Election 2018: Carpenter seeks to win seventh straight countywide election

Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter enjoys her job, and believes the county is on the right path under the leadership of the current board.

Carpenter is seeking her third term as a county commissioner, and is being challenged in the May 8 primary election by West Chester Twp. Trustee Lee Wong, who was just elected to a fourth term as trustee in November.

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“Butler County’s been in the best position than it’s been in in recent history,” she said.

This week, this news organization will be profiling the two candidates vying for the Republican nomination in the Butler County Commission race. This is the first of those profiles.

While Carpenter likes the job, she admits, “It’s a lot of work, and this board is very hands-on and you’ve seen the results of that.”

She said each member of the board has their passions and expertise, which complements the rest of the board.

“You have (county commissioners) Don (Dixon) and TC (Rogers) who are experts around the county,” Carpenter said. “TC knows every community, he knows where the growth is happening, how people want to live and why they want to live places. Don knows everything about development, the history and why we got here.”

And because of the things each are connected to, she said “that’s why we make a great commission.”

Carpenter said she focuses on human services, such as Butler County Children Services and the needs of the elderly of the community.

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“We’re handling two historical changes in Butler County,” Carpenter said. “One is the growth in the I-75 corridor of business, bio-med, community colleges, residential, it’s exploding.”

The other historic change is the drug crisis.

“We’re still looking at generational poverty. The drug crisis hits us when people come through the jail, when it comes into the court, when it goes into juvenile court and children’s services,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter has never been beaten in a countywide election, winning four as the county’s clerk of courts and two as a county commissioner. She calls every election campaign season a performance review and a chance to find out where she, her office and the county stands.

“I need to go meet people to tell me what’s working for them and what’s not working for them,” she said. “(We need to) take this wonderful opportunity to be out in the four corners of the county and ask real people how we’re governing.”

ELECTION 2018:

Opponents say local lawmaker not effective in representing Ohio’s 51st District

Retherford says his record shows he works for Butler County constituents

Jolivette said incumbent ‘didn’t take his job seriously’ and can ‘do the job on day one’

Carruthers says she’s running ‘for the right reasons,’ not a paycheck or healthcare

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