By Wayne Gates –
Ripley residents passed an additional two mill fire protection levy by nearly a two to one margin at the polls on Nov. 8.
The levy is expected to raise an additional $329,000 per year, which will be spent on fire equipment.
The vote was 434 in favor of the levy and 235 against.
In other election news, all of the Republicans in opposed races in Brown County swept to victory in strong fashion, with the smallest margin of victory being 65 percent.
There were three opposed races in the county for two commissioner seats and for prosecuting attorney.
Brown County First Assistant Prosecutor Zac Corbin, a Republican, won the right to take the top job, taking 84 percent of the vote over independent candidate Dennis Varnau.
Both Republican incumbent Brown County Commissioners also won re-election to a second four year term.
Commissioner Barry Woodruff won 70 percent of the vote against democrat challenger Jim Ferguson and Commissioner Daryll Gray took 65 percent of the vote against democrat challenger Ralph Jennings.
Incumbent State Senator Joe Uecker also took home a strong win in Brown County, winning 75 percent of the vote against democrat challenger Charlie Carlier.
Incumbent State Representative Doug Green also finished extremely strong in Brown County, taking 82 percent of the vote over democrat challenger Ken McNeely.
Both Uecker and Green won re-election to their seats.
Local prosecutor Nick Owens also won a contested race for the Ohio Board of Education, beating opponent Braydon Bevens in Brown County with 67 percent of the vote.
Owens won his district race with 60 percent of the vote.
Other Brown County elected officials were unopposed on the ballot, including Sheriff Gordon Ellis, Clerk of Courts Clark Gray, County Recorder Amy DeClaire, County Treasurer Connie Patrick and County Engineer Todd Cluxton.
All are republicans elected to four year terms.
Democrat Dr. Tim McKinley was unopposed for county coroner.
Four tax levies passed in Franklin, Green Scott and Washington townships in Brown County, while two other levies went down to defeat.
Voters in the Village of Sardinia voted down an additional levy for operating funds, with 60 percent opposed and 40 percent in favor. 191 people voted against the levy and 125 voted in favor.
Voters in the Fayetteville-Perry school system voted down a one percent income tax levy by nearly a two to one margin.
65 percent were against the additional tax and 35 percent were in favor.
The vote totals are unofficial until the Brown County Board of Elections meets to count provisional ballots and certify the election on November 19.