3 Miami University alumni up for re-election

With less than two weeks left before the Nov. 5 election, voters can expect to see three Miami University alumni on the ballot running for public office in Butler County. Incumbents Michael Gmoser, Nancy Nix and Gregory Wilkens are looking to be reelected as county prosecutor, auditor and engineer, respectively.

Michael Gmoser

Michael Gmoser ‘68 is running for Butler County Prosecuting Attorney in the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

After Gmoser graduated from Miami, he attended law school at Northern Kentucky University. However, Gmoser credited much of his success in law school to the analytical reading and curriculum during his years at Miami.

During law school, the presiding judge of the Butler County Common Pleas Court hired him as a law clerk. There, he gained first-hand experience watching other lawyers and sitting in on cases. He said this laid the groundwork for what he needed to eventually pass the bar exam and begin his legal work.

Gmoser had the opportunity to return to his home state of Illinois but chose to stay in Butler County because of the connections he made and the possible career opportunities open to him.

Gmoser served as chief trial counsel and assistant Butler County prosecuting attorney for eight years before spending time as a private practice attorney. He was appointed Butler County prosecuting attorney in 2010 when the prosecutor resigned and has been reelected three times since, having spent 14 years in his current position.

He said he decided to run for reelection to continue helping and supporting Butler County residents.

“You have an opportunity to exercise decisions that make a difference in people’s lives every day,” Gmoser said.

During his time in office, Gmoser introduced a diversion program that impacts the student population of Butler County concerning low-level crimes. He said it allows students to avoid having a criminal record that may impact the future of their careers.

Other policies focus on crimes against the elderly and ensuring that police brutality incidents are tried by the Butler County Grand Jury.

Gmoser said his main priority is providing justice to the citizens of Butler County, even if that doesn’t always mean winning cases. He also emphasized the importance of having a nonpartisan publication to inform the student community.

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“Justice comes first, winning cases comes second,” Gmoser said. “I’m the prosecutor for everybody in the county, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent or nothing.”

Nancy Nix

Nancy Nix earned a master’s degree (MBA) in business administration with a focus in finance from Miami in 2012. She became Butler County auditor in 2023 and is running to fill an unexpired term.

Nix said she believes that earning her degree in business administration from Miami has served her well in her role as auditor.

“We had to take a class on human resources and that was extremely hard, very legal and a lot of that parlays into my current job,” Nix said. “I think it just makes you a more well-rounded individual. Anytime you’re enhancing your education, it’s very important. It always helps to have an MBA from Miami.”

Nix grew up in Missouri but moved to Butler County with her family in 1992. After being part of the Middletown City Council from 2002 to 2005, Nix ran for Butler County treasurer. After being elected in 2007, she held the office for 16 years.

However, in December 2022, a Butler County Court Of Common Pleas jury convicted former Butler County auditor Roger Reynolds of a fourth-degree felony and barred him from taking office for his March 2023 term. Nix was then made the interim Butler County auditor.

The 12th District Court of Appeals in May 2024 overturned Reynolds’ conviction, according to reporting by WCPO. Reynolds sued Nix to be reinstated as Butler County Auditor and to prevent her name from being on the ballot in November. Later, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled county officials followed state law when appointing Nix to the office and Reynolds isn’t entitled to be placed back in the office, but he is eligible to run in the future, according to Court News Ohio.

Nix said the whole experience influenced her campaign and the mission of the auditor’s office.

“As far as being auditor, I think our mantra is ‘outreach, transparency and honesty,’” Nix said. “That won't change.”

In her role as auditor, Nix wants to continue supporting Butler County taxpayers and their concerns and make sure that tax bills are affordable.

“Our loyalty is with the taxpayers, so we will always advocate to keep the tax bills affordable and then always investing in new technology,” Nix said. “We do all our own appraisal here in the county, so we're always looking at new tools to have the most accurate appraisal of all the real estate because that's our job.”

Gregory Wilkens

Gregory Wilkens graduated from Miami in 1984 with a degree in manufacturing engineering.

Wilkens credits the public speaking and problem-solving skills he learned and the people he met at Miami in helping him reach his goals.

Wilkens is up for reelection for Butler County engineer, a position he’s held since 2001. For 23 years he’s made many contributions to the Miami and Butler County communities.

“I found a dedication to citizens in this county,” Wilkens said. “In reference to safety in particular, and to the employees and the people that were here.”

Wilkens has lived in Butler County since he was 5 years old and said it’s his roots. He worked as executive director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District before becoming the county engineer and discovering that he wanted to increase the engineer’s level of impact.

Throughout his years as Butler County engineer, Wilkens has helped with projects ranging from building the 129 Highway, which opened up Hamilton to I-75, to revamping the Union Center interchange and creating a new Liberty Way interchange.

Wilkens said he still has plans to build a Millikan Road interchange and a North Hamilton crossing, both of which are major road projects.

“Economic development and safety are the two main goals that I’d like to push through this office,” Wilkens said. “It’s engineering based on sound decisions.”

His safety goals have been accomplished through innovative traffic interchanges, roundabouts and a relook at how traffic flows.

“We’ve now built 34 roundabouts, and these have had a major impact on safety,” Wilkens said. “We’ve had a 100% reduction in fatalities on these roundabouts, an 81% reduction in injury accidents, and a 65% reduction in accidents.”

Wilkens plans to continue his improvements on consumer road development and other county projects to ensure economic development and safety in Butler County.

milnerm2@miamioh.edu

fahymm@miamioh.edu