WestChesterBuzz.com

Lakota school members to be available before board meetings

If you are having trouble getting in touch with a school board member, Lakota Local Schools is taking a new approach to combat that problem.

Joan Powell, the school board president, announced this week that beginning with the next regularly scheduled school board meeting, on Feb. 28, all board members have committed to be available to the community for 15 minutes before the meeting starts.

“There are already two times during the meeting when people can come to the podium and address the board,” Powell said. “That won’t change. But I know sometimes people are uncomfortable doing that, or prefer a more informal exchange with the board members. This will provide them with that opportunity.”

Since September the district has been holding “Community Conversations” throughout West Chester and Liberty townships, meeting with residents in living rooms, coffee shops, churches and other locations. Typically, the Lakota Board of Education is represented at these “conversations.”

• Community has open conversation about Lakota’s present and future

The next school board meeting is at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28, at the district’s central office at 5572 Princeton Road, in Liberty Township.

For more information on how to host or where to attend a “conversation,” visit lakotaonline.com for details.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota school board, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, Ron Spurlock, school board meeting, school levy

By Adam Kiefaber and Michael D. Clark

Newly appointed Lakota school board president Joan Powell announced on Monday night that she wouldn’t be running for her seat this fall. She is one of Greater Cincinnati’s longest tenured board members.

“This will be my last year on the board,” Powell said during the regularly scheduled school board meeting.

“16 years is enough. A friend of mine (Sandy Wheatley), who served on the board for 12 years, told me you will know when it is time … I just knew that it was time.”

The 16-year board veteran first took office in 1998 and her tenure on the board coincided with Lakota’s booming student population that has seen the Butler County district become the second largest in Southwest Ohio and the eighth largest in the state.

“She has been able to see the evolution of changes that have occurred in education,” said Karen Mantia, Lakota superintendent. “She also has a grasp of where it is going, so that past experience really guides her to see what the future will look like and we will miss that.”

Powell’s leadership has often been credited for some of Lakota’s many successes, but on occasion she has also been the center of controversy. Most recently, Powell in 2011 publicly criticized fellow board members for not working together and impeding the board’s effectiveness.

During Powell’s stint on the board, Lakota rose both in size and academic prominence, becoming the largest district in Ohio to consistently earn the state department of education’s highest academic rating.

“It has been incredible amount of time. Lakota has doubled in size since I first started on the board. There have been so many changes,” said Powell, 61, who is a realtor with Huff Realty in West Chester, also has two grandchildren and two children.

“I have worked with four different superintendents. I can’t think of how many governors. Lakota has seen a lot of change and I hope Lakota can remain so successful because I really do believe that it holds a valuable place in this community.”

The 17,300-student district has not seen voters pass a new operating levy since 2005 and saw three school tax issues rejected at the ballot in the last two years. The district has cut more than $36 million in personnel and programs in recent years and is anticipated to go back to the voters for a new school tax later this year.

Two other board members, whose terms are up after the year, Ray Murray and Ben Dibble said they were both planning to run for their seats.

Both Murray and Dibble began serving on the board in January of 2010.

The remaining board members Lynda O’Connor and Julie Shaffer were most recently elected in the fall of 2011 and began four-year terms in January of 2012.

Shaffer is currently serving her first term on the school board, while O’Connor is serving her second four-year term.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota school board, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, Ron Spurlock, school board meeting, school levy

Lakota lost principals at a high rate in 2012

WestChesterBuzz.com will count down the area’s top 12 stories of 2012 this month, concluding with West Chester’s most discussed topic of the year on Sunday, Dec. 30.

List of Lakota’s principals

Information taken from past articles written by Adam Kiefaber and Michael D. Clark

New changes within the Lakota school district like further teachers cuts, shorter school days for high school and junior high students, a healthier food menu for students, a pilot program to see how personal wireless devices like cell phones could help in the educational process and an influx of new school principals were among the fresh topics when school started Aug. 23, 2012.

In total, 10 of the school district’s 22 schools have new leaders. Many of those have been promoted within, replacing retired principals or others who have moved on to better paying positions in other school districts.

“Our new administrative team that we have in place, some of them have strong ties,” said Suzanna Davis, who is now the principal at Lakota East High School after being promoted from East’s freshman campus.

“Obviously, there is some history here in the district and they have done an outstanding job for us. They have been wonderful in terms of the culture of Lakota and being able to maintain those expectations.”

In addition to Davis, G. Elgin Card was promoted to lead Lakota West High School after previously serving as the principal of West’s Freshman Campus. Other new principals (full list above) include Brad Lovell (Creekside Early Childhood), Paulette Grady (Cherokee Elementary), Joanna Sears (Endeavor Elementary), Christina French (Hopewell Elementary), Ben Brown (Union Elementary), Eric Bauman (Liberty Junior), Stacy Millburg (Lakota East Freshman) and Jason Jackson (Lakota West Freshman).

While attrition fluctuation at any school district is an annual spring event, the extent at Lakota is unusually high in the district’s 55-year history, district officials said.

The leadership drain has officials at the academically top-rated school system worried.

“We have to put a tourniquet on this pretty quickly,” Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia said during a school board meeting in June.

Gary Elgin Card, who served as the Lakota West Freshman Campus Associate Principal last year, was promoted to the position of principal at Lakota West High School. Card replaced retired Lakota West Principal Richard Hamilton. Photo taken by Tony Jones in Sept. of 2012.

But historically deep budget cuts in response to a string of tax levy defeats have left Lakota scrambling financially, with less staffing and fewer resources – all reasons cited by departing principals, Mantia said, based on her exit interviews.

“The number one reason is the financial insecurity from the failure of levies,” said Mantia, citing comments from those departing for other jobs.

Another reason for some departures reflects well on Lakota, Mantia said, in reference to extensive training Lakota provides principals. Lakota principals are in demand, she said.

Thomas Ash, a 39-year-veteran of public schools and now director of governmental relations for Ohio’s Buckeye Association of School Administrators, said Lakota is not alone.

“The turnover in building principals reflects both increased opportunities and anticipated public retirement reforms,” said Ash. “This year, about 60 of the superintendent vacancies in Ohio were filled by former school principals.”

“In addition, I would anticipate more retirements throughout the education profession over the next couple of years because of probable changes impacting both cost-of-living allowances and actual pension benefits,’’ Ash said. “Since they will not receive the benefits that they had anticipated a few years ago, they are electing to leave education sooner than they had planned.”

Lakota’s veteran school board member Joan Powell shares Mantia’s concern and she said pay freezes for school administrators – as part of sweeping budget cuts – play a role.

“This exodus of administrators is troubling but not surprising. These individuals have experienced a decrease in their take-home pay over the last five years, while being asked to take on more responsibilities with fewer resources,” Powell said.

“While some turnover is to be expected and can actually keep the organization dynamic, there is a point where you can risk losing the sense of connection and direction.’

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Dr. Keith Kline, Elgin Card, Gary Elgin Card, Joan Powell, Karen Mantia, Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West principal Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Gary Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia, West Chester top 12 stories of 2012, West Chester top stories of 2012

Michael D. Clark reports

The financial woes of one of the area’s highest-rated school districts has helped drive away more than half its principals in the last two school years.

Keith Kline, who has served as the principal at Lakota East since 2007, is leaving to take the assistant superintendent of administration and personnel position at West Clermont. Photo provided.

Of Lakota Schools’ 20 building principal positions, seven – 35 percent – have recently resigned due to retirement or other jobs.

That follows the 2010-11 school year, which saw four principals depart, leaving Lakota with a 55 percent turnover rate among its school building leaders since spring 2011.

While attrition fluctuation at any school district is an annual spring event, the extent at Lakota is unusually high in the district’s 55-year history, district officials said.

The leadership drain has officials at the academically top-rated school system worried.

“We have to put a tourniquet on this pretty quickly,” Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia said during a recent school board meeting.

The impact from this turnover is hard to gauge.

Lakota maintained it state rating of “Excellent with Distinction” for 2010-11 but the four principal departures began after classes ended in spring 2011. State rankings for the recently completed 2011-12 school year will not be available until August.

Lakota, with 17,400 students, is the second-largest district in Southwest Ohio (behind Cincinnati Public Schools) and seventh-largest in the state. Lakota is the largest school system among Ohio’s 613 public districts to earn the state’s highest rating.

Richard Hamilton is retiring after being principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

But historically deep budget cuts in response to a recent string of tax levy defeats have left Lakota scrambling financially, with less staffing and fewer resources – all reasons cited by departing principals, Mantia said, based on her exit interviews.

Bus transportation has been eliminated for thousands, classes are larger, dozens of teacher, building staff positions and central office jobs have been eliminated as budgets have been cut $35 million in the last three school years.

Moreover, voters have rejected three proposed school tax hikes in the last two years. This month Lakota officials announced that the unknown funding levels from the next state budget has prompted them to skip a levy try this fall. (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Dr. Keith Kline, Elgin Card, Gary Elgin Card, Joan Powell, Karen Mantia, Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Dr. Keith Kline, Lakota East principal Keith Kline, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West principal Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Gary Elgin Card, Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Cincinnati Enquirer’s Michael D. Clark reports:

Before Lakota Schools can tackle its looming budget shortfall, all officials need to be on the same page – especially administrators and the governing board, said Superintendent Karen Mantia.

Mantia, at Wednesday’s board meeting, asked for clarification as to whether its five members agree that cutting $9 million to balance next school year’s budget is the way to go.

The unusual request was brought about in part by an extensive and lengthy public discussion during last month’s board meeting that saw Mantia fielding a series of questions, primarily from veteran board member Joan Powell. Their exchange called into question some major aspects of Mantia’s previously announced goal to slice $9 million in personnel and programs from the 2012-13 school year.

Lakota faces a projected shortfall of $14.1 million by 2015.

Mantia said she was seeking a clear directive from the board.

“The question on the table is do you want a spending deficit? We are going broke and something will have to change,” Mantia told the board. “We need some direction and it needs to be clear.”

“If we are working as a team, which I hope we are, then this team needs to work together,” she said.

After board discussion, members agreed and unanimously voted to order Mantia’s administration to proceed with planning the $9 million in reductions.

Powell said the $9 million “remains the target.” She said part of the problem was “a little bit of a disconnect” between the board and district leaders.

At the last board meeting, administrators rolled out the first – preschool programs – of a seven-phase plan in exactly where the $9 million would be cut.

At the board’s Feb. 13 meeting the reduction plan for grades 7-12 is to be unveiled, followed in subsequent weeks by plans for elementary grades, administration, district-wide personnel, business and extracurricular programs.

Lakota voters rejected three operating levies from 2010 to 2011, the most recent in November.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Joan Powell, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota preschool program, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, reductions, school levy, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Cincinnati Enquirer’s Michael D. Clark reports:

It’s a new year and the Lakota school board that has occasionally been mired in high-profile infighting is asking the public for a fresh start.

The five-member governing board of Southwest Ohio’s second largest school system may deserve some of the blame for three school tax levy defeats since 2010, according to Ben Dibble, the newly elected Lakota Board of Education president.

“Let’s acknowledge that the school board could be part of the reason for our levy failures, During the last couple of years, the school board has projected an image of divisiveness – that we weren’t always working toward the goal of providing the best possible education at the lowest cost,” according to a statement Dibble read during the board’s meeting earlier this week.

The past year saw a sharp divide among some board members over a variety of issues including the use of public monies to hire a private search firm to find a new Lakota treasurer and superintendent. The occasional highly public and at times personal clashes were cited in part by some district critics who organized successful opposition campaigns in defeating proposed school tax hikes.

“I ask my fellow board members to leave behind the ways we’ve done things in the past and take a new approach. Doing things the same old way will lead us down the same path that has resulted in three levy failures. Our credibility and communication with the community needs to improve,” Dibble stated.

Dibble was voted to the one-year term of presidency by fellow board members earlier this month, as was newly elected member Julie Shaffer. Shaffer won election to the board in November in her first try at public office and was chosen by members to serve as the board’s vice president.

Dibble replaced 2011 and 2010 board president and 15-year board veteran Joan Powell.

Dibble pledged his leadership will feature more openness to the community, greater feedback from all residents in the district – “not just the folks we think will agree with us.” (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school board, Lakota school levy, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, school board, school levy

The Lakota Board of Education held its first regularly scheduled meeting of 2012 Monday. Late last week, the Lakota BOE released its complete schedule for the year.

Jan. 9 – Business
Jan. 23 – Work
Feb. 13 – Work
Feb. 27 – Business/Work
March 12 – Work
March 26 – Business
April 9 – Work
April 23 – Business/Work
May 14 – Work
May 29 – Business
June 11 – Work
June 25 – Business
July 16 – Business/Work
Aug. 13 – Work
Aug. 27 – Business
Sept. 10 – Work
Sept. 24 – Business
Oct. 8 – Work
Oct. 22 – Business
Nov. 5 – Work (OSBA Week second week)
Nov. 26 – Business
Dec. 10 – Business/Work

The school board will be meeting in work session, as well as business, formats in 2012. The board tested the new work session format for the first time Nov. 28, 2011.

Currently, the work session format allows only one time period for public comments, compared to the usual two.

The new format, however, could change. When the board used the format Nov. 28, school board member Joan Powell described it as a “trial run.”

Posted in: Board of Education, Events, News, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Joan Powell, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota Board of Education meetings, Lakota school board, Lakota school board schedule

The Lakota Board of Education appointed a new president and welcomed in its newest board member at its annual organizational meeting Thursday.

After serving two straight years as vice president, Ben Dibble was the only school board member nominated for president. Dibble replaces Joan Powell, who had served as the board’s president for the past two years.

“I have be able to watch Joan do a great job and learn under someone who was on the board for a long, long time,” Dibble said.

“This will be a challenging year for Lakota and the board will need to work together.”

Overall, the selection process of the school board’s president went much smoother than it did a year ago when board member Ray Murray demanded change and challenged Powell.

In his challenge, Murray and board member Lynda O’Connor voiced their displeasure with fellow board members who agreed to spend $50,000 in its search for a new superintendent.

Those board members, Powell, Dibble and Paul Lohr voted in favor and approved the hiring of the search firm. More than six months later, the school district finally hired Karen Mantia as its new superintendent with the annual salary of $165,000.

At this year’s organizational meeting, newly elected board member Julie Shaffer was sworn in and appointed vice president.

Shaffer, who has also worked in the employee benefits and finance field for 22 years, joins the board at a time when it must decide how to trim $9 million from its operating budget for the 2012-2013 school year.

“There are certainly going to be many challenges ahead,” said Shaffer, who has three children (ages 13, 10 and 5) in the district. “There are no easy answers out there. It is going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of people working together to come up with any solution.

“I hope that I can bring my financial perspective to those decisions.”

One decision Shaffer and her fellow board members will need to make in 2012 will be whether to place another tax levy on the ballot.

With the district facing a projected budget shortfall of $14.1 million by 2015, the freshly appointed vice president is in favor of placing a tax levy on the ballot this year.

“When I look at the financial situation, which is where I have spent the majority of the last five years on while working on Lakota issues, I do still believe that there is a revenue need,” said Shaffer, who volunteered on Lakota levy campaigns and has lobbied in Columbus for changes to public school funding.

“I believe that passing a levy in 2012 would be critical in order to not continue eliminating opportunities for our students.”

Joining Shaffer in starting a new four-year term on the school board Thursday was O’Connor, who begins her second term. Shaffer and O’Connor each received approximately 25 percent of the vote in November’s election, which was more than fellow candidates Mark Etterling, Jamie Green and Luke Hall.

Choosing not to seek re-election this November was Paul Lohr, who closed out his term Dec. 12. Fellow board members, Powell and Dibble, terms will end at the conclusion of 2013.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school board, Lakota school levy, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Paul Lohr, school board, school levy, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Locally, West Chester Township residents voted down another school levy, re-elected its trustee, elected a fiscal officer and filled two seats on the school board.

Roughly a total of 46 percent of the public voted for the school levy, while roughly 54 percent voted it down.

>>>STORY: LAKOTA LEVY FAILS FOR THIRD TIME SINCE 2005<<<

“Certainly I am disappointed, but we have said all along during this campaign that this was the community’s choice,” said Sandy Wheatley leader of the Committee for Lakota’s Future.

“We looked to the community and asked, ‘do you want to move forward or do you not?’ And they made their choice.’”

West Chester Trustee George Lang was re-elected for the third straight time after being first elected in 2003. Lang received almost 52 percent of the vote. His closest opponent was Anthony Klimek, who finished with around 27 percent of the vote. Fellow opponent William Zerkle finished with around 21 percent of the vote.

“In this campaign, the people running against me got a little ugly and a little nasty,” said Lang after he voted on Election Day at the Ronald Reagan Lodge. “But in their defense, in this real conservative community – they couldn’t beat me on the issues, so their best chance was to attack my character.”

>>>ELECTION DAY PHOTOS IN WEST CHESTER<<<

“Cityhood” was a big issue in the trustee race. According to Lang, who wants West Chester to remain a township, Zerkle wants West Chester to become a city soon and candidate Klimek would like to see West Chester transition into a city.

In the race for fiscal officer, it was much tighter – with Bruce Jones taking the open seat with about 37 percent of the vote. Christy Miller (30 percent), Chris Xeil Lyons (26 percent) and Kerry Hendel (7 percent) finished behind Jones.

“I have been just focusing on my campaign … distinguishing myself from the other candidates as I have a proven track record as a fiscal conservative and a lengthy track record of involvement in the community,” said Jones, while greeting voters outside Endeavor Elementary on Election Day. “I think that I have earned peoples’ trust as a result from that commitment to the community.”

Meanwhile, there were two available seats in the school board race. The public re-elected Lynda O’Connor to one of those seats and Julie Shaffer to the other seat. Both candidates finished with approximately 25 percent of the vote. Mark Etterling (19.67 percent), Jamie Green (14.29 percent) and Luke Hall (15.51 percent) finished behind O’Connor and Shaffer.

“I certainly feel honored that the community placed its trust in me and I look forward to trying to serve the students to the best of my ability,” said Shaffer, who has three children in the school district. “It is also bittersweet, however, given that we have to make additional reductions to the levy failure.”

Issue 11, the Butler County mental health levy, did pass with more than 64 percent of the vote in favor of the levy. The 1-mill tax levy costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $47.60 annually for five years.

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Events, Government, Levy news, News, Political events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Anthony Klimek, Bruce Jones, Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County election 2011, Chris Xeil Lyons, Christy Miller, Cincinnati Tea Party, early voting, early voting 2011, early voting Butler County, early voting Ohio, early voting Ohio 2011, election, election 2011, election day, George Lang, Jamie Green, Joan Powell, Judy Schmidt, Julie Shaffer, Kathleen Boring, Kerry Hendel, Lakota Levy 2011, Lakota levy news, Lakota school board election, Lucas Hall, Lynda O'Conner, Mark Etterling, Mark Toney, NoLakota Levy, Ohio election 2011, Ohio Liberty Council, Pat Williams, Southwest Ohio Liberty Headquarters, West Chester election, William Zerkle

A steady stream of voters have turned out in West Chester Township at Union Elementary, Endeavor Elementary, the West Chester Township Administration Building, Lakota West High School and the Ronald Reagan Lodge at Voice of America Park.

In what has been referred to as an “off-year election” – voters appear to be coming out due to interest in Issue 2 and in the Lakota school levy.

For some voters, like Judy Schmidt of West Chester, Issue 2 was a confusing issue. Schmidt thought Issue 2 television ads didn’t clearly portray what the issue was really about.

>>>PHOTOS OF ELECTION DAY 2011 IN WEST CHESTER<<<

It wasn’t until Schmidt recently discussed Issue 2 with her husband that she how she wanted to vote.

Like many West Chester voters, Schmidt wasn’t comfortable in discussing if she voted for the issue or the school levy.

On the other hand, Kathleen Boring of West Chester did confirm that she was for the levy.

“I think parents are really feeling the crunch (after cuts were made to Lakota),” said Boring, who has two children in the Lakota school system.

“It is a fantastic school system. I just would like to see it maintained.”

Boring, who moved from Monroe, N.C. a few years ago, said that taxes are already high in West Chester compared to her former hometown and said that the levy “is a very difficult decision to make” for voters.

>>>ELECTION DAY 2011 WEST CHESTER VOTING GUIDE<<<

Besides Issue 2, voters have been confused on what to do about the fiscal officer race in West Chester Township – which included candidates Chris Xeil Lyons, Bruce Jones, Christy Miller, Kerry Hendel and Mark Toney.

“I think the biggest hurdle in this race was educating the voters about the job of the fiscal officer,” said Lyons, who greeted voters this morning at Union Elementary.

“It is hard to elect somebody when you don’t fully understand what their responsibilities and duties really are.”

Voters may also not be familiar with the candidates, considering current West Chester Township Fiscal Officer Patricia Williams is not seeking re-election after holding the position since 1976.

Williams, who is visiting all the polling locations in West Chester today, decided not to endorse any of the candidates.

>>>CUTS TO MADE IF LAKOTA LEVY PASSES OR FAILS<<<

Meanwhile, in October, Lakota Board of Education President Joan Powell endorsed two other candidates running for the school board rather than incumbent candidate Lynda O’Connor.

The endorsement, which came by way of a letter to Powell’s supporters, made headlines at the Cincinnati Enquirer and caused infighting among Lakota school board members.

Her endorsed candidates, Julie Shaffer and Jamie Green, are up against Mark Etterling, Lucas Hall and O’Connor. The NoLakota group, which is campaigning to defeat the school levy, has endorsed Etterling and O’Connor. Meanwhile, Hall is an 18-year-old Miami University student and 2010 graduate from Lakota East.

The race for township trustee has also been “a little ugly” according to incumbent George Lang.

“In this campaign, the people running against me got a little ugly and a little nasty,” said Lang after he voted this morning at the Ronald Reagan Lodge. “But in their defense, in this real conservative community – they couldn’t beat me on the issues, so their best chance was to attack my character.”

The incumbent claims his opponents have called him “unethical, immoral and untrustworthy.” He also claims that they are telling voters that Lang wants West Chester to be a city.

Lang denies those claims and acknowledges that “cityhood” is a big issue in this year’s trustee race. According to Lang, who wants West Chester to remain a township, fellow candidate William Zerkle wants West Chester to become a city soon and candidate Anthony Klimek wants to transition West Chester into a city.

While voters go to the polls and politicians greet them there, there is also a another side of Election Day that typically goes unseen.

Currently, volunteers at the Southwest Ohio Liberty Headquarters in West Chester, which was created by the Cincinnati Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council, will be calling potential voters until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. With lists from Columbus of registered voters, who have yet to vote, those volunteers are making a push for local voters to vote “yes” on Issue 2 and Issue 3.

For more information on the issues and races, visit WestChesterBuzz.com’s voter guide.

WestChesterBuzz.com will post live election results after the polls close at 7:30 p.m. from the Lakota levy viewing party tonight in West Chester.

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Events, Government, Levy news, News, Political events, Schools |

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