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November 5, 2009
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November 5, 2009 |
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2009 Election Results Hempfling, Wintrow, Walkey win
Two incumbents were returned to Village Council in this week’s election, and a newcomer who ran on a platform that emphasized affordability and environmental sustainability won the third open seat. Incumbents Judith Hempfling, the current Council president, and Karen Wintrow, who is the vice-president, were the top vote-getters in the election. The two had previously served four-year terms and, as top vote getters, they will once again serve four years. The third Council seat goes to Rick Walkey, who will serve a two-year term. Incumbent Kathryn Van der Heiden lost her seat by coming in fourth. Hempfling was the favorite of voters, winning 1,166, or 27.9 percent of the total vote. Wintrow came in second with 1,042, or 24.9 percent. Walkey received 841 votes, or 20.1 percent. Hempfling led in all Village precincts except Precincts 443, the south end of town, where Wintrow won. Van der Heiden was the fourth highest vote-getter, with 781, or 18.7 percent of the votes, and Gerry Bello received 350 votes, or 8.37 percent. Out of 3,474 registered voters in town, 1,952 voted on Tuesday, with the percentages of registered voters taking part varying between precincts. In Precinct 440 on the north side of town, 61 percent of voters cast a ballot, while 57 percent voted in Precinct 441, the western part of the village. A smaller percentage turned out in Precinct 442, the central and downtown area, where only 39.8 percent of voters voted. The southernmost precinct, Precinct 443, saw the largest turnout, with 70.4 percent of voters casting a ballot. In her first four-year term on Council, Hempfling strongly supported the alumni effort to revive Antioch College and opposed the proposal to sign on to a 50-year contract for coal power. As the co-creator of the Electric System Task Force that saved the Village $3.5 million, she has advocated for the use of alternative energy and adopting more energy conservation measures. In her campaign this year, Hempfling has emphasized the need to focus on affordability issues. As executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, Wintrow has been a strong voice for the need for local economic development. She supported the Village hiring an economic sustainability staff person, who will be in place soon. Wintrow has also been a consistent voice in favor of working with regional efforts regarding planning and development. In his campaign, Walkey emphasized the need for affordable housing. He also advocated for promoting the village as a model for economic sustainability, especially regarding innovative building techniques. Precinct 440: Hempfling, 373; Wintrow,
313; Walkey, 248; Van der Heiden, 217; Bello, 103 Maruyama, Wright and Merhemic for school board
In the closely contested race for the three seats on Yellow Springs school board, Benji Maruyama came away with the most votes, followed not too far behind by incumbents Angela Wright and Aïda Merhemic. First-time runner Maruyama received 1,069 votes, or 21 percent of the total, and managed to maintain that general level of support throughout all four village and both Miami Township precincts for an average of 22 percent of the vote in each precinct. Three-time incumbent Wright, about to begin her fourth term on school board, garnered 961 votes, or 19 percent of the total. Merhemic, going into her second term on the board, got 861 votes, or 17 percent of the total. All three will serve four-year terms on school board, beginning in January 2010. Among the other candidates who ran for school board, incumbent Anne Erickson received the next highest number of votes, 732, or 15 percent, while David Turner got 592 votes, or 12 percent. Recent Yellow Springs High School student John Hempfling received 422 votes, or 8 percent, while Deirdre Owen got 371 votes, or 7 percent of the electorate. Maruyama has two young children, one who attends village public schools, and has served on Village committees. As a materials engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, during his campaign Maruyama promoted a balance in the curriculum between the arts and math and sciences to foster ingenuity and entrepreneurship. During her time on the school board, Wright has advocated for openness and communication with parents and the community, and she ran a campaign that promoted diversified teaching with technological tools and distance learning. Merhemic spent the last two years of her first term on school board as president of the board, and emphasized the need for strong leadership from the superintendent and school principals, as the schools embark on a change in leadership. Precinct 440: Maruyama, 268; Wright,
247; Merhemic, 217; Erickson, 198; Turner, 140; Hempfling, 122; Owen,
81 Foubert redux
Incumbents win township
On Nov. 3 local voters returned the two incumbents to the Miami Township Board of Trustees. Mark Crockett was the highest vote-getter, with 1,567 votes, or 43.25 percent of the total, and Lamar Spracklen came in second, with 1,248 votes, or 34.45 percent. Challenger John Struewing received 808 votes, or 22.3 percent of the total. Crockett and Spracklen, who have both already served two terms on the board, will each serve a four-year term as they join Chris Mucher on the board. Mucher has two years remaining on his term. In his campaign, Crockett emphasized the need for a new building for the local fire department, and Spracklen emphasized the importance of selecting to the Miami Township Zoning Commission those who favor environmental sustainability. Miami Township precincts are Precinct 455, which includes residences east of Grinnell and Bryan Park roads, and Precinct 456, which includes the portion of the township west of Grinnell and Bryan Park roads, and outside Yellow Springs. Precinct voting: Precinct 440: Crockett, 380; Spracklen,
254; Struewing, 164 Locals for Issue 1 Yellow Springs voters agreed with the Greene County electorate to approve an increase in benefits for Persian Gulf, Afghan and Iraqi conflict veterans — and good thing, because the measure passed overwhelmingly across the state too, with over 2 million in favor, and just over 800,000 against it. County wide, State Issue 1 passed 29,626 for the measure versus 12,754 against it, while in and around the village, the issue passed with 1,518, or 66 percent of the electorate for the measure, 782, or 34 percent, against it. The precinct with the highest percentage of votes for the measure was Village precinct 440 with 70 percent for it, while Miami Township precinct 456 had the highest percentage against it, or 41 percent against. Precinct 440: yes, 355; no, 151 Issue 2 wins in state, not YS The State Issue 2 to establish an intra-industry board to regulate livestock care standards may have passed in the state and by a small margin in Greene County, but it was buried in Yellow Springs. Across Ohio, about 1,900,000 voters approved the issue, while 1,081,000 rejected it. Greene County voters approved of the measure 22,611 to 19,884, while in and around the village, the measure went down with 720, or 31 percent, for it and 1,614, or 69 percent, against it. The issue is mainly an agricultural one, and the more rural Miami Township voters did support the issue more widely, with a majority approving the measure in just one township precinct, 455. While an average of 75 percent of voters in village precincts rejected the measure, the average percentage of township voters against it was 51 percent. Those who opposed Issue 2 cited concerns about animal welfare and a negative effect on small farms. Precinct 440: yes, 121; no, 390 Locals nixed Issue 3 Though Ohio voters passed State Issue 3, which amends the Ohio constitution to allow one casino in each city of Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Greene County and especially Yellow Springs area voters said no to the measure. Across Ohio the measure passed 1,617,530 to 1,424,809. Greene County voters were against it 24,916 to 18,290, while in the village and township, voters were more adamant. Of the total, 1,689 voters, or 72 percent, voted against the issue, while just 643, or 28 percent, voted for it. The one precinct, township 455, was the only standout, with a higher percentage, 40 percent, in favor of the casinos and the tax revenue they would be mandated to distribute around the state. Precinct 440: yes, 130; no, 383 Fire levy passes The levy to continue support for the Miami Township Fire-Rescue squad passed overwhelmingly in the village and Miami Township. The measure, Issue 22, passed with 1,957, or 84 percent for it, and 361, or 16 percent against it. Township precinct 455 was again the outlier, whose residents voted a lesser 67 percent for the levy, and a higher 33 percent against it. The fire levy is a 3.8-mill replacement levy that will maintain the previous millage but is based on the county’s most recent property valuations. The levy represents a tax increase of $15.42 per $100,000 appraised home value. Precinct 440: yes, 449; no, 61 Health levy passes Greene County voters said yes to refunding mental health services on Tuesday when they approved Issue 5, the county mental health levy. The 1.5-mill four-year levy was a renewal that did not raise taxes. The levy will allow the mental health board to continue providing services such as crisis response, suicide prevention, youth drug and alcohol prevention services and help for the homeless. County voters gave the levy an easy pass, with 31,182 voters, or 67 percent, voting for the levy and 14,934, or 32 percent, voting against. In the village and township, voters also supported the levy by a wide margin, with 1,958 voters, or 84.5 percent, voting for the levy, and 359, or 15.5 percent, voting against. Voting by precinct: Precinct 440: For, 446; against, 58 Yes to seniors Greene County voters said yes to senior services on Nov. 3, giving an easy victory to Issue 6, the Senior Services levy. County-wide, 30,410 voters, or 65.7 percent, supported the levy, while 15,830, or 34 percent, voted against it. In Yellow Springs and the township, villagers threw their support behind the levy by a wide margin, with 1,981 voters, or 84.7 percent, saying yes to the levy and 356, or 15 percent, voting against. The levy funds a range of programs for elders, including local homemaker, transportation and home health care services. Issue 6 was a 1-mill five-year replacement levy. Precinct 440: For, 449; against, 65 Library wins The Greene County Library system walked away with a big victory on Nov. 3, with Issue 7 gaining an easy win. The five-year 1-mill operating levy will allow county library branches to maintain services at 2005 operating levels, and a loss would have meant a cut in services. The renewal levy did not increase taxes. In the county, 33,780 voters, or 72.6 percent, approved the levy, while 12,749, or 27 percent, voted against. In the village and township, voters passed the levy by a higher margin. In the village and township, 2,058 voters, or 88 percent, approved the levy, and 273, or 11.7 percent, voted against it. Precinct voting: Precinct 440: For, 460; against, 51 Local option wins Voters in Village precinct 442, which covers the downtown area east of Xenia Avenue, had no problem passing the local option to allow Sunday liquor sales and consumption in the downtown business district. An overwhelming 80 percent, or 297 voters, approved the measure, while 72 people, or 20 percent, voted against it. The issue was raised by leaders of nonprofit groups in the village who saw an opportunity to diversify fundraising options for those organizations by allowing organizers of art openings and other events to serve wine at local establishments on Sundays. Clifton levy wins On Nov. 3 Clifton voters handily passed a levy to help their village with current expenses. In Precinct 455, which is where all Clifton residents live, 32 voters, or 78 percent, said yes to the levy, while 9 voters, or 21.9 percent, voted against it. In all, Clifton has 86 registered voters, and 41 took part in the election. |
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