Three incumbents lead way out of primary

A slate of Democratic incumbents will defend their seats on the Columbus City Council this November against a trio of challengers: two candidates from the progressive wing of their own party and a Republican.

Mitchell J. Brown, Shannon G. Hardin and Priscilla R. Tyson ran away with the top three spots in Tuesday’s primary election.

The race for the final three spots on the general election ballot, though, was tighter. Jasmine Ayres and Will Petrik from the Yes We Can faction of the Democratic Party and

The number of requests made to Columbus City Schools from homeless families for transportation between the city and suburban school districts’doubled this school year, officials said, overwhelming the district’s main vendor for such rides.

In response, the’Board of Education’approved on Tuesday new or amended contracts with private transportation providers and the Central Ohio Transit Authority to pay for the service,

Republican Kieran Cartharn will challenge the incumbents in the general election.

In all, nine candidates were on the ballot for six spots in the general election. The remaining six candidates are competing for three seats on the sevenmember City Council.

Tyson pulled in 19.4 percent of the vote, more than any other candidate. Hardin won 17.5 percent and Brown received 16.7 percent. Ayres won 8.7 percent of the vote, and Petrik received 8.2 percent. Cartharn had 7.5 percent.

“Council Members Hardin, Brown and Tyson are humbled by the overwhelming support they received this evening,” said Jayme Staley, their campaign manager. “They look forward to continuing to work together to build a stronger Columbus.”

Petrik and Ayres are part of the Yes We Can movement, a progressive wing of the Franklin County Democratic Party. They performed best on Election Day in precincts near the Ohio State University campus.

Ayres said they will continue to push to limit money in local politics, control tax- incentive deals that the city awards and reform the criminal- justice system.

“It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a steep climb,” she said. “I am absolutely a believer in the power of people and the power of movements, and I think this is a time where people are tired of the status quo.”

The incumbents already carry a significant fundraising advantage into the general election. As of last week, they collectively held more than $ 135,000 in their campaign accounts, compared with about $16,000 that Ayres and Petrik had combined with their group’s political- action committee.

“More and more people are recognizing that a handful of ultra- wealthy people are making decisions about the rest of our lives in Columbus,” Petrik said, adding that many of them are “demanding change.”

Cartharn could not be reached to comment.

City council races have not been a major draw to the polls for Columbus voters. City ballot totals were not immediately available Tuesday night, but turnout throughout the county was about 6.6 percent.

Since 2007, council races have triggered a primary election three times: in 2009, 2013 and 2015. Turnout in the city bottomed out in 2013, when only 3.2 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.

In 2015, a contentious mayoral primary that featured then- City Council President Andrew J. Ginther and then- Sheriff Zach Scott drew a 9.1 percent turnout. Ginther dominated the open primary and the general election.