There are 255,570 registered voters in the county and 125,751 ballots have been tabulated.
Voters today are deciding who will hold two-thirds of the seats on the Butler County county commission that holds the $500-plus million purse strings for a whole host of countywide services from police protection to social programs and taxation.
The incumbents said they were running to build on past successes, their opponents claimed new blood and new ideas are needed. The commissioners will earn $102,043 next year by statute but are not required to work full-time.
Dixon, 75, was a commissioner for one term in 1982, then ran again in 2007 and has served ever since. He has never been opposed until now. Raghu, 39, a veterinarian, is serving her second term on the Oxford City Council and is vice-mayor. Dixon owns and operates numerous healthcare, retirement and other companies.
Rogers, 76, a retired home builder and Realtor, faced a challenger this year for the first time in a dozen years. He first won a seat on the commission in 2012. Small, 47 a nurse practitioner who also owns her own consulting business, The Institute for Employee Safety, is making her first run for elected office because she said she wants to prioritize mental and physical health and women.
The county commissioners are the executive board for the seventh largest county in the state — home to 388,420 residents — with 1,679 full-time employees and a total budget of roughly $512 million. They hold the purse strings for 14 departments under their direct control, 13 other elected offices/courts and seven independent boards.
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