The Paint Valley ADAMH mental health levy went down to defeat in Highland County Tuesday by a vote of 1,667-595 in unofficial returns, and apparently suffered a defeat across the five counties voting on the levy, although Fayette County and Pickaway County voters approved of the levy, according to unofficial returns.
Voters in Highland, Pike, Ross, Pickaway and Fayette counties were deciding the Paint Valley levy’s fate on Tuesday.
Ross County election officials were tracking results from all the counties involved in the levy. According to a Ross County election official, the following unofficial results were reported: In Ross County, the vote was 2,620 in favor, 3,019 against; in Pike County the levy vote was 363 in favor, 733 against; in Fayette County, the vote was 1,775 in favor, 1,324 against.
With all precincts finally reporting in Pickaway County by 10 p.m., the vote there was 1,348 for the levy, 960 against, according to the Pickaway election board website.
So the total vote on the levy across five counties stood at 6,701 for the levy, 7,703 against, according to unofficial returns.
Meanwhile, in the only candidate race on Tuesday’s ballot, Jason Grove defeated Joe Mahan, 55-42, in the Republican primary contest for Hillsboro City Council 4th Ward. Grove will face Democratic candidate Mary Stanforth in November.
Mahan and Grove both showed up at the Highland County Board of Elections as the results were being tabulated. When election administrator Steve Witham delivered the results, Mahan quickly congratulated Grove and offered to help in his campaign.
The proposed 1-mill, 10-year Paint Valley levy also appeared on last November’s ballot, where it was similarly crushed in Highland County by a vote of 11,451 against to 6,389 in favor.
The November election, which included the presidential race, saw nearly 19,000 total votes cast in Highland County. Tuesday’s election saw just 2,270 total ballots cast here.
Last week, Witham predicted a turnout of just 9 or 10 percent. Unofficial returns show turnout was just 8.18 percent.
Two Highland County voters were eligible to cast ballots on a Miami Trace school levy. Both showed up, and both voted against the levy.
Reach Gary Abernathy at 937-393-3456 or by email at [email protected].
