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MJ local mobileWard voting system falls out of favor
Voting breakdown shows only 2nd Ward wanted to keep ward reps
A little less than 500 votes is changing the size of Middletown City Council from seven to five members and eliminating the ward system to elect that representation.
An analysis of precinct canvass reports showed three out of the city’s four wards favored the charter amendment, according to final, unofficial returns from the elections boards in Butler and Warren counties. The 2nd Ward, an area most concerned with keeping ward representation, defeated the issue.
Opponents of the charter change feared voters in the 3rd Ward would have more influence over city issues. The issue saw its biggest victory in the 3rd Ward, where it won by a margin of nearly 400 votes.
Will some residents lose a voice in Middletown?
Less than one-third of registered voters in the city turned out to cast a ballot Tuesday, Nov. 3, on changing the size of Middletown City Council, according to unofficial returns from elections boards in Butler and Warren counties.
Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown NAACP and a vocal opponent of the charter change to reduce the size of Council and eliminate the ward system of representation, said she the change was approved because not enough voters studied the issue or went out to vote.
According to unofficial vote counts from the boards of elections in Butler and Warren counties, the change was approved by a margin of nearly 500 votes with a vote of 4,623 for to 4,151 against, passing in 24 of the city’s 42 precincts.
In 1990, the move from an at-large to ward representation system passed by only 193 votes.
Bronston and other opponents of the charter change fear it would put more power in wards where voter turnout is stronger.
Bronston said she prefers seven Council members because a larger body would help to bring about more ideas to address issues.
However, Bronston said she could live with five members — a directly elected mayor and four ward representatives.
“Wards make better sense to cover the city,” she said. “It bothered me when the wards were dismissed. But it would be better with seven (members).”
Bronston said the topic will be revisited once the new Council is seated in January.
“We want to remind them that we haven’t forgotten that issue,” she said. “I’m not going to let them forget it either.”
Of the 14 precincts that are in or partially in the 3rd Ward, 10 of those precincts approved the charter change.
The amendment fared well in the 1st Ward carrying seven of the 10 wards that are in both counties.
Voters in the 4th Ward passed the amendment even though it only passed in half of its 12 wards.
In the 2nd Ward, the amendment was defeated in seven of the eight precincts .
Wanda Glover, president of the Second Ward Community Council, said she’d like to see it back on the ballot, but doesn’t see it happening.
“I think it’s run its course,” she said. “It’s been voted on, and we have to live with the situation. I’d like to see it go back on the ballot.”
Like Bronston, she prefers seven council members but can live with a council of five if four of them were elected from the wards.
She also agrees that some wards are better able to turn out voters than others.
Longtime political observer Knight Goodman also doubted the issue will be back before the voters again.
Goodman said he was opposed to the change to seven members and was opposed to the recent proposal to go back to five.
“If you take it away, it may cause some difficulty,” he said. “But citywide, you may get some good people running (for council).”
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5:39 PM, 11/5/2009
1:47 PM, 11/5/2009
11:22 AM, 11/5/2009
9:48 AM, 11/5/2009
Maybe there should be more focus on GOTV and less worrying about Wards, Ms. Bronston?
Or do you think it's a good thing that the candidate who spent the most money earned fewer than 1000 votes, which would rank him where among all vote getters in the city?
8:12 AM, 11/5/2009