The Ohio primary election is Tuesday, May 5.
The Republican primary for District 40 will be decided next week. And without a strong Democratic opponent for November, the choice in May will most likely determine who represents Farmersville and Germantown in Columbus.
Voters in Jackson Township will also decide the future of two important levies.
Jackson Township Road and Police Levies
Jackson Township voters will see two tax levies on the ballot, both property tax renewals.
According to the ballot language, Issue 17, a road levy, will collect $161,692 annually, which amounts to $49 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, for 4 years.
The police levy, Issue 18, will collect $122,409 annually, which amounts to $32 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, for five years.
Township Trustees have not been campaigning for these issues, relying, apparently, on voter satisfaction with recent road maintenance and policing.
District 40 Republican Primary
The Primary election, where voters decide whether to take a Republican, Democrat or Independent ballot, narrows the field and allows voters to select representatives from their party to be on the ballot for the General Election in November. Ohio does not require voters to register for a political party, so voters may decide at the polls which ballot they want to vote.
There are Democratic and Republican candidates across a number of offices to consider statewide, but the candidates most affected by our community’s votes are Rodney Creech and J. Todd Smith, the Republican candidates for District 40 who represent Farmersville and Germantown in Columbus.
Both have taken to Facebook recently to make their final pitch to voters.
Rodney Creech
Creech, who currently serves as our District 40 Representative, is a businessman, farmer and Preble County resident, who has been endorsed by Republicans in Columbus
In a Facebook post he said, “It’s incredible to look back and compare my first campaign for State Representative to where I am today. That first run meant nearly 18 months on the road, going town to town, meeting people one by one, earning introductions, and working to prove myself to those who didn’t yet know me.”
“Six years later, after a lot of hard work and an unwavering commitment to this district, something meaningful has taken root. Relationships have been built. Trust has been earned. People know I’ll show up and that I’ll fight for them and do everything I can to represent them.”
“I’ll always appreciate that first campaign, the energy, the challenge and the lessons but there’s something especially humbling about the support I feel today. To have the backing of so many community leaders, neighbors, and elected officials isn’t something I take lightly.”
“I’m grateful and more motivated than ever to keep going.”
J. Todd Smith
Smith is a former Ohio legislator and Jackson Township resident who serves as Senior Pastor at The Church at Farmersville and is an Army certified chaplain in the Ohio National Guard.
In a video on his campaign page, Smith said, “May 5 is our opportunity to make change.”
“Recently, I was asked, Why are you running against the incumbent, Rodney Creech? The short answer is, I'm not running against him. He's running against me.”
“Right before the filing deadline, he jumped out of the [Ohio] Senate race and back into the State Representative race. There were already four individuals running for that open seat. Three of them dropped out, but I stayed in. I think he realized he wasn't getting as much support as he thought.”
“So I'm not running against him. I'm running for my own principles. I'm running for my own viewpoints and my own values, which I believe are more in line with our district. I'm also running because I know I can do a better job, because I've already done that. So I'm not running against the incumbent. The incumbent is running against me.”
Make your Selection May 5
Both Creech and Smith have faced controversy. See earlier coverage for more information:
View your ballot for the May election
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