2008 Woodie Awards
Oxford City Council sees lack in election applicants
Christopher Washington
Issue date: 8/21/07 Section: Front Page
Following this summer's resignation of Oxford's city manager, Oxford City Council will see even more change come this November.
Scheduled for Nov. 6, this year's city council elections hold three seats open-two councilor seats and one mayoral seat.
According to Oxford's charter, members of city council are only eligible for two consecutive terms, equating to an eight-year period.
Due to these term limits, City Councilor Dave Prows and Oxford Mayor Jerome Conley will be required to step down from council this fall.
"The council selects the mayor from amongst (the council) itself," Conley said. "Once the new council is sworn in, the council will go into executive session and choose the new mayor."
Even though City Councilor Alan Kyger is still eligible for another four years with the council, it is not expected that he will run again.
However, the three seats available for new members of council have seen little interest among the Oxford community.
Nancy Piper, administrative assistant for the Butler County Board of Elections (BCBE), said Oxford citizens-including any Miami University student-who wish to obtain a position on city council are required to apply through the BCBE no later than Aug. 23.
Piper explained interested candidates are then required to acquire 50-100 petitions from Oxford residents to endorse the applicant. After the petitions are received, the BCBE office verifies each petition originated from an Oxford resident.
"When people sign their petitions, they're not committed to that person," Piper said. "But they are signing a person's petition for them to qualify to get on the ballot."
Following verification, the petitions are sent to the board members for certification where the candidate's name is placed on the November ballot.
This process is required by Ohio's secretary of state to ensure the validity and sufficiency of each petition, according to Piper.
Yet so far this process to become part of Oxford City Council has only been undertaken by a few. A list of upcoming candidates for the BCBE currently shows only five Oxford residents who wish to join the Oxford administration, yet according to Piper, none of the petitions have been submitted.
Scheduled for Nov. 6, this year's city council elections hold three seats open-two councilor seats and one mayoral seat.
According to Oxford's charter, members of city council are only eligible for two consecutive terms, equating to an eight-year period.
Due to these term limits, City Councilor Dave Prows and Oxford Mayor Jerome Conley will be required to step down from council this fall.
"The council selects the mayor from amongst (the council) itself," Conley said. "Once the new council is sworn in, the council will go into executive session and choose the new mayor."
Even though City Councilor Alan Kyger is still eligible for another four years with the council, it is not expected that he will run again.
However, the three seats available for new members of council have seen little interest among the Oxford community.
Nancy Piper, administrative assistant for the Butler County Board of Elections (BCBE), said Oxford citizens-including any Miami University student-who wish to obtain a position on city council are required to apply through the BCBE no later than Aug. 23.
Piper explained interested candidates are then required to acquire 50-100 petitions from Oxford residents to endorse the applicant. After the petitions are received, the BCBE office verifies each petition originated from an Oxford resident.
"When people sign their petitions, they're not committed to that person," Piper said. "But they are signing a person's petition for them to qualify to get on the ballot."
Following verification, the petitions are sent to the board members for certification where the candidate's name is placed on the November ballot.
This process is required by Ohio's secretary of state to ensure the validity and sufficiency of each petition, according to Piper.
Yet so far this process to become part of Oxford City Council has only been undertaken by a few. A list of upcoming candidates for the BCBE currently shows only five Oxford residents who wish to join the Oxford administration, yet according to Piper, none of the petitions have been submitted.
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