Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Yvonne Harper
Yvonne Harper is a former member of the Toledo City Council, representing District 4 in Ohio from 2015 to 2020.
Harper ran for re-election to the Toledo City Council to represent District 4. Harper won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Though Toledo elections are officially nonpartisan, Harper is affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1]
On July 22, 2020, Harper voluntarily suspended her position on the Toledo City Council pending a federal investigation. Click here to learn more. On September 22, 2020, Vanice Williams was sworn in as Harper's temporary replacement.[2]
Biography
Harper is a retired Toledo Municipal Court bailiff. Her other experience includes serving as executive director of the Lucas County Democratic Party and president of the Perry Burroughs Democratic Women’s Club.[3]
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Toledo, Ohio (2019)
General election
General election for Toledo City Council District 4
Incumbent Yvonne Harper defeated June Boyd in the general election for Toledo City Council District 4 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Yvonne Harper (Nonpartisan) | 73.9 | 2,409 | |
| June Boyd (Nonpartisan) | 26.1 | 849 | ||
| Total votes: 3,258 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Toledo City Council District 4
Incumbent Yvonne Harper and June Boyd defeated Clyde Phillips Jr. in the primary for Toledo City Council District 4 on September 10, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Yvonne Harper (Nonpartisan) | 71.0 | 860 | |
| ✔ | June Boyd (Nonpartisan) | 19.1 | 232 | |
 | Clyde Phillips Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 9.9 | 120 | |
| Total votes: 1,212 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2015
General election
- See also: Toledo, Ohio municipal elections, 2015
The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election in the city council races took place on September 15, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2015.[4] In the District 4 race, incumbent Yvonne Harper and Peggy Brown-Morehead defeated Robert J. Longoria in the primary election. Harper defeated Brown-Morehead in the general election.[5][6]
| Toledo City Council District 4, General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Yvonne Harper Incumbent |
73.6% | 4,777 |
| Peggy Brown-Morehead | 26.4% | 1,715 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 6,492 | |
| Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 | ||
| Toledo City Council, District 4 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Yvonne Harper Incumbent |
69.5% | 1,472 | |
| Peggy Brown-Morehead |
18.7% | 397 | |
| Robert J. Longoria | 11.8% | 250 | |
| Total Votes | 2,119 | ||
| Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015 | |||
Special election
- See also: Toledo, Ohio municipal elections, 2015
The city of Toledo, Ohio, held a special election for city council on May 5, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 26, 2015. One seat was up for election. In District 4, Yvonne Harper defeated incumbent Scott A. Ramsey, Ruth Ashford and Alfonso R. Narvaez.[7][8]
| Toledo City Council, District 4, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Yvonne Harper |
42% | 602 | |
| Ruth Ashford | 27.4% | 393 | |
| Scott A. Ramsey | 22.2% | 318 | |
| Alfonso R. Narvaez | 8.5% | 122 | |
| Total Votes | 1,435 | ||
| Source: City of Toledo, "Official special election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Yvonne Harper did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Federal bribery and extortion charges
On June 30, 2020, federal agents arrested Harper and three other Toledo City Council members on charges of bribery and extortion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused the four officials of "soliciting and/or accepting cash, checks, money orders, or other things of value from local business owners in exchange for their votes on City Council." The arrests resulted from a two-year investigation into the city council that the FBI first opened in 2018.[9] Attorney Keith Mitchell was also implicated in the charges against Harper, who faced an additional charge of "interstate communications with intent to extort," according to the Toledo Blade.[10] The FBI alleged that the bribe payments totaled $34,000 among the four council members, with Harper allegedly having accepted the largest amount of $16,000.[11] Harper denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.[12]
On July 21, a grand jury indicted Harper, Mitchell, and the other three city council members on additional charges of extortion and conspiracy.[13] On July 22, Harper and two of the council members voluntarily suspended their positions pending the investigation. The agreement came after Attorney General of Ohio Dave Yost (R) filed a request for suspension proceedings, saying, "Until allegations of public corruption are resolved in court, a suspension is the proper remedy to balance the accused’s right of a presumption of innocence with the public’s interest to have a functioning city council."[14]
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Filing deadline: 20 candidates vying for six Toledo City Council seats," July 12, 2019
- ↑ WTOL11, "4 new Toledo City Council members fill seats amid bribery investigation," September 23, 2020
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Harper to focus on Toledo City Council priorities," May 7, 2015
- ↑ Lucas County, OH elections, "May 5 Special Election," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015
- ↑ Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed August 11, 2015
- ↑ Lucas County, OH elections, "May 5 Special Election," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ NBC 24, "Toledo votes Yvonne Harper for city council district 4," May 5, 2015
- ↑ 13abc, "Four Toledo City Council members accused of accepting bribes in 2 year FBI investigation," June 30, 2020
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Federal agents charge four Toledo city council members in bribery probe," July 1, 2020
- ↑ WTOL11, "Documents indicate Toledo City Council members accepted $34,000 in bribes," July 1, 2020
- ↑ 13abc, "One year later still no trial or trial date for Toledo City Council members in bribery case," July 1, 2021
- ↑ WTOL11, "Grand jury indicts council members, local attorney in alleged pay-to-play scheme," July 20, 2020
- ↑ WTOL11, "3 Toledo City Council members accused of conspiracy, extortion voluntarily suspend their positions," July 22, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Scott A. Ramsey |
Toledo City Council, District 4 2015-2020 |
Succeeded by Vanice Williams |
| |||||||||
 |
State of Ohio Columbus (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
