Local election candidates gathered in Miami University Hamilton’s downtown meeting space to discuss their issues and policies. Candidates on both sides of the county commissioner, state senator, and representative tickets were invited, but only Democratic candidates attended.
Chantel Raghu, an Oxford City Council member who is running for Butler County Commissioner, was one of many candidates to call this discrepancy out.
“The fact that my opponent doesn’t have the respect to show up tonight is disrespectful to everyone in the room,” Rahgu said. “It’s disrespectful to the people who have prepared and actually want to engage with the voters.”
The forum started with statements from Ohio Senate candidate Tom Cooke, who emphasized a need for someone to uplift local voices at the statehouse.
“I don’t believe that the leadership in Columbus cares about the people,” Cooke said.
Other candidates echoed this sentiment. Issues frequently mentioned were reproductive rights, gun control and public schooling.
“Public education is there for all people,” said Vanessa Cummings, who is running for the state representative seat in the 47th district. “For all of our children, and they deserve a quality education.”
Cummings also stressed the importance of letting healthcare professionals make decisions without worrying about repercussions from the government for the medical assistance they give.
Candidates talked about Edchoice, which allows students in failing public schools to attend private schools subsidized by the government. Benjamin McCall, running for state representative in the 45th district, said public schools shouldn’t be left behind.
“You don’t fix public schools by ignoring public schools,” McCall said. “You fix public schools by fixing public schools.”
Each candidate focused on policy, driving home their campaign promises.
Congressional candidate Vanessa Enoch brought up her concerns with Project 2025 and said the Heritage Foundation’s national plan has been in the works since 2021. Enoch also asked people to consider the importance of bipartisanship in the state legislature.
Tamara Small, who is also running for a Butler County Commissioner seat, expressed her concerns about an uptick in local violence.
“Violence never goes away, it just gets worse,” Small said.
The forum closed with open questions from the audience.
Oxford Observer reached out to Butler County Republicans for its election stories but did not get a response in time for publication.
