’s name correctly. She said the vote will be counted as long as the board knows the voter’s intent.

“Write in the name and color that oval (or bubble) or the machine won’t read it,” she said.

Voting in general election

The registration deadline to vote in the general election is 9 p.m. on Oct. 5.

Early voting starts Oct. 6 and ballots can’t be mailed until that date.

To obtain a mailed ballot:

-Download an application from the county Board of Elections website

-Download an application from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office

-Request an application by calling the county Board of Elections, 937-484-1575

-Provide the county Board of Elections with the following info: name, address, where ballots should be sent, birth date, identification number (last four digits of Social Security number or driver’s license number or state ID number)

-Completed applications may be mailed to the county Board of Elections, taken to the board office or dropped into the board’s drop box located near the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in the county Community Center on South U.S. Route 68 in Urbana.

As of now, the Ohio Secretary of State Office’s plan is to offer early voting days at county boards of election and offer Election Day voting at polls.

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Candidates include 2 write-in hopefuls

Staff report

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