2021 Election results
- Published: November 3, 2021
School facilities levy voted down
The majority of Yellow Springs school district voters cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 2, against a combined property tax levy and income tax increase to build a $35.6 million K–12 school at the location of the current middle/high school on East Enon Road.
In unofficial results from the Greene County Board of Elections, district voters were 61% against and 39% for the measure. The total count, including absentee ballots, was 1,258 to 804.
The district had proposed a 6.5-mill property tax with a bond life of 37 years combined with a continuing income tax increase of 0.5% to pay for construction of a new facility in partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which had promised a 26% reimbursement, more than $9 million for the project.
If approved, the tax would have cost about $315 annually for anyone making the median Yellow Springs income of about $63,000, as well as an additional $227.50 per year for each $100,000 in appraised home value, according to projections by the Greene County Auditor’s Office.
“I’m disappointed in the outcome,” district Superintendent Terri Holden said Wednesday morning. “Perhaps the new [school] board will have a better path forward.”
Lee, Housh, Stokes elected to Village Council
Incumbent Kevin Stokes won the most votes in the Village Council race on Election Day on Nov. 2, with 1,033 votes. Second place went to Council President Brian Housh, who won 832 votes. As the top two vote-getters, Stokes and Housh will serve four-year terms.
Coming in third was Carmen Lee with 723 votes; she will serve a two-year term.
Precinct results from the Greene County Board of Elections were not available at press time. They will be reported in next week’s News.
A Yellow Springs native, this was Lee’s first time running for public office in the village. An independent caregiver for elders, Lee’s platform emphasized affordable housing and giving a voice to those who work in the service industry and in retail spaces in the village. She also spoke in support of maintaining inclusivity and civil discourse in Council dealings if elected.
Incumbent Housh has been elected to Council for his third term after serving as Council president during his second term. The policy manager for Rails to Trails’ Midwest regional office, Housh ran for re-election with the goals of supporting social justice and instituting municipal broadband. He also emphasized a desire to provide institutional knowledge and mentorship to new Council members if re-elected.
The senior director of facilities and technology and the director of information technology, media services and operations at Antioch College, incumbent Stokes now begins his second term on Village Council. His platform featured continuing work on police reform in the village, including implementing body cameras for YSPD officers, as well as affordable housing.
Hempfling, Magnus, Bouquet elected to Board of Education
Yellow Springs voters elected three new members to the school board from a pool of five candidates, none of whom were incumbents. Judith Hempfling received the most votes at 1,167, while Amy Magnus and Dorothée Bouquet followed at 1,067 and 1,051 votes, respectively. All three will serve four-year terms.
Hempfling, a villager since 1996, is a nurse and served on Village Council for 11 years, four of them as president. She ran for school board in tandem with Magnus, both of whom opposed the passage of the school facilities levy. Part of that opposition included support for a phased improvement approach to updating school facilities. Hempfling also emphasized the need for open discourse in future school board meetings and actions and improved services for students with special needs.
Magnus is a retired electrical engineer and physics and math educator with the U.S. Air Force. In addition to opposing the school facilities levy, her platform also emphasized creative thinking around the use of unused or underused structures around the village and a goal of instituting cooperative education opportunities for students.
Bouquet is a native of France who gained U.S. citizenship seven years ago after moving to the village. Her candidacy came after regularly attending school board meetings and her inclusion on the Educational Envisioning Team, which was part of the effort in developing the master plan for district facilities. A strong supporter of the school facilities levy, Bouquet’s platform also focused on improved services for students with special needs and the staffing and retention of good teachers.
Hollister, Moir elected to Township trustee seats; Conine still mayor;
Two out of three trustee seats were up for grabs on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Incumbent Don Hollister won the most votes in the Miami Township race with 1,115 votes. Second place went to Marilan Moir, who won 1,018 votes. Both will serve four-year terms.
Precinct results from the Greene County Board of Elections were not available at press time. They will be reported in next week’s issue of the News.
This will be Yellow Springs native Don Hollister’s second term as trustee. Four years ago, Hollister ran on a platform of increasing the number of volunteer firefighters in the fire department, and wants to continue efforts to strengthen the department. Hollister also opposes the proposed Kingwood solar array project.
Moir has lived in Yellow Springs for over 30 years. Moir has a degree in agriculture from The Ohio State University and has been a science teacher for 20 years. This will be her first term as trustee. Her platform addressed the changing nature of Miami Township Fire and Rescue, or MTFR, and zoning, especially as it relates to agritourism. She also wants to increase transparency in Township business and finances. Moir opposes the Kingwood solar array project.
Running unopposed, incumbent mayor Pam Conine, won a third term with 1,405 votes.
Jail levy fails, bridge levy passes
Greene County voters rejected Issue 1, a proposal from the Greene County Board of Commissioners to increase the county sales tax by .25%in order to build a new jail, with 13,334 voting against the measure and 10,807 approving it. The result is in part a victory for members of the Greene County Coalition for Compassionate Justice, who campaigned against the proposal.
Greene County voters approved the Bridges Tax, a renewal levy, with 17,040 votes for the tax and 7,176 votes against the renewal, which will fund county efforts to repair and replace new bridges.
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