BETHEL JOURNAL
Taste of the Holidays
Your Community Press newspaper serving Bethel and other East Cincinnati neighborhoods
SATURDAY, DEC 7 | 11 AM - 3 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019 ❚ BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS ❚ PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
These two villages now cease to exist: Here’s what that means Scott Wartman Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
The “Welcome to Amelia” signs are down. Outside the Amelia Police Department, the marquee is an epitaph that says “Thank you, police and employees 1900-2019.” Even the eight metal reindeer used every year in the Amelia Christmas Parade are gone from the village’s storage bin. “They’re missing,” said Renee Gerber, mayor-elect of Amelia. “No one can fi nd them.” On Nov. 5, Gerber won election as mayor to a village that voted itself out of existence on the same day. Amelia and the tiny town of Newtonsville, population 400, are no more after 10 a.m. Monday, when the Clermont County Board of Elections will certifi ed the election results. Both are in Clermont County, just east of Cincinnati, where suburban subdivisions eventually give way to farms and forests. They join a growing list of small municipalities calling it quits: 15 in all since 2004 counting Amelia and Newtonsville. With a population of 5,000, Amelia is by far the largest of any village in Ohio to disband in the past 15 years. Gerber may still take offi ce briefl y in December to aid with the transition. That’s only if there’s a court challenge or legal issues. But she doesn’t know how likely that is. The vote wasn’t close. In Amelia, 68% of the voters decided to dissolve the village government. Newtonsville’s vote was much closer: 53 to 46. That’s not percent, that’s actual votes. The Newtonsville mayor has challenged the validity of the petition in court. The surrounding townships and county will assume police, fi re and road maintenance for the two villages. The mayor-elect said she has mixed feelings about it. “It’s bittersweet,” Gerber said. “I’ve always said that the citizens need to make the decision that’s right for them, and they made that decision.” Gerber, a year ago, was one of the residents who led the charge to dissolve Amelia. She was even led away in handcuff s from a village council meeting. Those who fought for dissolution did not like the village council’s decision in 2018 to implement a 1% earnings tax. They started a website, called freeamelia.com
The marquee outside the Amelia police department is an epitaph saying “Thank you police and employees 1900 to 2019.” The village voted to dissolve in the recent election. AMANDA ROSSMANN/THE ENQUIRER
Gerber changed her mind and decided she wanted Amelia to remain a village. Supporters had asked her to run for mayor. She decided she’d rather reform Amelia than dissolve it. “I’m disappointed we didn’t get a chance to try to fi x things,” Gerber said. Gone is the Amelia Police Department of seven offi cers. Amelia will be split among two townships, Pierce and Batavia townships. Township road crews last week were smoothing out sewer grates so they don’t tear up the blades for snowplows when snow hits, McCoy said. “People are excited,” said Ed McCoy, a resident who supported the dissolution. He’s been happy to see police from Pierce Township and the Clermont County Sheriff ’s offi ce roll past his home in recent weeks. Current Mayor Todd Hart didn’t return messages left by The Enquirer when this article was originally published. No one answered at Amelia Village Hall. The 39th Annual Amelia Christmas Parade is still a go for Dec. 8. New reindeer are being made, Gerber said. Amelia will still exist, even if just in people’s hearts. “When people ask me where I’m from, I’m still going to say Amelia,” Gerber said. “You are where your post offi ce is. From what I know, the post offi ce isn’t going anywhere.”
The small post office in Newtonsville, Ohio, houses P.O. boxes for all of the residents of the village. AMANDA ROSSMANN, THE ENQUIRER/AMANDA ROSSMANN
Playground dedication invokes Kinley’s spirit, continues her fi ght
The plaque honoring Kinley Sexton at Clermont Northeastern Elementary School. DICK MALONEY/PROVIDED
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Behind Clermont Northeastern Elementary School, just past a shelter, sits a large plot of land covered with rubber playground mulch. The area includes the usual equipment – balance beams, a yellow funnel ball, monkey bars, a climbing structure, slides. If you look at the rows of swings along the back, you might just see one swaying back and forth; you may also hear a voice belonging to the girl pictured on a plaque on the side of the elementary, overlooking the recreational area. Kinley Sexton. The 6-year-old died in May from DIPG – Diff use Intrinsic Pontine Glioma – essentially a brain stem tumor that was discovered in April 2018. Her story touched everyone in the district and beyond; her courage inspired all whom she came in contact with. Many of those who were touched recently came to CNE Elementary to continue honoring her, as her elementary school dedicated a new playground in her name.
Shannon Backer was Kinley’s kindergarten teacher last year. Now employed in the Finneytown Local School District, she returned to CNE for the ceremony. She encouraged Kinley’s classmates, gathered around the outside of the shelter, to share her love of school. “On those hard days, look at that little face that will be on that plaque, remember her battle, remember the camaraderie and closeness we felt with each other … and on those extra diffi cult days, walk over and you can share those thoughts with her, and if you talk quietly enough, you can even hear Kinley using some of her favorite colorful words,” Backer said. “If Kinley can graduate kindergarten against those odds, you can get through a random tough Tuesday.” Since his daughter’s diagnosis, Bryan Sexton has become a passionate advocate for DIPG research. About three weeks before the CNE dedication, he said, See KINLEY, Page 2A
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