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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > November > 05 > Entry
Close county races mired in uncertainty
Here’s where the Montgomery County results stand. All early votes and machine votes have been counted and some of the paper ballots filled out on election day are included in the current numbers.
But about 40,000 paper ballots remain to be counted, and they all must be handled by hand. The board of elections hopes to have final results early this afternoon.
This leaves several local races in limbo. While most of the candidates who were leading last night appear to be relatively safe, it’s hard to know for sure because we don’t know what percentage of the vote in each race is in and we don’t know where those outstanding paper ballots are from.
But a few races are clearly in play that did not appear to be so last night while one or two that looked close may not prove to be so. Among the races to watch:
Sheriff: This was a close race last night, but Sheriff Phil Plummer has 59 percent of the vote now. A reversal is not out of the question, but seems like a long shot.
Recorder: Recorder Willis Blackshear had a big lead last night but it has evaporated. He now has just 52 percent of the vote counted, making this race a toss up.
Common Pleas Court Judge: Judge Frances McGee had a big lead last night but this race is now a virtual tie with McGee at 50.4 percent and Dennis Adkins at 49.6 percent. This will be a nail biter.
Dayton school levy: The yes vote has held at about 57 percent, which looks likely to hold up but it is not out of the woods yet.
Jefferson Twp. school levy: Hold on to your seats — just 14 votes separate the yes and no in this crucial race for a fiscally troubled district. The issue currently leads with 50.25 percent voting yes.
Brookville school levy: This one is still pretty close with 54 percent voting yes.
Centerville school levy: This levy may be headed for a narrow defeat, with 52 percent voting no in the current numbers. But it is close enough that things could change.
Trotwood school levy A defeat may be in the offing here with 56 percent voting no.
Vandalia school levy: It looks like this levy will pass as 62 percent voted yes in the reported numbers.
Huber Heights school levy With 52 percent voting yes, the issue is holding on but still in danger.
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