Election: Ralph Smith wins Ward 3 seat over incumbent, Salt rock passes levy
The Salt Rock Township fire and EMS levy has passed.
The Ward 3 City Council seat was the only contested council race on the primary ballot. Smith won with 110 votes out of 172 or 64% of the vote.
Schaber will no longer be on City Council after his term ends in December.
Ralph Smith
Schaber and Smith were the only candidates to file for the seat, meaning Smith won't face opposition in the November general election.
"I think that my sole focus is going to be Third Ward," Smith said Tuesday night. "To coin a phrase from Trump, third ward first. But not to say that the other guy didn't do a his job, but he didn't do it as well as it should be done."
As the ward representative, Smith said he wants to focus on housing blight, street improvements and affordable housing.
"I really thank the voters of Third Ward for electing me and I will do my very very best to meet their expectations," Smith said.
Ralph Smith won the Republican primary for the third ward City Council seat with 64% of the vote during the primary/special election.
Schaber said he was "at peace" with the results and congratulated Smith on winning, adding he hopes Smith represents the ward and not just the Republican Party.
"I believe it came down to not my opponent, Mr. Smith and his excellent qualities that pulled out all these votes that resulted in me losing," Schaber said. "I believe it was the local Republican Party at masses got behind this individual and they drove out voters, which led to Ralph winning."
Schaber referenced the city's financial situation and outstanding audits and said with his remaining time on City Council, he hopes to use his experience to "set the city up for success."
Salt Rock Township levy
The Salt Rock Township passed its levy 38 to 16, about 70% of the votes.
The levy will to go toward supporting fire and EMS services, which recently were taken over by the township. After the levy failed to pass in 2024 by three votes, this time township officials hoped to better inform voters of what the levy was for.
The 2.5 mills levy will collect an estimated $67,000 annually. It will cost residents $59 for property valued at $100,000.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: City Council election primary ralph smith jason schaber levy salt rock
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Air Force's top uniformed officer is retiring early in latest Trump military shake-up
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force's top uniformed officer is set to retire early in the most recent shake-up of military leadership during President Donald Trump's second term. Gen. David Allvin will continue serving as the service's chief of staff until a replacement is confirmed by the Senate, the Air Force announced Monday. He expects to retire around Nov. 1, two years into his four-year term, it said in a statement. Allvin joins other top military officials who have stepped down or been fired by Trump's Republican administration during a broader leadership upheaval, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to slash the number of senior military positions in what he calls an efficiency effort and a purge of top officers who were believed to endorse diversity, equity and inclusion programs. For example, Trump fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February. Brown was the second Black general to serve as chairman, and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine later took over the role. Allvin, a command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours, was appointed Air Force chief of staff by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, serving since November 2023. Before that, he was vice chief of staff during Trump's first term. 'I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff and I'm thankful for Secretary Meink, Secretary Hegseth and President Trump's faith in me to lead our service,' Allvin said in the Air Force's statement. ___
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
Cuomo campaign denies bombshell report about Trump's influence in the NYC mayoral race
Despite a report to the contrary, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they aren't expecting help from anyone in the race for Gracie Mansion, including former President Donald Trump, despite a report to the contrary. POLITICO's New York Playbook reported that Cuomo is "counting on" Trump to urge Republicans to vote for the former governor instead of the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, in this November's mayoral election. According to audio obtained by the outlet, Cuomo told a Hamptons crowd on Saturday that Sliwa isn't a "serious candidate" and Trump himself would say, "you'll be wasting your vote on Sliwa." When reached for comment regarding the report, Cuomo's senior advisor, Rich Azzopardi, explained that Cuomo was responding to "what he heard to be a hypothetical about how it could become a two-person race and was speculating." Cuomo is New York City's "only chance" of defeating the Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, the Cuomo campaign doubled down on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sliwa has distanced himself from the president, maintaining that it wouldn't be helpful for Trump to intervene in New York City's mayoral race, after The New York Times' report that Trump has been speaking with Cuomo and his associates about how to defeat Mamdani in November. Trump and Cuomo have both denied the phone call ever happened, and the former governor said he wouldn't accept a Trump endorsement. The Republican nominee told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning that Cuomo's campaign is "a mess," and said, "desperate people do desperate things." "It's just sad that Andrew Cuomo thinks a Trump headline will save him," Sliwa said in a statement. And Sliwa trolled Cuomo, arguing that "if he actually left the Hamptons," he would see the impact of his policies on New Yorkers," tying crime to his "disastrous no-bail law" and his controversial COVID-19 policies. Speaking to reporters at a campaign event in Manhattan on Monday, Cuomo confirmed that he attended the fundraiser at media mogul Jimmy Finkelstein's home in Southampton on Saturday. But Cuomo denied that during the fundraiser, he discussed Trump with former NYC City Council President, Andrew Stein, who co-hosted the event in the Hamptons. "Let's put it this way: I knew the president very well," Cuomo said in the Hamptons, according to POLITICO, before adding, "I believe there will be opportunities to actually cooperate with him. I also believe that he's not going to want to fight with me in New York if he can avoid it." The comments followed Mamdani's week-long anti-Trump tour across New York City's Five Boroughs. Day by day, the self-described Democratic socialist spotlighted how Trump's sweeping second-term agenda is impacting New Yorkers, as he worked to tie Cuomo to Trump. The Mamdani campaign seized on the latest reporting, releasing a statement on Tuesday morning, arguing that "Andrew Cuomo has been caught red-handed." "Since he's too afraid to say it to New Yorkers' faces, we'll make it clear: Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump's choice for mayor," Mamdani campaign spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, said. Cuomo's campaign was quick to respond, calling it "silly." "Mamdani is clearly trying to deflect from answering questions" about his own record, including his support for decriminalizing prostitution, for which Cuomo held a press conference criticizing on Monday. Mamdani has said he would be Trump's "worst nightmare" if elected in November. Trump has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, calling him a "100% Communist Lunatic." The White House has dismissed the idea that Trump is planning to get involved in the race. "As President Trump has repeatedly stated, he has no intention of getting involved or making an endorsement in the New York City mayoral race," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June but decided to stay in the race as an independent candidate. In the closing weeks ahead of New York City's Democratic Party mayoral primary, as he appeared to be cruising toward capturing his party's nomination, Cuomo focused his campaign's spotlight on Trump. "Trump's coming for New York. Who do you think can stop him?" the narrator in a Cuomo campaign ad said over images of the June rioting in Los Angeles sparked by Trump's immigration crackdown. "Trump's at the city gates. We need someone experienced to slam them shut," the narrator said, as he suggested that Cuomo was the most experienced candidate to push back against the president's agenda. Cuomo pledged, if elected mayor, to protect New York City from what he suggested could be a possible future federal crackdown against immigration protests in the city. And he vowed to mount a national campaign to try and thwart Trump's agenda. But Mamdani's stunning victory over Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to capture the Democratic Party nomination rocked the race for mayor in the nation's most populous city. And as Cuomo resets as he runs in the mayoral general election as an independent candidate, references to Trump have plummeted. Adams is also running as an independent candidate. Particularly on immigration, the incumbent mayor has developed a relationship with Trump. "I helped him out a little bit," Trump admitted last month, referencing his Justice Department dropping corruption charges against the mayor earlier this year.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What you need to know: Preliminary election in Worcester nears
WORCESTER – Voters eager to cast a ballot in the city preliminary election can get an early start next week. The preliminary election is Sept. 2. Starting Monday, Aug. 25, in-person voting will be available at Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square. Voters from all precincts in the city can vote at the library through Friday, Aug. 29. Hours are: Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More: Worcester: What you need to know about the municipal election The preliminary ballot is light, with two races. The races for at-large city councilor and District E School Committee are the lone ones requiring a preliminary. (Such races are required when there are more than twice the number of candidates as seats.) For School Committee, incumbent Kathleen Roy is being challenged by Noelia M. Chafoya and Nelly Medina. The top two vote-getters advance to the Nov. 4 general election. For councilor-at-large, there are 14 candidates on the ballot for the preliminary. They are, in ballot order: Owura-Kwaku Sarkodieh, Jermoh Kamara, Donna M. Colorio (incumbent), Gary Rosen, Kate Toomey (incumbent), Caden Davis, Satya B. Mitra, Bernard Philip Iandoli, Joseph M. Petty (incumbent mayor), Khrystian E. King (incumbent), Charles Edward Luster, Jessica R. Pepple, Edson Montero and Morris A. Bergman (incumbent). All but two advance to November. According to the city clerk, voters can vote for only six candidates on the ballot for at-large city council and for one candidate for the District E school race. For residents not registered to vote, the deadline to be eligible for the preliminary, Aug. 23. Registration will be opened from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Room 208, City Hall. Absentee ballots must be requested at least five days before an election. A request can be made in writing, by email, elections@ or by fax. There are applications available online. On Sept. 2, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must go to their assigned polling site. More: Where to vote in Worcester This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: What you need to know: Preliminary election in Worcester nears Solve the daily Crossword
