All of the candidates in the 2025 race have chosen to “Dare Greatly”, I leave all the critics with this great speech by Teddy Roosevelt.
There are many ways to vote in next Tuesdays competitive council race. You may vote for one candidate, two candidate, three candidate or four candidates. If you have one that stands out amongst the rest: a candidate that is far and away superior, a friend or family member, just vote for one. When I ran for council it was suggested that my friends and family, including myself vote for just one candidate, me! The same would be true if you had two candidates that were clearly your favorite. I did this in 2021 when Combs On Harrison and me ran together as a team. In 2023 I left my ballot blank for mayor and council because I was disappointed that all four candidates ran unopposed, you could argue that our votes didn’t count for much in 2023. This year is a bit more exciting with 6 conservative candidates running for four open seats.
May I propose three of the various ways you might vote in 2025 ordered by my personal preference:
1. The Right Path Coalition – Kathie and Edward: these are two fresh faces that have been campaigning together under since February of this year. These two have an uphill climb to make it on council, they need every vote they can muster inorder bring real change to Harrison.
2. The Anti-Establishment ticket – Kathie, Edward and Brad: This threesome is not affiliated with the Harrison political establishment. If you are tired of how the city has been run the last four years, then vote for change, not the same-old-same-old candidates that are aligned with unmanaged growth and higher taxes.
3. The Front Door Project ticket – Kathie, Edward, Brad and Tanner: These four candidates have been endorsed by a group that has an imaginative development plan for Harrison, not just bringing in another large developer to build more houses, but a plan where Harrison’s Front Door is open and inviting, where we have a region with a deep sense of community. A community with a traditional small town feel and yet dealing with the convenience and issues that come with being located on a major transportation corridor between Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Do we want to be like the Cincinnati/Dayton and Cincinnati/Columbus interstate corridors or do we want to dream for something greater?
Let’s be honest: Tanner Dole is the frontrunner and is likely to win no matter how you vote. The last three Dole’s that have served have been appointed by the Harrison Political Establishment and the last time a Dole didn’t finish first in a local election was the 2017 Republican Primary where Ethan Dole finished a respectable second.
All the candidates on the ballot deserve your consideration and need to be commended for not being a critic, but as brave individuals that deserve “…the credit [that] belongs to the man [and woman] who is actually in the arena,… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”
Whatever you do on November 4th, please consider taking the time to do your part and “Dare Greatly” by casting you vote.
Mike for Ohio 
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