Incumbents sweep in Talawanda, Oxford city elections

Most voters of the Talawanda School District and City of Oxford cast ballots for incumbent board of education members and councilors in unofficial results, which will be certified later this month.

Overall voter turnout, according to the Butler County Board of Elections (BoE), was over 28%, with 69,644 ballots counted out of 245,256 registered voters.

BoE Director Nicole Unzicker said overwhelmingly more people voted at polls on Election Day compared to those who voted early, and more people voted in-person this year than in previous years.

Talawanda Board of Education

Talawanda Board of Education member Pat Meade won his third consecutive run for Talawanda Board of Education with more than 28% of the vote, and board member Matt Wyatt won his first election, also with more than 28% of the vote in unofficial results.

Meade said of voters, “Having been (on the board) eight years, I think they know who I am, and I think they chose to put me back there, knowing who I am, because I think they know that I will try to make sure our students’ needs are taken care of.”

Both Meade and Wyatt were at LaRosa’s Pizzeria in Oxford Tuesday night, celebrating together as results rolled in.

“People of the Talawanda School District are pleased with the academic results that our students are getting because of the hard work of our staff,” Meade said. “I think they’re pleased that the Talawanda School District is trying to meet the social and emotional and academic needs of their students, and I think the people of Talawanda School District are tired of the silliness and distractions.”

Wyatt, who was first appointed to the board in September 2024 after another member stepped down, said “I campaigned very hard because I had zero name recognition.”

Wyatt previously served as a school board member in Kentucky for 10 years.

“I love the school board work. I like the nerd stuff, (like) budgets. I like being able to take the challenging situations we have with the students and the backgrounds that they have,” he said. “We’ve won this election. Let’s turn the page as a board, and let’s focus on – even more on – the things that are going to help the most students.”

Moving forward, Wyatt said the district will need to assess its resources and be “mindful” of what it’s offering.

“We’re not educators on the board, but we support the educators when we fund programs that we have,” he said. 

The board must make “sure that we have the resources and continue what we’re doing because we’re on a really great track as a school district,” Wyatt said.

Although Wyatt and Meade had the most votes in unofficial results, precinct-by-precinct results show candidates Tom Heisler and Corey Frye carried nearly every precinct for Hanover, Milford and Reily townships. Wyatt and Meade carried nearly every precinct in the City of Oxford and Oxford Township.

Frye and Heisler said in a joint statement emailed to the Oxford Free Press, “While tonight’s results weren’t what we hoped for, we stand here with full hearts and deep gratitude.”

“This campaign was never about party lines – it was about our kids, our classrooms, and our community,” they said. “We’ll continue to show up. We’ll continue to listen. And we’ll continue to work for a school system that puts students first.”

Oxford City Council 

Oxford City Councilors Amber Franklin and Alex French also kept their seats.

Franklin had the most votes in unofficial results, with more than 23% of the vote. French had the second most votes, yielding more than 20%.

Besides having served on the council for the past four years, Franklin is also a founding member of the Oxford Police Community Relations and Review Commission and has served on other commissions and boards for the city.

Franklin said of voters’ decision to keep her on the council, “I’m honored and humbled to have received their support again for another four years.”

Franklin said she will continue to be a listening ear, approachable and responsive to her constituents in her second term. 

Moving forward, she will be focusing on the installation of the Amtrak train platform in Oxford, the water softener plant and public art around the city. She said she will also be working on making affordable housing available and using her platform to engage the community in dialogue across differences.

The past four years were also French’s first term, and she has been a staff representative for Oxford’s Historic and Architectural Preservation Commission. She said she’s “honored” to have been given another term to serve her city.

Now that she’s past the “learning process” required of her first term, she said she will have more time to focus on her goals like having a half-marathon in Oxford, ensuring pedestrian safety and working on economic development.

Candidates Roxanne Ornelas and James Vinch each had more than 20% of the vote in unofficial results. 

Ornelas is from San Diego, California, but has worked on a variety of projects at all levels of government and was formerly a professor at Miami University. 

Ornelas reflected on her first run for office in Oxford this year, saying, “Every single signature that I got to get on the petition, every step I took knocking doors, every conversation that I had with people … That was so fun.”

“At this point I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” she said.

One of her main agenda items was raising awareness about the health of Oxford’s watershed, which she said she will be turning her focus to. She said she also wants to focus on finding affordable housing options for citizens.

Vinch formerly worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is a member of Oxford’s Environmental Commission.

Vinch said in a statement emailed to the Oxford Free Press, he will focus on listening to the citizens of Oxford to ensure the council works for the people and will advance policies to keep the city sustainable.

“Specifically, I want to make sure that the city practices ‘good government,’” he said, adding this includes making the public a part of decision-making processes by providing public notices and opportunities to comment and respond to comments. “Public engagement in the decision making process is not just a bureaucratic hurdle, but an essential component of a responsive and engaged government.”

Issues 1, 5 and 6

Issue 1 on the ballot, asking all Butler County voters to approve a renewal and an increase of the existing levy to provide and maintain senior citizen services, passed with more than 55% of the vote in unofficial results.

Ken Wilson, chief operating officer of the Council on Aging, said the levy hadn’t been increased in 20 years, although the older adult population has increased significantly. He said the levy will allow the county to meet the growing demands for services for older adults to “keep them independent and at home and in their community for years to come.”

Passing the levy renewed the previous 1.3 millage rate, or $1.30 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value, and increased it by 0.7 mill for each $1 of taxable value. Overall, this levy will amount to less than 2% of the average property tax bill in Butler County, or around $4 per month.

Wilson said 80% of the funding will go toward home care aids and Meals on Wheels, while the other 20% will go toward an adult day care center for individuals with dementia, transportation to medical appointments, emergency buttons and other services provided by the Council on Aging.

The Hanover Township Fire District levy, Issue 5 on the ballot, made up around 98% of the fire district’s budget and failed with over 46% of the vote.

The Milford Township levy, Issue 6 on the ballot, will collect $255,388 annually for emergency services and passed with 56% of the vote.

Township trustees

Nathan Gillespie and Michael Green were elected as Milford Township trustees, each having more than 35% of the vote in unofficial results.

Dennis Conrad Jr. and Larry Richardson Jr. were elected as Reily Township trustees, winning more than 41% and more than 39% of the vote, respectively.

Douglas Johnson and Diana Ramsey were elected as Hanover Township trustees, winning more than 21% and more than 33% of the vote, respectively.