
Our Mission
The Clermont County Democratic Party strives to elect Democratic Candidates and promote Democratic issues that reflect our commitment to social and economic justice, environmental stewardship, and effective government. By raising awareness of our party and its core beliefs through meetings, forums, trainings, social events, and community service, we will strengthen our community and create a more balance electorate.
Our Leadership
As mandated by state law, the Executive Committee is the voting body of the Clermont County Democratic Party. Executive members are voted upon by recently-elected precinct captains of each jurisdiction, every two years, in even number primaries.
Jurisdiction | Name | Contact |
---|---|---|
Executive Chair | Ray Lembke | rlembke@fuse.net |
1st Vice Chair | Elaine Barnett | elaine.barnett5@gmail.com |
2nd Vice Chair | Patricia Lawrence | p.lawrence@fuse.net |
Treasurer | Judy Miller | judithamiller@fuse.net |
Secretary | Bonnie Carlier | bcarlier@cinci.rr.com |
Batavia Township | Judith Miller | judithamiller@fuse.net |
Franklin Township | Tonia Blackburn | blackburn45120@frontier.com |
Goshen Township | Bonnie Carlier | bcarlier@cinci.rr.com |
Miami Township | Inga Harris | ngaharris@me.com |
Milford City | Nellye Bowen | |
Monroe Township | Paul Campbell | p.lyman@zoomtown.com |
Pierce Township | Gregg Conrad | greggconrad@ymail.com |
Tate Township | Leann Helton | thetrophycup@msn.com |
Washington Township | Jeff Richards | jeffr1955@hotmail.com |
Wayne Township | Jan Schoellman | jschoellman@cinci.rr.com |
CCYD Representative | TBD | |
West Clermont Democrats Representative | Elaine Barnett | elaine.barnett5@gmail.com |
Quin-T Democrat Club Representative | Cheryl Richards | cheryl1richards@gmail.com |
Goshen Democrats Representative | Alice Bailey | abailey7153@gmail.com |
Loveland Action Team | Patricia Lawrence | p.lawrence@fuse.net |
Central Committee Chair | Michelle DeTemple | mdt0409@fuse.net |
At Large | Thomas Jenkins | tmjenkins@fioptics.com |
At Large | Tim Hogan | HoganAndAssoc@aol.com |
At Large | Kay Newby | kbnewby@gmail.com |
Central Committee
The Clermont County Democratic Party’s Central Committee is made up of precinct captains who are either elected by Democratic voters in their precinct or appointed by the Executive Committee. Precinct Captains are the first line of contact for Democratic voters in the county. You can find your precinct captain by locating your precinct below. If your precinct does not currently have a captain or a precinct nearby, you can sign up here to find out more information about becoming a precinct captain.
Chair: Michelle DeTemple
Vice-Chair: Patricia Lawrence
Secretary: Bonnie Carlier
Precinct | Precinct Captain |
Amelia Village C | Brian Flick |
Batavia Township A | Judy Miller |
Batavia Township B | Vivian Poe |
Batavia Township C | Timothy Young |
Batavia Township E | Amanda Irwin |
Batavia Township G | Rich Perry |
Batavia Township H | Cyrus Richardson |
Batavia Township J | Steven Neff |
Batavia Township L | Timothy Hisnay |
Batavia Township M | Matthew Conroy |
Bethel Village B | Leann Helton |
Franklin Township A | Tonia Blackburn |
Goshen Township B | Alice Bailey |
Goshen Township D | Bonnie Carlier |
Milford City B | MarySue Roberts |
Milford City D | Doug Doherty |
Milford City F | Nellye Bowen |
Monroe Township C | Paul Campbell |
Miami Township A | Patricia Lawrence |
Miami Township H | Mary Ellen Steele-Pierce |
Miami Township I | Karen Taylor |
Miami Township K | Tom Jenkins |
Miami Township L | Pamela Sisney |
Miami Township L1L | Inga Harris |
Miami Township M1M | Linda Callahan |
Miami Township N1N | Orhan Kilki |
Miami Township Q | Jennifer Naylor |
Miami Township N | Chris Barnett |
Miami Township X | Michelle Szylakowski |
Miami Township Z | Mary Diekmeyer |
Pierce Township B | Ray Lembke |
Pierce Township C | Gregg Conrad |
Pierce Township I | Amy Wardwell |
Pierce Township J | Sharon Pilgrim |
Pierce Township K | Brady Horine |
Stonelick Township C | Marcia Oganowski |
Stonelick Township E | Anatole Suttschenko |
Union Township A | Carrie Brown |
Union Township E | Latira Barnett |
Union Township F1F | Teresa Conway |
Union Township H | Linda Bourquin |
Union Township K1K | James Rudy |
Union Township L | Michelle DeTemple |
Union Township S1S | Emily Chesnut |
Union Township U1U | Ian T. Schwartz |
Wayne Township C | Darin L. Hinners |
Wayne Township E | Jan Schoellman |
Washington Township B | Jeff Richards |
Democratic Clubs
There are a number of ways to get involved with the Democratic Party in Clermont County. The easiest way is to join one of our many clubs! Follow them on Facebook for information about meetings and how to join.
Clermont County Young Democrats (Facebook)
Meeting Dates: TBD
Meeting Location: Location varies – check for Facebook Event!
Annual Dues: $25
About: The Clermont County Young Democrats is a newly formed social, action, and informative club of progressive-minded individuals in Clermont County, founded in February 2017. We gather monthly at general meetings to discuss local issues, volunteer in our community and socialize with our peers.
Goshen/Northern Dems (Facebook)
Meeting Dates: Third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 pm
Meeting Location: A Music Cafe, Goshen (directions)
Annual Dues: $10
About: A Democratic Club for progressive individuals in the northern part of Clermont County.
Loveland Action Team (Facebook)
Meeting Dates: Third Wednesday of the month. Friends gather at 6:30 and the meeting begins at 7:00.
Meeting Location: Loveland Historical Society. 201 Riverside Ave, Loveland, OH 45140.
About: The Loveland Action’s Team’s goals including building the Democratic community and elect Democratic candidates. We generally have a speaker and action items.
Quin-T Democrat Club (Facebook)
Meeting Dates: First Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm
Meeting Location: Green Kayak, New Richmond (directions)
Annual Dues: $1.00
About: Established in the late ’60s, the Quin-T Democrat Club is the oldest currently operating Democrat club in Clermont County. Quin-T is a grass-roots organization with the objective of supporting Democratic candidates, increasing political activism and raising awareness of democratic values and policies in Southwest Ohio. Please come join us at our monthly meetings.
West Clermont Democrats (Facebook)
Meeting Dates: Second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm
Meeting Location: ByGolly’s, Milford (directions)
Annual Dues: $25
About: The West Clermont Democrat Club is a chartered group dedicated to discussing, organizing, and mobilizing around social and public policy issues of concern to people and communities in Union Township, Miami Township and the City of Milford. We value and encourage debate and discussion, sometimes pointed, from all political viewpoints. We believe in the power of collective action to effect positive change within our geographic area.
Annual Dues: $25
About:
Get Involved
Click here for more information on how to get involved with the Clermont County Democratic Party.
Our History
The earliest record of the existence of the Clermont County Democratic Party dates back to 1824 when Andrew Jackson (D) won the popular vote in Clermont County and the nation, but the US House of Representatives voted to install John Quincy Adams (R) as President since Jackson did not have a majority in the Electoral College. In a re-match four years later in 1928, Andrew Jackson won the election for President over President Adams, and won handily in Clermont County. Interestingly enough, even though Ulysses S. Grant (R) was born and raised in Clermont County, and did win the Presidential Election in 1868 and 1872, he did not carry Clermont County. Grant was soundly defeated in the County by democratic challenger Horatio Seymour in 1868 and the Liberal Republican Horace Greeley in 1872. Grant, the 18th President, was the youngest person elected President up until that time, at the age of 46.
Clermont County was the home of the 43rd Governor of Ohio, John M. Pattison (D), who served from January 8, 1906 until his death on June 18, 1906 at age 59, which was the shortest term for anyone holding this office. He had also served in the US House of Representatives and the Ohio House and Senate.
Attorney, Hugh L Nichols (D) from New Richmond and Batavia served as the 32nd Lt. Governor of Ohio from 1911 to 1913 when he was appointed as the first Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by then Governor James M. Cox (D). Unfortunately, Nichols did not win election to the position in 1920.
From the early 1800’s through the 1960’s Clermont County was known in the political arena as a bastion of Democrats. The Democratic Party started losing County Offices to the Republicans in the 1970’s starting with the Sheriff, Clerk of Courts and the Auditor’s Offices. It was in 1984 that the Democratic Party lost every County Office, with the exception of the Probate and Juvenile Court Judge position held by Judge Lawrence W. Carlier, who was unopposed in that race and held the position until 1990. No Democrat has held a County or District Office in the County since 1990. Many attribute this phenomenon to the fact of the increase cost of housing in Hamilton County and the influx of a conservative element from Hamilton County mushrooming over into Milford, Miami and Union Townships, coupled with the development in the County with the Eastgate Mall and surrounding area of Union Township, the largest Ford Plant in the world built in Batavia, and the extension of State Route 32. The major development of Clermont County (Eastgate Mall, Ford Plant, Clermont Mercy Hospital, Clermont UC College) took place during the Administration of Republican Governor, James A. Rhodes.
The Clermont County Democratic Party has maintained a headquarters on Main Street in Batavia since the 1970’s. It has continued to field qualified candidates even though Clermont County has seen the Republicans winning all county offices year after year since 1984. The Clermont County Democratic Party does take pride in the fact that we have seen the election of President William Clinton (1992) and Barack Obama (2008) as well as Sherrod Brown who has served as Ohio Secretary of State, a US Congressman and presently serves as one of our US Senators.
Party Chairmen:
Raymond W. Lembke – 2015 to Present (Pierce Township)
David A. Lane – 2004 – 2015 – (Miami Township)
Priscilla O’Donnell – 1998 – 2004 (Batavia Townshi)
Garry Adams – (Batavia Township)
Jerry Wiesenhahn – (Union Township)
James A. Burger – (Williamburg Township)
Edward B. Osborne – 1972 to 1982 – (Goshen Township)
Notable Elected Officials From Clermont County
John M. Pattison – 43rd Govenor of Ohio – Shortest Term for any person elected to this office.
Term: January 8, 1906 – June 18, 1906 (date of death) – Milford, Ohio
Defeated incumbent Governor Myron Herrick (R).Hugh L. Nichols – 1st Ohio Supreme Court Justice – Appointed by Gov. James Cox (1913 – 1920)
(Not Elected) – Batavia, Ohio
Last Democratic Officials Elected in Clermont County
Lawrence Carlier – Former State Rep; Probate & Juvenile Court Judge
(Last Democrat Elected to County Office in 1984; unopposed.
Served until 1990)
*Robert A. Jones – Former County Prosecutor
Ralph Houser – Former County Commissioner;
*Timothy S Hogan – Former County Commissioner;
Presently 12th Dist State Central Committeeman
Jerry Wiesenhahn – Former County Commissioner
Jerry Carlier – Former County Commissioner
Ike Shebesta – Former County Recorder
Albert E “Bud” Hines – Former County Treasurer
*Priscilla O’Donnell – Former County Court Judge
*W. Kenneth Zuk – Former County Court Judge
*Denotes still living