Sovereign citizen, mysterious mailers: 4 odd suburban races in Greater Cincinnati

Election Day for the Cincinnati region isn't just about selling railroads and statewide issues. Voters will weigh in on tax levies, school board and township trustee races and more on Tuesday.

And suburban voters will have plenty of interesting races to vote on, including ones featuring:

• A school board candidate who once demanded the entire school board be arrested.

• A city council candidate whose attempted vehicular assault trial is set for Election Day.

• A mysterious Akron-based PAC investing in a Greater Cincinnati township trustee race.

• Democrats ogling a seat on a suburban township board long dominated by Republicans.

Here are some suburban races to follow on Election Day.

Cheviot council candidate says charges will be dropped

An arrest for attempted vehicular assault hasn't derailed Troy Borgmann's campaign for Cheviot City Council. In fact, Borgmann 46, told The Enquirer it was a big misunderstanding and he expects all charges will be dropped on Election Day, Nov. 7.

Borgmann, who owns two Cheviot bars, Fogarty's and Hail Mary's, is one of five candidates for three seats on Cheviot City Council. Cheviot is a city of 8,600 adjacent to the Cincinnati neighborhood of Westwood on the city's western border.

On Oct. 22, Borgmann struck a motorcycle's saddle bag with his vehicle outside a Cheviot bar while the rider was on the motorcycle, Cheviot police wrote in an affidavit.

When contacted by The Enquirer on Oct. 31, Borgmann said the person whose motorcycle he hit is a close friend who would drop the charges.

"The scratch is already paid for and he filed that all charges to be dropped," Borgmann said of the $300 scratch caused by his vehicle striking a motorcycle's saddle bag.

According to a memorandum filed Oct. 25 by Borgmann and his attorney, the motorcycle rider does not wish to press charges and was told by police "he would receive no money for repairs unless he pressed charges."

A message to the Cheviot police was not returned. The Hamilton County prosecutor's office said in an email that subpoenas have been issued and the matter is set for trial on Nov. 7.

The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts records do not show any motions to drop the charges as of Wednesday afternoon.

Cheviot police wrote in an affidavit that Borgmann “purposely did fail to maintain assured clear distance ahead striking a 2022 Harley Davison motorcycle on the left side saddle bag while the victim ... was sitting on it, causing damage to the motorcycle and almost knocking him off of the motorcycle.”

Borgmann “then fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival,” the court record continues. Borgmann said he wasn't aware he struck the motorcycle's saddle bag.

"It was just a gigantic misunderstanding on every part, and I got the ugly end of it all," Borgmann told The Enquirer. "I had zero knowledge I even hit it. I even was even looking at the guy."

He woke up the next day and found out he had a warrant for his arrest. He turned himself in and spent two days in the Hamilton County Detention Center as a result, he said.

"That was terrible," Borgmann said. "It’s meant to be jail, and I definitely went to jail for two days, and got out, and I’m looking forward to resolving all this in court on Nov. 7 and getting all this dismissed."

Also running for Cheviot City Council are incumbents Stefanie Hawk and Amy Luken-Richter and challengers Matthew Halterman and Matthew Ciambarella.

Milford School Board candidate tried to arrest the school board

Rebecca Born, a Milford School Board candidate filed an affidavit asking for the arrest of school board members two years ago.

Emails obtained by The Enquirer through a public records request show that Born called on Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve to remove from office and arrest the members of the Milford school board in October 2021. Born accused the board of violating the constitution in the affidavit but was not more specific.

Tekulve responded to Born and said her affidavit did not allege any criminal conduct and he was closing the file on the matter.

Born appears to be part of the "sovereign citizen" movement, which the FBI has described as an extremist movement in which adherents believe they are separate from the United States and don’t have to answer to government authority.

The Southern Poverty Law Center found that the boost in conspiracy theories and objections to public health measures during the pandemic led to an increased interest in the sovereign citizen movement. The organization also found that followers often “abuse the court system with indecipherable filings.”

Born said she established the Ohio Jural Assembly and Committee of Safety and is not currently active in either group in a statement sent to The Enquirer. Both organization names are connected to the sovereign citizen movement.

"I have no regrets and make no apologies for the 2021 affidavit or my prior involvement with establishing the Ohio Jural Assembly and the Committee of Safety (neither of which I am currently active in). These are tools that allow citizens to express their right to peacefully disagree with their government,” she said via email.

The Ohio Jural Assembly has a Facebook page and a BitChute page that share misinformation and conspiracy theories. BitChute is a video-sharing platform like YouTube that has become well-known for hosting extremist and conspiracy theory content.

Conservative Akron-based PAC involved in Deerfield Township race

A conservative Akron-based PAC paid for a mailer encouraging Deerfield Township residents to reelect incumbent trustee Lelle Lutts Hedding. The mailer also said Hedding's opponent, Dr. Nabila Babar, had her medical license suspended.

The State Medical Board of Ohio disciplined Babar in 2015 for violating rules on prescribing and using controlled substances for herself and family members, according to the board's case documents. Babar signed a consent agreement with the board to avoid formal proceedings and her medical license was suspended for 14 days in 2016. She was on probation for three years and the probation period ended in February 2019.

"The doctor’s conduct constituted commission of an act that constitutes a felony in this state, specifically illegal processing of drug documents," the board wrote.

Babar prescribed Adderall to one family member and Vyvanse to a different family member without maintaining appropriate medical records, according to the case documents.

"My opponents are trying to capitalize on a single minor error made over nine years ago and try and make you believe any lie they can concoct now. It is unfortunate and shameful that my opponent would rather resort to attack ads based on fallacies than run on her own record," Babar said in a statement.

Hedding said she didn't want to comment on the mailer because she said she had "no association" with it.

"I believe it is inappropriate to make comments regarding a mailer I have no involvement with. The residents of Deerfield Township are familiar with my work ethic, transparency and track record," Hedding said in a statement.

The Ohio Citizens PAC's website says it was founded in 2011 "to advocate for conservative issues and candidates that advance the cause of individual freedom and liberty." The PAC’s campaign finance report filed Oct. 24 shows most of its donations came from Butler County residents, including former state representative Candice Keller. The committee also paid for a handout for the Lakota Local Schools board race.

The Enquirer contacted the organization through its website to ask about the PAC's investment in the Deerfield Township race but did not receive a response.

Democrats hope to make gains in Symmes Township

While Democrats maintain solid control of the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County government, many of the suburban townships and neighborhoods remain under Republican control.

Hamilton County Democrats see an opportunity in Symmes Township, a suburb in the northeastern corner of the county.

All three township trustees are Republican.

Trustee races are ostensibly nonpartisan, but local parties still endorse in these races. For the three-member board of trustees, the Hamilton County Democrats have endorsed Karen Brownlee, 50, a social worker in the mental health field and first-time candidate.

She's challenging Phil Beck, 59, the Republican-endorsed incumbent who has served as township trustee for 16 years. Beck also works for Hamilton County as the project executive of The Banks entertainment district on the riverfront.

Brownlee has worked hard going door-to-door, said Isaac Goff-Mitchell, executive director of the Hamilton County Democrats. That gives her a shot, he said.

The suburbs in Hamilton County are the last frontier for local Democrats, he said.

"I live in Sycamore Township," Goff-Mitchell said. "In five years, we will see competitive races in Sycamore and Loveland, Blue Ash. Suburban voters are starting to shift the way they think about politics in a way that helps the Democrats."

Republicans don't see a changing of the guard anytime soon in Symmes Township or the other suburbs.

"If you look at the rest of the composition of the board in Symmes Township, it’s solidly Republican," said Russell Mock, chairman of the Hamilton County Republicans. "I think Phil is running an aggressive campaign, and I think he can hold that seat."

As for the candidates, they both tried to distance themselves from partisan labels, both saying they don't see township issues in terms of Democrat and Republican. Brownlee said she doesn't feel the current trustees have been responsive enough with the public. For instance, she said she has heard from people who want to regulate short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

"I’ve spoken to hundreds if not well over a thousand residents at this point," Brownlee said. "A majority of residents do not wish to have those short-term rentals in their neighborhood. So I don’t see that as a Democrat or Republican issue. It is truly nonpartisan."

Beck said the trustees passed regulations a year ago that prohibited renting residences for less than a month, targeting Airbnb operations.

"The three trustees are in alignment," said Beck, adding he's made a point of collaborating with colleagues and listening to voters. "It doesn’t matter who I talk to. I’m not selective. I go to voters. I don’t target an R or D or independent."

How to vote

Early voting began Oct. 11. To find your early voting location, visit voteohio.gov.

To see what's on your ballot, check out The Enquirer's voting guide. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio election 2023: Cincinnati suburban races to watch