Rice win makes country commission all women
Foley, McClain, Keith also win in Montgomery County.
Democrat Carolyn Rice’s win Tuesday night means the Montgomery County commission will be all women for the first time when she takes the oath in January.
“There are no all-female county commissions in the state the last time I checked,” Rice said. “I’m sure it is a unique opportunity, so I’m very excited to be a part of that history.”
Rice won with 53 percent of the vote over Republican Doug Barry to set up an all-female, all-Democratic commission when she joins Judy Dodge and Debbie Lieberman on the county board.
A Republican, however, pulled off one of the most dramatic wins Tuesday. Mike Foley trailed in results all night but rallied to beat sitting Clerk of Courts Russ Joseph, a Democrat.
Foley had 99,116 votes to Joseph’s 97,516 votes. The margin of victory, 50.41 percent to 49.59 percent, is outside of the mandatory recount, if the margin holds up when the results are certified.
“I came from behind and stayed positive the whole way,” Foley said. “I know we still have some provisionals to count up before it’s an official win, but I’m extremely happy.”
County commission
“I’m really quite humbled that the voters of Montgomery County have entrusted me with this new opportunity and role,” Rice said. While Montgomery County will have the only board in the state comprised entirely of women, according to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, it’s not the first. Three women served together on the Portage County Commission beginning in 2013 but didn’t all share the same party affiliation.
Democrats have had control of all three seats for more than a decade. The seat came open when incumbent Dan Foley did not seek re-election and instead set sights Columbus. Dan Foley appears to have lost Tuesday to Republican Rep. J. Todd Smith in a 43rd House District seat race.
Rice said she will work to shore up the county justice system, improve jail conditions, fight the opioid epidemic and strengthen the local economy.
“We always need to focus on
continued from B1 the economic development and keep the good things moving forward,” she said.
Rice also wants to restore a “partnership” with the state of Ohio she sees as broken.
“I think that will go a long way to help bring us to be able to perform the mandates at the level we want and need to do that.”
Unlike some of the other county races, neither commission candidate threw dirt in the waning days of the campaign.
Barry congratulated Rice on Wednesday, thanking her for running a “nice, clean campaign.”
“It’s not a great day for me today,” Barry said. “But the sun’s up. It’s going to be a beautiful day. We are going to move on.”
Clerk of courts
Mike Foley, who is not related to Dan Foley, said he overcame a negative campaign by Joseph, who attacked him over claims of unpaid child support, which Foley refuted.
“I think trying to get the word out that the false accusations about me being behind in child support obviously made some sort of impact,” he said. “I think as a rule people are just tired of the negative campaigning.”
The race leaves Joseph, a former chief deputy clerk of the Dayton Municipal Court, without a job come January after being appointed months ago to replace retiring Greg Brush.
County recorder
Brandon McClain, the current Democratic county recorder, held on to keep his seat, 55 percent to 45 percent, over Republican Adil Baguirov, former Dayton school board president.
The February death of a longtime Montgomery County recorder set up Tuesday’s match between McClain, who was appointed by fellow Democrats to fill the post, and Baguirov.
“I hope that my victory can serve as a tribute to my mentor and predecessor, Willis E. Blackshear Sr.,” McClain said. “For the support I received from his family and everyone along the way, I am eternally grateful.”
McClain said he will serve residents effectively and efficiently during his first full term.
“My office is about people. And I look forward to implementing programs and initiatives and services that benefit the people of Montgomery County,” he said.
County auditor
Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith, a Democrat, easily won election for the fifth time, and the third time in a row over Republican Harry Bossey. Keith, first appointed auditor in 2000, received more than 114,000 votes or 58 percent of those cast in the race.
“I appreciate the trust and confidence the community has placed in me, and to be the highest vote-getter in the county really means a lot to all those involved in my campaign,” Keith said.