Lakota Local Schools elections (2013)

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2013 Lakota Local Schools Elections
General Election date:
November 5, 2013
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links References
See also
Ohio Lakota Local Schools

Three seats were up for election on the Lakota Board of Education on November 5, 2013. Incumbents Ben Dibble and Ray Murray, as well as challenger Todd Parnell, defeated DaMonte Cole for the three at-large seats.

About the district

See also: Lakota Local Schools, Ohio

Lakota Local Schools is located in Butler County, Ohio

Lakota Local Schools in Liberty Township is located in Butler County, which is situated in southwestern Ohio. The county's population was 368,130 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Demographics

Butler County outperforms the rest of Ohio in terms of higher education attainment, median income and poverty rate. The 2010 U.S. Census found that 26.5% of Butler County residents over 25 years old held undergraduate degrees compared to a 24.5% rate for the state of Ohio. Butler County had a median income of $55,497 in 2010 compared to $48,071 for Ohio. The poverty rate for Butler County was 12.8% in 2010 compared to an 14.8% rate for the rest of the state.

Racial Demographics, 2012
Race	Butler County (%)	Ohio (%)
White	87.2	82.7
Black or African American	7.8	12.2
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.3	0.2
Asian	2.6	1.7
Two or More Races	2.0	2.1
Hispanic or Latino	4.2	3.1

Presidential Voting Pattern
Year	Democratic Vote (%)	Republican Vote (%)
2012	36.5	61.7
2008	37.9	60.5
2004	33.7	65.9
2000	33.9	63.3

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Method of board member selection

The Lakota Board of Education consists of five members who are elected at-large to four-year terms. There was no primary election on September 10, 2013 and the general election was held on November 5, 2013. Three seats on the board were up for election in 2013 and two seats will be on the ballot on November 3, 2015.

Candidates for the Lakota Board of Education must be 18 years old, a resident of the district and not hold city office concurrent to board service. The Butler County Board of Elections required a $30 filing fee as well as at least 25 signatures by the filing deadline on August 7, 2013.

Elections

2013

Candidates

• DaMonte Cole
  • Store manager, Pizza Hut
• Ben Dibble
  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, University of Connecticut
  • Computer programmer, HP Enterprise Services
• Ray Murray
  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, Huron College
  • Retired police officer
• Todd Parnell
  • Graduate, DePaul University and Ohio State University
  • Operations manager, DisplayWorks

Election results

Lakota Local Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Todd Parnell	30.8%	12,882
	Nonpartisan	Ray Murray Incumbent	29%	12,113
	Nonpartisan	Ben Dibble Incumbent	27.8%	11,617
	Nonpartisan	DaMonte Cole	12.5%	5,229
Total Votes				41,841
Source: Butler County Elections, "Election Summary Report for General Election in Butler County, Ohio," accessed December 13, 2013

Campaign finance

No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Ohio Secretary of State.

Forums

All four candidates participated in a forum at the district's administrative offices on October 9, 2013. Each candidate supported the millage rate increase in Issue 7 designed to expand and improve facilities. Ray Murray advocated restoration of funding for teacher and staff development programs in order to improve academic rigor. Ben Dibble and Todd Parnell spoke about their support for more substantial investments in classroom technology. DaMonte Cole cited his youth and recent experiences with district schools as potential assets during board meetings.

Past elections

2011

Lakota Board of Education, At-large, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Julie Shaffer	25.5%	11,222
	Nonpartisan	Lynda O'Connor	25.1%	11,061
	Nonpartisan	Mark Etterling	19.7%	8,672
	Nonpartisan	Luke Hall	15.5%	6,828
	Nonpartisan	Jamie Green	14.3%	6,295
Total Votes				44,078
Source: Butler County Board of Elections

What was at stake?

Incumbents Ben Dibble and Ray Murray were seeking their second terms on the board in 2013. They were joined on the ballot by newcomers DaMonte Cole and Todd Parnell in the November 5 general election. Board president Joan Powell did not file for re-election after 16 years of service.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Lakota Board of Education elections in 2013:

Deadline	Event
August 7, 2013	Last day to file nominating petitions for local nonpartisan races
October 24, 2013	Filing deadline for pre-election expense reports
November 5, 2013	Election day
November 26, 2013	Certification of election results by county officials
December 13, 2013	Filing deadline for post-election expense reports

Additional elections on the ballot

The Lakota Board of Education election shared the ballot with other local elections. Residents of Liberty Township selected two members of the Board of Trustees. The ballot also included three seats on the Hamilton County Educational Service Center Board. Voters also cast ballots in favor on Issue 7, which increased the millage rate by 5.5 to handle operating costs and ongoing renovations at district schools.

See also

• Ohio
• Lakota Local Schools, Ohio
• List of school board elections in 2013
• Hamilton County, Ohio ballot measures
• Financial policies, education standards at stake in November school board elections
• School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
• School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts

External links

Suggest a link

• District page
• Butler County Board of Elections