Tuesday evening Huffman said she was both really grateful and “still a little shocked” at her victory, adding her first priority is developing a plan for the city streets.
“I think it’s clear that the residents do not want to pay an additional tax and they clearly want the streets to be repaved, and being able to dig into the budget and see what we can reallocate or what there can be some grants for…that’s a big priority for me," she said.
Additionally, the vote count flipped for Xenia’s income tax measure: voters so far are rejecting by a thin margin the city’s issue that would raise about $2 million for the city’s roads. As of 10 p.m., voters were rejecting the ballot issue with 51.5% against, and 48.5% voting against it.
In the Xenia Board of Education race, Joshua Day led the pack by just shy of 1,000 votes. Following him is a razor-thin three-way battle for second and third, with Deborah Williams and Tyler Scott appearing to shut out Jennifer Marietta, Cedric Tolbert, as well as incumbents Mary Grech and George Leightenheimer.
Tuesday night, Day said he was breathing “a sigh of relief,” and thanked the community for their vote.
“I’m just really appreciative of the vote of confidence again from the community to continue and serve another term,” he said. “I’m excited to start on those initiatives I’ve talked about, decreasing technology use, focusing on our academics, and shifting from getting our buildings in top of order and more into the academic side.”
“I’m excited to represent the community again and whether someone voted for me or not I’m going to work my hardest to ensure the whole community is represented and we provide the best possible education to the kids in Xenia,” he added.
The 0.24% annual income tax increase would have run for a period of five years, and increase taxes by $120 annually for someone with an annual income of $50,000, according to city data.
The levy would have generated approximately $2 million for street maintenance and repairs, and even more specifically neighborhood roads, City Manager Brent Merriman previously told the Dayton Daily News.
The condition of streets has long been a point of consternation in the city. The city has spent an average of $1.3 million annually on street rehabilitation in the last 10 years.
The city’s current income tax rate is 2.25%, with a credit of up to 1.5% given to those who pay local tax to other municipalities. This ballot issue will not change the tax credit.
If the levy fails, the city council will prioritize streets as much as possible while maintaining a balanced budget, Merriman said.
Xenia City Council
Xenia City Council is a seven-person body consisting of six council members and the mayor. The two open seats are currently held by Carlos Walker, who is running for election, and Dennis Propes, who is not. Both Walker and Propes were appointed to their seats in January.
All five candidates expressed concern about Xenia’s poor street conditions and infrastructure, though expressed mixed opinions on the state of taxes and city funding.
Xenia will also get a new mayor. Current Councilman Ethan Reynolds is running unopposed to replace Mayor Will Urschel, who is not seeking reelection.
After the election, city council will appoint someone to take Reynolds’ council seat for the remainder of his term. This will be an open application process.
Xenia Board of Education
Seven people are in the running for three seats on the five-person Xenia Board of Education.
Day, Grech, and Leightenheimer’s seats are open this November, with all three running for reelection.
Most of the candidates interviewed said improving student academic achievement were among their top priorities, as well as addressing concerns about spiking property taxes and school funding. Xenia schools have also found themselves at the center of culture war issues surrounding school districts over the last several years.
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