Terry Britton will explore seat on county board

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Hillsboro resident and school board member Terry Britton has pulled petitions for the Highland County Commissioner race in the 2016 Republican primary.

Britton said Monday that running for commissioner is something he has been considering since he retired three years ago.

“I decided that this is the time,” said Britton, who is a member of the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education and is seeking re-election to that post this November.

Election law allows individuals to serve on both school boards and county offices, as demonstrated by Highland County Recorder Chad McConnaughey, who is also a member of the Lynchburg-Clay Board of Education.

Britton is seeking the commission seat currently held by Tom Horst, who is not seeking re-election.

Commission seats currently held by Horst and Shane Wilkin are up next year. They are two different terms, with the Wilkin seat starting Jan. 2, 2017, the Horst seat starting Jan. 3.

As reported earlier, local attorney and Hillsboro City Council President Lee Koogler has also taken out petitions to run as a Republican for the commission seat held by Horst.

“I think I can make a difference,” said Britton. He cited job growth and keeping the county on sound fiscal footing as motivations for seeking the commission post.

“I want to see Highland County grow,” he said.

Britton is completing his first term as a school board member and currently serves as its president. There are two board members to be elected in the school board race. Other candidates running are Tom Milbery and Michael Salyer.

Britton and his wife, Bonnie, are the parents of two children and have six grandchildren.

Meanwhile, early voting continues for the 2015 election.

In-person early voting in Highland County takes place in Hillsboro at the board office at 1575 N. High St., Suite 200. Hours of operation for the board from now through next Monday are:

• 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on each weekday (Monday through Friday).

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day

• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Sunday before Election Day

• 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Monday before Election Day.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, 968 Highland County voters had cast early votes so far this year, according to statistics available on the election board website.

In Hillsboro, where voters are deciding a mayoral race between incumbent Republican Drew Hastings and Democratic challenger Pam Limes, 351 votes have already been cast, up from 303 on Friday afternoon.

Three statewide ballot initiatives are on the ballot this year, which Ohio’s secretary of State said last week was leading to a bigger early voting turnout than in 2013, the last election that did not feature statewide, congressional or presidential candidates, sometimes called “off-year” elections.

Across Ohio, the state’s elections chief, Secretary of State Jon Husted, said late last week that more than 61,000 Ohioans had cast their ballots ahead of next month’s election and nearly 223,000 absentee ballots had been requested.

Voters will decide the fate of three statewide ballot initiatives on Election Day.

One would legalize marijuana for medical reasons and recreational use, while another seeks to prevent monopolies from being inserted into the state constitution.

A separate measure would overhaul how state legislative districts are drawn.

More than 1,700 local issues also are on the ballot across Ohio.

Reach Gary Abernathy at 937-393-3456 or on Twitter @abernathygary.

Britton
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/10/web1_Britton-Terry-mug.jpgBritton

By Gary Abernathy

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