Incumbent businessman and health worker square off in commissioner race

Butler County voters will decide who will represent them in two of the three seats on the Board of Commissioners during this year’s election.

Incumbent Republican T.C. Rogers was first elected in 2012 and has served three terms. During the 2016 and 2020 elections, Rogers ran uncontested. This year, family nurse practitioner Dr. Tamara Small, a Democrat who lives in West Chester, is running to change that.

T.C. Rogers

Party: Republican

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tccommissioner 

Rogers, a businessman, was first elected as a commissioner in 2012 in a three-way race, winning 60% of the vote. He previously served on an advisory board for the county and was encouraged to run for commissioner by Sharon Kennedy, who now serves as Chief Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court.

As a businessman, Rogers has worked primarily in building and development, and he has also been a realtor. He said he’s overseen several multimillion-dollar budgets throughout his career, helping prepare him to oversee the county budget of roughly $500 million per year. He also sees his name recognition from constructing houses throughout the county as a plus.

During the past three years, the commissioners have overseen the distribution of more than $74 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to the local governments in Butler County. Rogers said municipalities were encouraged to show their need for funding, and he made his decisions based on what had the broadest impact.

“The theme is with the money spent, how could this best come back and attract additional funds and use a multiplier effect which would eventually come back to the county?” Rogers said. “We were conscious of improving our Butler County workforce for not only firms coming in, but growing the businesses which are here already.”

All ARPA funding must be allocated to specific projects by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by the end of 2026.

While serving as a commissioner, Rogers has also served on the OKI Regional Council of Governments. OKI focuses on transportation initiatives within Greater Cincinnati and reviews federally funded projects.

If reelected, Rogers said his top three priorities will be to make the county workforce-ready, ensure that the county government is financially responsible and debt-free, and keep Butler County safe through relationships with local police departments.

Rogers said he works with people who have different political beliefs than him and has always tried to treat people fairly both in business and as a politician. He did not attend a candidate forum on Oct. 7, which he said would have created a conflict of interest for him because the commissioners approve funding for the organizations which hosted it.

“I’ve got Democratic friends. Now they may not agree with the national politics, but I just haven’t had a problem with anybody,” Rogers said.

This year, Butler County voters will also decide on Issue 12, a levy which would increase funding for the county’s Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board (MHARS Board). Rogers’ opponent has prioritized mental health resources in her campaign, an initiative which Rogers said he also supported by voting to put the levy on the ballot this year.

“We have never increased taxes on anything since I’ve been [elected],” Rogers said. “And yet, based upon the needs of our public and what MHARS said are the needs of our mental health, we voted to put that on the ballot, even though we had elections coming up.”

Tamara Small

Party: Democrat

Campaign website: www.small4commissioner.com

Small, a family nurse practitioner and small business owner, has lived in West Chester for 11 years with her husband Jeffory and her four children. She operates the Institute for Employee Safety, a business which provides workplace violence prevention training and mental health first aid training.

Small also serves on two committees as a national council member for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One committee focuses on traumatic injury prevention, while the other focuses on equitable research and partnerships with diverse populations.

During her 25 years in the healthcare industry, Small said she’s focused on serving people both as an employee and as a volunteer. She realized she had an interest in public office in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when she saw the impacts policy could have on public health.

If elected, Small said her first term as a commissioner would focus on three priorities: economic stability, access to physical and mental health care services, and community safety.

While Small’s opponent has decades of experience in business and economic development, she said her own experience running a small business helps her relate to the people she wants to serve in Butler County.

“I really had to work hard for my small business, like most people here in the county, and nothing was given to me,” Small said. “... When I refer to economic stability and small businesses being the backbone of our community, I’m referring to small businesses, not the corporations.”

Butler County voters will also decide on Issue 12 during this election. The ballot measure would replace a levy from the 1980s with a new levy to provide more funding for the county’s Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services board, and Small said she supports the ballot measure. Beyond the levy, Small said she would also like to see the county allocate more of its funding for mental health and addiction services to address increased mental health concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small said her role in healthcare makes her well positioned to take a nonpartisan approach if elected as a commissioner. The issues facing Butler County residents, from economic hardship to mental health struggles, Small said, go across party lines.

“I’ve never looked at a patient and said, ‘You’re a Republican; I’m not going to take care of you,’” Small said. “... I’ve looked at a patient and said, ‘You’re a person who needs help, and I’m here to serve you.’ That’s how I see this role as a commissioner.”

Small would be the first Democrat elected to countywide office since 1998 if voters support her candidacy. She said her passion for public service and lack of conflicts of interest make her the right candidate to change that trend.

“It’s time for Butler County to, for one, have a choice at the ballot box, and two, have fresher ideas, more innovative ideas from an experienced person in public health and dealing with budgets,” Small said.

County commissioners are elected to serve four year terms and are responsible for the county’s budget and administration. Early voting has begun in Ohio, and Election Day is Nov. 5.