Board rejects incumbent

The Miami County Board of Elections voted Thursday to reject an incumbent Troy City Council member’s petition to run for re-election.

The petition by John Schweser, 3rd Ward councilman, did not contain enough valid signatures, the board was told by Ian Ridgeway, deputy elections director. Schweser, a Republican, can appeal the board’s unanimous vote. No other candidate filed for that ward seat.

Ridgeway said Schweser needed 25 valid signatures to be on the ballot. Of 31 submitted, three were thrown out because the person lived in the wrong ward, one because the person was not an elector and the other give because the signatures didn’t match the person’s signature on file with the elections’ office. The names were printed on the petition versus being signed, said board Chairman Dave Fisher.

The petitions of all other candidates for Troy council races were certified as well as the two Republican mayor candidates, Tom Kendall and Robin Oda. They will face off in May along with two Republican candidates — Brock Heath and Jeff Schilling — in the city’s 6th Ward. Two council races are set for November in the city’s 1st and 2nd wards.

The board also approved three issues for the May ballot including school issues in Piqua and Tipp City and a tax issue for a small number of Union voters who live in Miami County.

NANCY BOWMAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER