HAMILTON COUNTY OFFICES Christopher Smitherman continued
Campaign Website: www.smithermanforcommissioner.com/ Education: BA in Criminal Justice & MA in Clinical Counseling Facebook: www.facebook.com/votesmitherman ffiliations N/A Experience: Total of 12 years Cincinnati City Council, Cincinnati V ice Mayor for 4 years, Chaired of Law and Public Safety Committee for Cincinnati, Chair of Economic Growth and Z oning, Planning Committee Member, Endorsements: Baptist Ministers Conference of incinnati icinity, irefighters local , o. , t. ernard irefighters, Hamilton ounty Green Party, IEC, Realtor Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Ham. County Prosecutor Joe Deters, Former Mayor David Mann, Former Council Member Kevin Flynn, Senator Rob Portman, Pastor KZ Smith & Connie Smith, Congressman Brad Wenstrup, Pastor Dock Foster, Pastor Eugene Ellington, Pastor Sil Watkins, Rep. Bill Seitz. Citizens can visit my website for the complete list. Occupation: Financial Planner Candidate’s Question Responses: Q: Hamilton C ounty had some of the highest rent increases in the nation this year. What are some of your ideas for the C ounty to improve housing affordability in our area? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: I spent almost 2 years chairing the Property Tax Working Group with Carol Gibbs which concluded with a long list of recommendations that can be found on the City of Cincinnati website. A key solution was using census tracks to determine tax abatements. A focus on citizens with limited income and keeping them in their housing by lobbying the State for public policy relief. Affordable Housing cannot be achieved without aggressive private public partnerships. Q: With much needed F ederal I nfrastructure funds available, how should the county address its current infrastructure needs? P lease consider water, sewage ( M SD ) , roads and bridges in your answer. ( 5 0 0 characters) A: I was a key person that protected our water in Cincinnati by not allowing it to become a private entity. If elected I will work to achieve an agreement around the 50 year contract between the City and the County related to MSD. I will be very focused on resolving infrastructure that continues to impact Hamilton County residents who continue to experience flooding. astly, the million Western Hills V iaduct is a top priority. I remain committed to keeping this project on schedule. Q: What Hamilton C ounty collection program can you support to keep Household Haz ardous Waste ( paints, lawn chemicals, used auto oils, antifreez e, etc. ) from harming our environment? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: The strategy is to work with Rumpke and Public Services across the County to provide the solution.
COUNTY AUDITOR - HAMILTON
Term: 4 years Salary: $9 4,248 RESPONSIBILITIES: V alues real property in each county conducting periodic real property valuation, maintains county financial records and issues warrant for the payment of county obligations.
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Tom Brinkman
Party: Rep ffiliations Republican Party Occupation: Life Insurance Sales Education: BA in History and Political Science from The George Washington University Twitter: @ GoBrinkman Campaign Website: www.GoBrinkman.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/tom.brinkman.79 Endorsements: Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) Political Philosophy: Transparency & Accountability Experience: 15+ years serving in the Ohio General Assembly Candidate’s Question Responses: Q: What is your ex perience in managing operations in an office the si e of the u itors ffice departments) and your ex perience with computer/ technology innovation? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: The temptation is always there to spend money & buy the latest shiny object that solves all our problems. Often it is best to ask the question; is what we have now working not only for our immediate needs but for the near future? If so, stay the course. Technology changes so much that you have to be cautious and resist the urge to buy the latest and greatest simply because it looks cool. Q: What would you do to ensure that there is no bias or political favoritism in the assessment of commercial or residential property values? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: We cannot get around the fact that the Auditor is a politically elected position. However, the key to successfully running the office is to ensure honesty, transparency and accountability are applied across the board with staffing all departments. That means hiring a purely professional staff who is focused on doing their jobs accurate, correct and fair.
Brigid K elly
P arty: Dem ffiliations Member, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Occupation: State Representative Education: MA, Human Resources, University of Cincinnati | BSBA, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, X avier University Twitter: @ brigidekelly Campaign Website: www.brigidkelly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/brigidkellyohio Endorsements: Hamilton County Democratic Party Political Philosophy: utting families first and politics last Experience: Current State Representative (serving third term); Former member, Norwood City
ouncil More than years experience fighting for hardworking people, their families, and our communities Candidate’s Question Responses: Q: What is your ex perience in managing operations in an office the si e of the u itors ffice departments) and your ex perience with computer/ technology innovation? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: Building a successful organization means having a great team. There is a wealth of knowledge from the experience of the current Auditor’s staff. I’ve led teams large and small during my career at UFCW and in the Statehouse. The Auditor should be focused on transparency and accountability, on accessibility (including using modern, effective technology), and on being responsive to citizens
of Hamilton County. I’ve done this in the Statehouse, and I’ll continue it in the Auditor’s office. Q: What would you do to ensure that there is no bias or political favoritism in the assessment of commercial or residential property values? ( 5 0 0 characters) A: County Auditor is a largely administrative role with duties outlined in statute. I want to ensure appraisal processes are transparent, and that people know what to expect from and during them. The appraisal processes are required by the legislature, based upon market values, and executed by ounty Auditor offices with oversight from the Dept. of Taxation. While the Auditor’s office is limited in ad ustments to the process, I can work with the community to find solutions to any shortcomings.
HAMILTON COUNTY COURT JUDGES HAMILTON COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS - GENERAL DIVISION (TERM COMMENCING 01/03/2023)
Term: 6 years Salary: $121,350 RESPONSIBILITIES: To preside at trials of both civil and criminal cases; to supervise the jury commission, grand jury, and other departments of the court. Thomas Beridon
Party: Dem Twitter: @ electberidon Facebook: www.facebook.com/electberidon Endorsements: Hamilton County Democratic Party, Cincinnati AFL-CIO, UAW, Sen. Sherrod Brown, AFSCME Experience: I was a Judge in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas from 2018 - 2021 and since then have served as Magistrate. Before that, I practiced law for nearly 20 years as a public defender, prosecutor, assistant City Solicitor, hearing examiner, and mediator. Campaign Website: www.electberidon.com olitical a t ffiliation Democrat ffiliations Ohio Bar Association, Cincinnati Bar Association, The Cincinnatus Association, Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati Political Philosophy: My Judicial philosophy and my entire legal career have been focused on equal access to justice. In my courtrooms I have always made sure that all parties were heard and respected. While it seems simple these are radical concepts in a system where Judges are often seen as not being approachable. Education: University of Cincinnati College of Law : August 19 9 6 – May 19 9 9 Ohio University : August 19 9 1 - November 19 9 5 Occupation: Magistrate Candidate’s Question Responses: Q: How does your personal and professional history prepare you to be a good j udge? ( 5 0 0
character limit) A: My professional history is varied. I have represented juvenile defendants, I have served as a prosecutor (including as a neighborhood prosecutor), I have represented the City of Cincinnati as both a plaintiff and a defendant in civil matters, I have served as the ity’s hearing officer and I have been a judge in the Court for which I am currently running. I am currently serving as a Magistrate in the Court of Common Pleas. This diversity of experience has prepared me well to be a good judge. Q: J ustice is supposed to be blind to race, gender, and economic differences of defendants. How will you keep bias and ineq uity out of your courtroom? ( 5 0 0 character limit) A: Transparency is critical in these efforts. This was a central focus of mine when I was on the bench, where I tracked my sentencing data to ensure that there was no implicit bias. This is an effort that can and should be scaled up to encompass all of Ohio’s courts. I also continually sought out trainings and opportunities to learn more about implicit bias as it can be particularly insidious. Q: What, if any, bail reforms would you recommend for our court system? D o you support or oppose the proposed Ohio constitutional amendment on the ballot permitting the use of high cash bail to keep someone deemed dangerous in j ail before trial? ( 5 0 0 character limit) A: The legislature has put forth several bond reforms that would allow more treatment and other restrictive measures to treat non-violent offenders.
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