There will be 6 candidates for city council on the November 4th ballot. How much do you know about them? Enough to make an informed choice? That’s doubtful. Institutions that once felt a sacred responsibility to serve the people of Harrison by creating a candidates forum have been as silent as a church mouse in recent years.
There will surely be an article with responses to a candidate survey in The Register but print media doesn’t enjoy nearly the reach it once did and Harrison hasn’t been a focal point since the Harrison Press was shuttered years ago. We’re a quarter way through the 21st century . Voters deserve an in person event that’s able to be live streamed and recorded for replay at a time convenient to the individual, not a couple column-inches of milquetoast survey responses.
In 2019 The Greater Harrison Chamber hosted a candidates town hall. The format was a little wonky in that I managed to be the first candidate called on to answer every single question but overall the execution on the event was really good. If you’re into 6 year old elections you can even still find the video on youtube.
In 2021 there would not have been a candidates town hall at all had a couple candidates in that race not clamored for one. In the end the chamber stepped up and delivered with an excellent moderator selection in the elder statesman of Harrison, Hank Menninger.
In 2023 there was no candidates town hall. This was an unopposed race in both the general and primary election so your can argue no harm no foul. Still, the optics on not getting the candidates together in a public setting is not terribly favorable.
The 2025 election is now just a month away and as near as I can tell, there is no planned town hall which is an absolute shame. There’s still time to pull this together. We just need somebody to care enough to answer the call.
Joe Combs Thoughts on Harrison, Ohio 