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Wednesday, November 7 2018

Wednesday, November 7 2018

Ohio and Franklin County are different worlds: your 2018 election round-up 🇺🇸

The 2020 election starts today. But first, here are your 2018 election results.

The state of Ohio ...

Ohio is looking awfully red these days. Republicans swept state-level offices. Mike DeWine will be the next governor, and Republicans also won the offices of attorney general (Dave Yost), auditor (Keith Faber), treasurer (Robert Spague), and secretary of state (Frank LaRose).

But some tickets were split ...

Sherrod Brown's victory was an early call, following a contest that never seemed competitive, despite Ohio voter's overall preference for Republican leadership. Ohioans also elected two Democrats to the state Supreme Court (Judge Melody Stewart and Judge Michael Donnelly). Republicans now have a 5-2 state Supreme Court majority.

Locally, Democrats were big winners ...

As the state has become redder, Franklin County has turned bluer. Michael Stinziano will be the next Franklin County auditor, the first time a Democrat has held that position in 80 years. Marilyn Brown won a contested county commissioner seat, and Democrats (Mary Lightbody, Dr. Beth Liston, and Allison Russo) flipped three Ohio House seats previously held by Republicans.

Odds and ends...

All bonds and school levies passed in Franklin County, including successful efforts in Dublin, Grandview, South-Western City Schools, Whitehall, and Worthington.
Whitehall also voted to alter their term limits for certain city elected officials.
Income taxes: Bexley renewed a tax levy, Gahanna voted against increasing their income tax in a nailbiter (8,734 to 8,608), and Powell voted down an income tax increase.
Beginning in 2020, Hilliard will now have a city manager to oversee day to day operations instead of a mayor.
Grandview Heights voters voted to lift a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city limits. The city council had passed a ban in April.
Issue 1 dealing with drug sentencing reform was soundly defeated.
The Metro Parks tax levy passed easily.

Your Wednesday Weather...

🌡51 and mostly sunny. 🌤🌤