Interested in local office? Here’s what’s on the ballot in 2025

The presidential election season is finally over — for another few years, at least. That doesn’t mean Ohio residents will wait until the 2026 midterms or the 2028 presidential election to return to the polls, though.

Several local offices will be up for election in Oxford and the surrounding area in 2025. Here’s what to know about what voters will decide this year, and how you can run for office yourself.

Oxford City Council

Four out of seven seats on Oxford City Council will be on the ballot this November, including those held by Chantel Raghu and David Prytherch, both of whom first ran in 2017 and are term-limited. City council members may serve for an unlimited number of terms, but only two consecutive four-year terms at a time.

The seats occupied by Amber Franklin and Alex French, both first-time council members, are also on the ballot this year.

In 2021, the last year Raghu, Prytherch, Franklin and French were on the ballot, all four ran unopposed. In 2023, six people ran when three seats were on the ballot. City council elections are nonpartisan, and voters do not cast ballots for the mayor. Instead, the council members will select a mayor from among themselves after the election.

Residents of Oxford who are at least 18 years old and are registered to vote in the city are eligible to run for local office. Candidates have until Aug. 6 to file a petition to run and must gather at least 50 valid signatures.

Townships

Two seats will be on the ballot in each township surrounding Oxford — Hanover, Milford, Oxford and Reily Townships.

In Hanover Township, the seats of trustees Douglas Johnson and Jeff Buddo will appear on the ballot. Mike Green and Paul Gillespie’s seats in Milford Township will be up for an election this November, as will the seats of Norma Pennock and Gary Salmon in Oxford Township.

In Reily Township, the seats of fire chief Dennis Conrad and Walter Mingus will be on the ballot this year. Mingus replaced Trustee Tim Miller following his resignation for health reasons last summer. Miller later died in September last year.

Township residents who are at least 18 years old on the date of the election and are registered to vote in the township are eligible to run for township trustee positions. Candidates must collect 25 valid signatures and file a nominating petition by Aug. 6 to appear on the ballot.

Talawanda Board of Education

The Talawanda Board of Education will have two open seats on the ballot this November.

According to the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA), boards are responsible for policymaking and advising the superintendent. “Board members do not manage the day-to-day operations of a school district,” the OSBA states, “they see to it that the system is managed well by professional administrators.”

Pat Meade and Matt Wyatt’s seats will be on the ballot this year. Meade was first elected to the board in 2017 and has also served as Board President. Wyatt was appointed to the board following former board member David Bothast’s resignation last September. Wyatt’s appointment was unanimously approved by the remaining board members, who considered applications from more than 20 community members, and he previously served as a school board member in Kentucky for 10 years.

Because the Talawanda School District does not hold primaries for the Board of Education, candidates have until Aug. 6 to file a petition with 75 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. Candidates must be live in and be registered voters of the district and at least 18 years old, but there is no requirement to be a parent of a current Talawanda student to run.

What about write-ins?

While Ohio does allow voters to write in candidates on their ballots, only certain write-in candidates actually have their votes counted. In order to be a write-in candidate, you must meet the requirements of the office — including age, residency and voting status — and file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate by Aug. 25. Write-in candidates do not need to meet signature requirements.

For more information on how to run for office, visit the Butler County Board of Elections website.