Republican candidates have stepped forward to challenge the Democratic incumbents in Hamilton County.
The filing deadline is Wednesday.
The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts race will likely be a top priority for the Hamilton County GOP. Former Cincinnati City Councilman Steve Goodin announced he will run for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, challenging newly appointed Democrat Pavan Parikh.
He could face a Republican primary from former Colerain Township trustee Raj Rajagopal, who has filed a petition to run.
Parikh has also filed to run for the position he was appointed to in December when his predecessor, Aftab Pureval, left to become Cincinnati's mayor.
Goodin served for about a year on Cincinnati City Council after he was appointed to replace Jeff Pastor, who faces federal pay-to-play charges. Goodin lost reelection.
Goodin, 52, an attorney, said he wants more information available for search on the clerk of courts website. If you want to know how many people are out on bond in your neighborhood, you should just be able to type in your address, he said.
"I’m there all the time, I know what it needs," Goodin said. "From the second I started thinking of doing this, people started reaching out to me."
O'Neill will run again for commissioner
Another Republican will ensure there's a three-way race for county commissioner in the general election.
Matt O'Neill told The Enquirer he will make his second attempt for county commissioner, challenging incumbent Democrat Stephanie Summerow Dumas.
In O'Neill's first attempt in 2020 he didn't come close, losing to Democratic incumbent Denise Driehaus, 58% to 42%.
O'Neill entered the race even though many Hamilton County GOP leaders didn't know much about him.
O'Neill, 59, a resident of Oakley and an accountant for a medical supply company, said he thinks he is better known than two years ago.
O'Neill entering the race could boost Democratic incumbent Stephanie Summerow Dumas' chances for reelection if O'Neill and independent candidate Christopher Smitherman split votes.
Smitherman, a former Cincinnati City Councilman, announced last year he would run as an independent, despite overtures from some Republicans to run as a Republican.
O'Neill said he isn't worried about who might siphon off votes. Smitherman isn't a Republican. And there should be a Republican on the ballot, O'Neill said.
"If there's not an option on the ballot, the voters are the ones that lose," O'Neill said.
He still hasn't changed his mind on one of his positions from 2020, that the $330 million allocated for the Western Hills Viaduct, most of which will come from the transit sales tax, would be better spent elsewhere.
That could be a bridge over the Ohio River at the Anderson Ferry to better connect West Siders to the airport. Or a parkway along Beekman Avenue through South Fairmount on Queensgate that would connect the area to River Road and Downtown.
He also favors reducing the 0.8% transit tax approved by voters in 2020. He would like to put a smaller tax before the voters.
There could be other Republican commissioner candidates. Blue Ash City Councilman Pramod Jhaveri has pulled petitions, meaning he's considering a run.
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