Jason Gocha
Jason Gocha ran for election for an at-large seat of the South-Western City Schools Board of Education in Ohio. Gocha lost in the general election on November 4, 2025.
2025 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the November 4, 2025, nonpartisan general election as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Camille Peterson, Chelsea Alkire, and Kelly Dillon won the nonpartisan general election for three at-large seats on the five-member South-Western City Schools Board of Education in Franklin County, Ohio, on Nov. 4, 2025. They were elected to serve four-year terms on the board. Incumbents Peterson and Chris Boso ran for re-election, while incumbent Kelli Martindale did not run for re-election.
The six candidates ran on two separate slates. Although the board is officially nonpartisan, the governing control of the board was at stake. The Franklin County Republican Party endorsed four of the five members of the board (Peterson was the exception) in previous elections. Both local Democrats and Republicans endorsed opposing slates.
Boso, Steve Feucht, and Jason Gocha ran on one slate. Boso was elected to the board in 2021 and, at the time of the election, served as the board’s president. Feucht worked as a consultant, and Gocha worked in logistics management.[1] The Franklin County Republican Party endorsed this slate.
Peterson, Alkire, and Dillon ran on another slate. Peterson was appointed to the board in 2023 after the resignation of Cathy Johnson.[2] Alkire and Dillon both worked as educators.[3] The Franklin County Democratic Party endorsed this slate.
This election took place against the backdrop of contract negotiations between the board and the district’s educators’ union, the South-Western Education Association (SWEA). According to The Columbus Dispatch’s Anna Lynn Winfrey, "[SWEA spokesperson Emmalee] Harding said that the negotiating teams needed to bring in a mediator for the first time since 2013, at the expense of the union and the district, because both sides were having a hard time finding common ground."[4]
On July 10, 2025, the board and SWEA approved a new contract during their respective meetings. According to NBC4‘s Katie Millard, that day Harding released a statement on behalf of the union in which she "alleged the board 'attacked' important parts of the contract and thanked community members for helping SWEA 'fight off' the board’s changes. Within hours, Boso read Harding’s words aloud at a board meeting and voiced frustration with the union’s leadership."[5]
A second board member, Julie Liskany, also commented on the statement during the meeting. Millard wrote that in response, SWEA filed "an unfair labor practice charge with the state. The union alleges Boso and Liskany were trying to discourage SWEA members from similar union contract negotiations in the future, which the union interpreted as an attempt to inhibit union activity. Ohio law prohibits employers from interfering with union business."[5]
At the time of the election, South-Western City Schools operated 34 schools. During the 2023-2024 school year, 21,873 students attended a school in the district.
Elections
2025
See also: South-Western City Schools, Ohio, elections (2025)
General election
General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Camille Peterson (Nonpartisan)  | 19.4 | 11,720 |
| ✔ |  | Chelsea Alkire (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 11,704 |
| ✔ |  | Kelly Dillon (Nonpartisan) | 19.1 | 11,543 |
 | Chris Boso (Nonpartisan) | 14.7 | 8,851 | |
 | Steve Feucht (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 8,414 | |
 | Jason Gocha (Nonpartisan) | 13.4 | 8,096 | |
| Total votes: 60,328 | |||
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Endorsements
Gocha received the following endorsements.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jason Gocha did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Meet the six candidates seeking three spots on the South Western School board," October 7, 2025
- ↑ The Columbus Messenger, "School board appoints new member," December 19, 2023
- ↑ Peterson, Alkire, and Dillion 4 SWCS, "SWCS Candidates," accessed October 14, 2025
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "South Western board OKs new contracts with teachers, administrators and superintendent," July 11, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NBC4, "South Western educators condemn school board members, allege unfair labor practice," August 7, 2025
