A mailer championing Cincinnati City Council member Meeka Owens came under fire the weekend before Election Day.
Owens is running to be the Democratic pick for Hamilton County Commissioner against incumbent Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas and local educator Herman Najoli. Owens is also running to represent her Avondale precinct in the Hamilton County Democratic Party central committee.
Rep. Cecil Thomas, a Democrat who represents Avondale, Clifton and other Cincinnati neighborhoods in the Ohio House of Representatives, posted about campaign mailers for Owens’ precinct race on Facebook.
The mailers say Owens has support from Thomas, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus. The mailers do not appear to have information about who paid for them.
“I haven’t given this candidate my support nor did I give her permission to send out any mailer suggesting such,” Thomas said in his Facebook post.
Owens said her campaign does not condone the mailers
In a statement, Owens said her campaign was not informed of the mailers, did not pay for them and does not “condone” them.
“I am honored to serve the Democratic Party as the (precinct executive) for Cincinnati 13-F, and am proud to be on the ballot for this race, and proud to support the Democratic Party,” Owens said.
What is a precinct executive?
There are about 560 precincts in Hamilton County and roughly 127 have contested races May 5. Precinct executives make up the central committee of the county party, which votes on party leadership, supports endorsed candidates and makes appointments if a county elected position is vacated.
Two other candidates, Shawn Baker and Dawn Flanigan Johnson, are running to represent Cincinnati 13-F, according to a precinct candidate list from the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mailer sparks controversy in Hamilton County commission race
Reporting by Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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