Staff Writer
Ohio on Tuesday could become the first state in America to legalize marijuana for recreational and personal use at the same time.
But the outcome could be complicated. If both Issues 2 and 3 pass, the future of marijuana legalization in Ohio will likely head to the courts. And if Issue 3 fails, Ohioans will probably be asked to vote on another marijuana proposal in the future, perhaps as early as next year.
The only sure path to legalization is if Issue 2 fails and Issue 3 passes.
Pot legalization is the marquis issue in today’s election, and ResponsibleOhio, the backers of Issue 3, have spent millions on advertising, while opponents have lined up endorsements from business groups, all statewide elected officials and health organizations. But as much as the pot issues have dominated talk around the water cooler, the ballot is packed with hundreds of candidates and school and tax issues. To help you sort through it, here are the races and issues to watch:
1. Marijuana/monopoly issues
Ohioans could buy marijuana from as many as 1,100 retail stores if Issue 3 passes. However, Issue 2 might have to fail for legal marijuana to become a reality. Supporters say Issue 3 is needed to provide medical marijuana for patients, free up law enforcement to focus on other issues and give Ohioans the freedom to use marijuana in the privacy of their homes. Opponents say Issue 3 would cause problems for business owners, lead to more drug addiction and amounts to an economic monopoly designed for personal gain. State legislators placed Issue 2, a poison pill proposal banning monopolies from Ohio’s constitution on today’s ballot that’s intended to nullify marijuana legalization if passed.
2. Sinclair Community Colleges levy
Sinclair Community College is asking voters to support a 1-mill levy that the school says will allow it to ramp up its health and manufacturing programs. This will be the second levy Montgomery County taxpayers will pay for the college. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $35 a year. That’s in addition to the $98 those homeowners already pay for Sinclair’s 3.2-mill levy, which passed in 2008. Sinclair President Steven Johnson said the new money would be used to build a health center, which would house its nearly 40 health science programs and be equipped with the “latest” simulation labs and clinics.
3. State Issue 1
Voters will have a chance to change the way politicians draw state legislative district lines when they consider State Issue 1. The proposal would replace a redistricting system criticized for fostering gerrymandering by the majority party with a process described as more fair, bipartisan and transparent. A seven-member commission of the governor, secretary of state, auditor and four legislative appointees would draw district boundaries. Two minority-party votes would be needed to adopt a 10-year legislative map. The issue largely has support on both sides.
4. Dayton City Commission
The city of Dayton has two commission seats on the ballot and one of those seats hasn’t been open in 22 years. Commissioner Dean Lovelace is stepping down after having served since 1993. Commissioner Matt Joseph is running for re-election. Minister and community archivist Darryl Fairchild, small business owner Chris Shaw, and minister and former advertising executive Scott Sliver are also running.
5. Huber Heights Council races
A team of challengers is taking on four incumbents on the Huber Heights Council. Council member Jan Vargo and Glenn Otto will square off in an at-large race. Incumbent Lu Dale is being challenged by Richard Shaw in Ward 1, incumbent Karen Kaleps is facing challenger Janell Smith in Ward 2, and incumbent Edward Lyons is opposed by challenger Richard Stan in Ward 6.
6. Greene County parks levy
Voters in Greene County are being asked for the first time to approve a levy to fund the Greene County Park District. The 5-year, 0.9 mill levy would raise $3.3 million annually and cost a homeowner $2.60 per month per $100,000 of appraised home value. The park district’s funding from the state has been cut by about 50 percent since 2009, according to Greene County Parks and Trails Director Chrisbell Bednar. County commissioners said they’ve done all they can to cut costs.
7. Kettering School Board
To get elected to the Kettering School Board, Jim Schoenlein will have to defeat one of the school board members who voted to oust him from his superintendent’s job last year. In a three-way race for two seats, Schoenlein is challenging incumbent board members Lori Simms Parks and Jennifer Kane. The board, including Parks and Kane, voted unanimously last year to remove Schoenlein and treasurer Steve Clark from their positions, accusing them of a toxic relationship that was affecting other central office staff. Schoenlein said last week that he and Clark accomplished much in Kettering, from earning a huge state technology grant to expanding educational programs and boosting state test scores. He said their conflict was overblown.
8. Miamisburg mayor race
The Miamisburg mayor’s seat is being contested today for the first time in 24 years. Longtime incumbent Dick Church Jr. is being challenged by two-term Councilwoman Sarah Clark, the first ballot challenge he has faced since being elected to that post in 1991. Both Church, 74, and Clark, 32, grew up in the city and are graduates of Miamisburg High School.
9. Beavercreek new mayor, council
Beavercreek voters will select four council members from a pool of six candidates, the candidate with the most votes will serve as mayor for two years. Two incumbents, Melissa Litteral and Zach Upton, are up against four challengers — Harold Lewis, Bob Stone, Ryan Rushing and Julie Vann.
10. School levies
On Tuesday, for the first time this century, there will be a May or November election where not a single school district in the six-county Dayton area is asking for a tax increase via a levy or bond issue. However, Vandalia-Butler, New Lebanon, Milton-Union, Greeneview, and Cedar Cliff Schools all have renewal levies on the ballot that would extend taxes at the same rate if they pass.
The Associated Press and staff writers Lance Lambert, Lynn Hulsey, Jeremy Kelley, Steven Matthews, Sharahn Boykin and Nick Blizzard contributed to this report.
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