Ryan, Naab and Lauer are winners of Hamilton City Council race

Hamilton High School teacher Joel Lauer was elected to a seat on Hamilton City Council, according to unofficial results from the Butler County Board of Elections. Lauer placed third in a field of five.

Council incumbents Michael Ryan and Tim Naab were followed in a quest for three seats by Lauer and fellow challengers Danny Ivers and Kristina Latta-Landefeld.

Lauer, who also is an assistant football coach at Badin High School and grew up in Hamilton, told the Journal-News in September, “I’ve always wanted to be a leader in this community.”

Tuesday’s election gives him that chance.

Lauer noted in that September interview that several years ago, as head football coach at Madison High School, he helped a tax levy win there after the prior one was soundly defeated.

“I’m very excited about it,” Lauer said Tuesday night. “I’ve had a great supporting group around me, and I couldn’t ask for better people,” led by his family, old friends, “and some new friends along the way that I’ve picked up that have really pitched in as well.”

Here are Tuesday’s unofficial results:

Michael Ryan, who led the candidates four years ago, had 3,027 votes, will again become vice mayor, as winner of this year’s candidates, taking that post from Council Member Eric Pohlman, the top council vote-getter in the 2019 race;
Tim Naab, 2,502;
Joel Lauer, 2,189;
Danny Ivers, 1,898; and
Kristina Latta-Landefeld, 1,796.

Lauer planned to pick up his campaign signs Wednesday, “and go from there,” he said.

“I think I’m ready to get moving right now,” Lauer added. “There’s a lot to do.”

“I will do my best to serve this city and I plan on being a public servant to the people of the city of Hamilton,” he said, also thanking his opponents in the council, calling them “really good people,” and saying he hopes they will continue in the future.

One seat was guaranteed to be filled by a new person following the retirement this summer of Council Member Robert Brown. Council members serve four-year terms for positions that pay $300 per year.

Also up for re-election is the seventh council seat, that of the mayor, Pat Moeller, although he faced no opposition on the ballot. The other three seats, now held by Pohlman, Carla Fiehrer and Susan Vaughn, will be contested in 2023.

In the Mayor’s race, according to the unofficial posted results, Moeller was winning by a margin of 3,940 to 1 in a race that included a write-in candidate, Jeffrey Neal.