Athens Democrats were ecstatic last night as they learned that their county had defeated Senate Bill 5 by the greatest margin of any of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Issue 2 was voted down in Athens County with 12,557 against and 3,070 votes for the issue, according to the Athens County Board of Elections.
Statewide, the issue failed by a vote of 2,145,042 against to 1,352,366 for with all state precincts reporting.
“Issue 2 went down in flames — as it should have,” said Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl, a Democrat who won re-election last night.
Other local Democrats shared his sentiments.
“We ran a good campaign, and this has been a really exciting time at Ohio University,” said Jacob Chaffin, a junior studying education and an organizer with We Are Ohio. “I think students here at OU have been paying attention to the political climate, and that’s not common in an off-year election. We have people here who care about the election, and they wanted to be a part of it.”
In a statement released shortly after reports of Issue 2’s failure, Ohio Gov. John Kasich reiterated that his focus will remain on bringing and keeping jobs in the state.
Throughout the summer, supporters of SB 5 promoted the positive economic impact the bill would have.
“The local business community and, in particular, the Chamber of Commerce aren’t on our side,” said Pete Couladis, chairman of the Athens County Republican Party. “They should be our allies: They complain about the city government. But every time there is a local election, they run and hide.”
To many, SB 5’s showing up on a referendum was inevitable. To the opponents of SB 5, it was a godsend.
“This was an opportunity for hardworking men and women to send a message to the Republican leadership in Columbus that they are overreaching,” said state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-92nd. “We are lucky to have a referendum process.”
ld311710@ohiou.edu
