Twenty-five of an estimated 5,000 eligible voters turned out for yesterday's primary election, and with one name on the ballot, they didn't have many choices.
City Councilwoman Nancy Bain (D) was the only official to face any opposition this election, which came from Amy Robison, an Athens resident in the 3rd Ward that Bain represents. Robison subsequently withdrew from the race but state law still required the county to hold a primary election.
Even though Robison withdrew her name more than 60 days before the election, her original petition was enough to force a primary, said Mike Struble, regional liaison for the Ohio Secretary of State's office.
This election reinforces a recent political trend for City Council, whose members are all Democrats. However, Athens resident Randy Morris would like to change that.
Morris is running on the Republican ticket for the 4th Ward seat held by Democrat Christine Fahl on City Council in the next general election in November. Fahl is also seeking re-election in the fall.
City Council has one perspective on things
they're in the same party they see things the same way Morris said. He said that many of his differences with the council deal with fiscal discipline
using the council's proposed yard waste fee as an example of the council trying to make up for spending too much money on special interest groups.
However Bain said political differences play a small role in city policy, adding that she has been around for both Republican and Democratic majorities.
I don't know if there has ever been any vote that went along party lines
she said.
Bain also said that much of city policy deals with non-partisan issues and remembered current council president Bill Bias once said, I ran for council
and the first thing I did was vote on a dump truck.
Referring to the election system, Bain also said that she would like to explore implementing a charter system with nonpartisan elections.
At-large city councilman Jim Sands acknowledged Morris' more conservative views, but said, Even us
we're trying to be more fiscally conservative at this moment.
Athens County Board of Elections Director Debbie Quivey also said she sought to cut costs at every step when she organized yesterday's election.
Quivey began with a pair of requests for the Ohio Secretary of State's office. She asked to set up only one polling location at the community center and to print off only 600 ballots, 12 percent of the total number of eligible voters.
Quivey also served as an election judge for the location, along with three other board of elections clerks, who said they will all give their paychecks to their office to save money.
The board saved the county an estimated $6,000 in election costs, said Penny Brooks, a clerk.
Broods has spent 35 years working for the board and said yesterday was her first time serving as an election judge.
This was good for us to see this side of the election
Quivey said.
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