Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Debating poll locations

Legions to host St. Henry, Fort Recovery vote

By William Kincaid
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Mike Kahlig addresses members of the Mercer County Board of Elections during a special meeting Tuesday morning. Members voted to move the polling locations in St. Henry and Fort Recovery effective immediately.

CELINA - Public outcry and offers of financial assistance led Mercer County Board of Election members on Tuesday to move the polling locations from Fort Recovery and St. Henry schools to the American Legions in those towns.
The change goes into effect immediately.
Democratic board members Betty Cook and Mark Uhlenhake previously opposed moving the two polls because of financial concerns. However, they changed their minds after Legion representatives on Tuesday said they would pay to bring their facilities in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
Mike Kahlig of Fort Recovery American Legion and Bill Freisthler of St. Henry American Legion also offered to pay the board's mailing costs to notify voters about the change.
However, Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Ikerd recommended not accepting donations for mailing costs to avoid the perception of impropriety.
It will cost nearly $500 at St. Henry Legion and $1,400 at Fort Recovery Legion to address door threshold issues and provide adequate ADA parking.
Mailings to voters is estimated at $820 for St. Henry and $940 for Fort Recovery.
The elections office has $7,285.35 budgeted for expenditures for the remainder of the year. That number drops to $4,951.69 after voter notifications are sent to residents in St. Henry, Fort Recovery and Maria Stein. The Maria Stein location was moved during a vote last month.
Polling locations were moved to schools in Maria Stein, St. Henry and Fort Recovery in 2008. School superintendents have repeatedly asked the board to move the locations because of safety concerns and increased traffic during the school day.
Several poll workers and concerned citizens, including St. Henry and Fort Recovery school administrators, filled the auditorium of the courthouse for the special meeting Tuesday.
Uhlenhake asked the crowd the reason why the county would invest to make ADA compliance fixes at private businesses when a public building is available and in compliance.
"Financially, it just doesn't make any sense to me," he said.
As far as rhetoric about safety, sheriff deputies patrol the polls, Uhlenhake said.
"There's always a threat in any building," he said.
People can always vote absentee or early at the board of elections office, Uhlenhake said.
"This is government at its best," he said about the large crowd. "I respect any of your input."
Cook agreed with Uhlenhake's comments.
Board member Toni Slusser said the crowd should have a say in how their taxes are spent.
"It looks to me that there is money there," Slusser said of the budget.
Board chairman Owen Hall said schools don't want the polls at the schools.
Uhlenhake and Cook are Democrats and Slusser and Hall are Republicans. In July, the foursome voted along party lines on the motion to move the polls in St. Henry and Fort Recovery. The motion failed because of the tie vote.
Residents attended the board's regular meeting last week to discuss the issue. Uhlenhake did not attend that meeting, so a special meeting was held Friday. Uhlenhake and Cook failed to appear at Friday's special meeting, spurring the need for Tuesday's special meeting.
Crowd members on Tuesday questioned members about the politics of the board.
"We leave our politics out the door," Uhlenhake said, assuring the crowd politics has nothing to do with his decisions.
Additional online story on this date
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By SHELLEY GRI
Residents petitioned for new vote after city ended year with $1M carryover
CELINA - City voters in November will decide whether Celina will modestly move forward or be set back 20 years, Celina Planning and Community Development Director Kent Bryan said.
Oral hearing in gross sexual imposition case set next week
Attorneys for a 78-year-old St. Henry man charged with five counts of gross sexual imposition have filed motions in Mercer County Common Pleas claimi
A North Carolina man escaped serious injury Tuesday afternoon when his 2009 Yamaha motorcyle was struck from behind in the 6300 block of U.S. 127. The mishap occurred at 2:04 p.m. Tuesday, according to Mercer County Sheriff's Office reports.
MINSTER - A place to buy and learn handicrafts is open to the public.
Paper and Yarn, owned by Kat Koeller, recently opened at 56 W. Fourth St., Minster.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys' boys opened their cross country season with a win at the Auglaize County Preview meet at K.C. Geiger Park, bringing together three of the Roughriders' fellow county schools.
Regatta schedule of events:
FRIDAY
4-6 p.m. - Test laps for racers. Public is welcome to attend.

SATURDAY
7:30-11 a.m. Pancake breakfast. Proceeds to St. John Lutheran Church Youth Group.
CELINA - A strong group of 16 seniors helped the Celina football team achieve a winning record for the first time since 2000 when the Bulldogs finished last year with a 6-4 mark.
COLDWATER - Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Coldwater football team.
Turned out, the Cavaliers went 11-4 and finished as the Division V state runner-up in Chip Otten's first year as head coach.
FORT RECOVERY - The 2010 football season for Fort Recovery was like a two-chapter book.
The first half of the season saw the Indians win their firs
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers have historically boasted a large roster of football players ready to form a team in the image of their coach Tim Goodwin.
MINSTER - When first-year head coach Nate Moore was ironing out his game plan for the football season last summer, he was certain Minster Wildcats' fans would witness improvement.
NEW BREMEN - Entering his fifth year as head coach of the New Bremen football program, Rob Messick greets a young team, but he is very optimistic at the long term outlook of his squad.
ROCKFORD - Last spring, Doug Cairns' job was eliminated at Sidney High School.
Although Cairns' teaching position was no longer available, his job as the head football coach was still intact.
ST. HENRY - After a 3-7 season that forced younger players into action because of wide-spread injuries, St. Henry's head football coach Jeff Starkey tried something a little different this offseason.
ST. MARYS - In the coming months, the St. Marys' football team will stride into the stadium on the corner of South and Front Streets for the final time.
CELINA - The road to the Western Buckeye League volleyball title looks like it will run through Celina once again this year.
The three-time defendi
COLDWATER - Mike Etzler is looking forward to a competitive season with the return of a few veterans off a Cavaliers' volleyball team that finished 2010 with a 14-10 overall record and 5-4 mark in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
FORT RECOVERY - Kylie Huelsman moves up from the junior varsity level to take over as head coach of the Fort Recovery Indians' volleyball team this season.
MARIA STEIN - After losing seven seniors to graduation, some coaches would be scrambling to put together a competitive squad the next season. Then co
MINSTER - Last fall, the Minster Wildcats enjoyed the success of a 17-7 campaign powered by the explosive leadership of five seniors, including Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year Erica Fullenkamp.
NEW BREMEN - To say that the last two seasons have been tough for the New Bremen volleyball team would be a vast understatement.
Since winning the
ROCKFORD - It was a magical 2010 season for the Parkway volleyball team as they finished 22-6 and advanced to the state tournament for the fourth time in school history before falling to eventual state champion Middletown Fenwick in four games.
ST. HENRY - With six returning letterwinners from a team that finished 19-6 overall and 7-2 in the Midwest Athletic Conference, St. Henry has high expectations for the upcoming season.
ST. MARYS - Over the course of the past few years, the St. Marys Roughriders have methodically clawed their way up the Western Buckeye League standings.