The results of our straw poll for the governor's race are in! A wrap on our weekend winter weather. And Marysville small business owners are optimistic
Give us a few moments and we'll serve up what matters in Marysville on Tuesday, February 18, 2025
In this edition:
What a winter weekend we had
Ramaswamy shows up strong in weekend straw poll
Small business owners in Marysville say they are optimistic about 2025
Winter weather roll-up
Many parts of Union County received 2-to-3-inches of snow on Sunday morning. The accumulation was preceded by a significant amount of rainfall overnight Saturday that turned into an icy mix overnight Sunday.
The Union County Airport weather station record 1.29 inches of rainfall before the changeover to snow on Sunday.
Our local temperature bottomed out at 9.9°F on Monday morning at the airport.
Travel snarled by snow and ice
Travel was a real hassle on Sunday afternoon and evening as gusting winds made travel challenging on north-south roads. The airport recorded gust up to 31 miles per hour on Sunday evening out of the northwest. It made travel on North-South roads impossible in places.
A Level 1 snow emergency was issued Sunday morning.
Sunday evening, multiple non-injury accidents were reported to first responders along US 4 and St Rt 31 north of town and on Rt 4 between Milford Center and Mechanicsburg.
Secondary roads were particularly susceptible to drifting as winds gusted throughout Sunday evening.
It was so challenging to travel in the area that Union County Sheriff Mike Justice elevated the county to a Level 2 snow emergency around 8:25 p.m. on Sunday evening. The Sheriff’s office reduced it to a Level 1 around 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning.
The snow and ice will be around for a while.
The National Weather Service is forecasting highs in the teens and lows in the single digits all this week.
Straw Poll Results: Union County Republicans favor Ramaswamy for governor in 2026
Vivek Ramaswamy holds a strong lead over other Republican hopefuls in Union County when it comes to the race for governor in 2026.
Ramaswamy hasn’t even declared his candidacy yet, but he garnered 35% of our readers votes in our weekend straw poll. He plans to announce his campaign formally on February 24 in Cincinnati.
Ramaswamy recently stepped away from an appointment by the President to co-run the Department of Government Efficiency so that he could return home and run for governor.
Jim Tressel—the now-Lt. Governor and former Ohio State football coach—came in second place with about 19% of the vote.
Attorney General Dave Yost trailed the trio of Republicans, with 14% of our straw poll participants saying they would support him. Yost was just in Union County last week to speak to local Republicans at the annual Lincoln Day dinner.
Assuming Republicans will consolidate around their primary winner, the nominee will have a strong base from which to draw among Union County voters.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton received 32% of reader support in our poll.
It’s unlikely any Democrat will fare well in Union County, which overwhelmingly supported President Trump in November.
The straw poll survey of more than 400 Maryville Matters readers was conducted over the weekend giving the survey a margin of error of +/- 5% based on the total population of the Union County.
Optimism persists among Marysville small business owners
Above: Holly Smith Hoak and Kelsey Takitch, co-owners of iron threads
Small business owners are cautiously optimistic about the economy as we move further into 2025.
The National Federation of Independent Business' Small Business Optimism index cooled in January, but still remains solid.
Small business owners say they are still optimistic about 2025 with many saying that now is a good time to expand. And they expect the economy to improve over the next six months.
Kelsey Takitch, a co-owner of iron threads at 122 E. Fifth Street in uptown Marysville agrees with that assessment.
“I do think it’s a great time to expand,” Takitch told us. “The economy seems to be trending in a positive direction, and I believe people will start feeling more confident about their spending power. That makes it an exciting time for small businesses like ours to reach new customers and try new things.”
The clothing store has been open one year in March.
Takitch, who co-owns the operation with her mother, Holly Smith Hoak, says her optimism is high.
“Launching any new business requires confidence—not just in the idea, but in the products and the community’s need for them,” she said. “We truly believe we’ve filled a gap in Uptown by offering quality men’s and women’s clothing at a price point that makes sense for our customers.”
She says the store’s first year was strong.
“And now that we have a full calendar year under our belt, we’re excited to build on that momentum in year two. We’ve learned a lot, fine-tuned our approach, and are ready to continue growing.”
The sweet smell of optimism
John Connolly and his wife Pam recently opened the new Winans Coffee and Chocolate Shop on Emmaus Road.
He shares Takitch’s optimism.
“Small business is always a risky venture, but I’m optimistic that if we’re going to take those risks, this is as good a time and place to do so as one could reasonably hope for,” Connolly said.
He noted that Marysville is fortunate to be in central Ohio.
Above: Pam and John Connolly recently opened Winans Coffee & Chocolates
“It’s easy to take for granted the job opportunities and the benefits of a growing population," he said. “I don’t think people [in Marysville] necessarily realize that many places in Ohio are losing jobs and people.”
“Honda’s investment over the past 40+ years and continued plans have and will continue to make a huge difference in quality of life here.”
Property tax reform movement extends beyond Union County and Ohio
Taxpayers in Ohio and beyond are seeking property tax reform.
According to The Tax Foundation, discontent over high property taxes is fueling a national movement to curtail the impact of property taxes.
“Very few taxpayers have any sense of what they pay in sales tax,” wrote Jared Walczak with The Tax Foundation.
“Even income tax payments, typically withheld over the course of the year, are not always front of mind. But virtually every homeowner knows what they pay in property taxes and can evaluate whether they believe that local services—including potential increases in their cost or provision—are justified by their tax bill.
“When property owners perceive a misalignment, as many do now, they are stirred to action.”
Walczak writes that despite its unpopularity, shifting to other alternative forms of taxes “would harm economic growth.”
In Ohio, a joint commission to study property reform made a number of recommendations for state lawmakers consideration.
State Representative Tracy Richardson sat on that commission and introduced one bill already to implement relief for property owners most vulnerable to the recent increases.
“It is time Ohio takes a necessary step to help our disabled veterans who are vulnerable to drastically increasing property values and who have sacrificed their health and quality of life to protect our freedom!” she told us recently.
Richardson said her bill, known as House Bill 40, takes a big step by increasing the enhanced homestead exemption from $50,000 to $100,000 for veterans who are 100% disabled. And HB40 ensures that surviving spouses of disabled veterans will receive the additional $50,000 exemption as long as the spouse’s income does not exceed $125,000 annually.
“While I would like to reduce property taxes by even more, this legislation is a big step in the right direction. In a very fiscally responsible General Assembly, I hope my fellow legislators will listen to veterans and support the bill,” she said.
And more help could be on the way for older property owners.
Richardson says she has another bill in the works.
“I know that many seniors over the age of 65 are vulnerable to increasing property taxes and I am working on new legislation that will protect and provide some relief to them as well,” she added.
Charter Review Board reconvenes tonight
The Marysville Charter Review Board meets this evening for its third meeting.
The Review Board is convened every four years to consider changes to the City Charter. That’s the document that uniquely governs how city government operates in Marysville.
In its first two meetings, the Board members were briefed on the history of the City Charter and on potential amendment considerations offered up by the city administration.
Tonight’s meeting may offer more topics of consideration by Review Board members. The most substantive issue the Review Board discussed at its last meeting was whether or not the City Law Director position should be elected or appointed.
The Board has until July to work through any amendments it may recommend that City Council place before voters in November.
The Review Board meeting is tonight at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Uptown eye sore case trial scheduled
The owner of an uptown eye sore will face a bench trial in March.
Cristian Bravo, who owns the former Goodwill Building at 303 S. Main Street in Marysville was scheduled to appear in Marysville Municipal Court Wednesday, but his lawyer couldn't make it.
Now the Court has scheduled the bench trial for 8:30 a.m. on March 10.
Bravo is facing charges of failing to maintain the South Main Street building. It's not his first go around with the City. He pled guilty to similar charges in 2023 and was fined $250.
Last week, Bravo entered a plea of not guilty, according to docket entries filed by the Court.
The City Zoning administrator filed the most recent charges after Bravo failed to take action to comply with city code.
The building, which sits just south of City Hall, is surrounded by chain-link fence.
Health care benefits for farmers and their families
The Ohio Farm Bureau wants to be able to offer health care plans directly to members and their families in Union County and across the state.
The OFB would be able to do so under a bill that was introduced recently in the Ohio Senate.
The Farm Bureau can already provide health plans for businesses with 1 to 50 workers.
The proposal is being considered by a Senate Committee on Capitol Square.
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Have a great Tuesday!
-Joe C.
A good summary of happenings as usual, Joe.