Hearing scheduled on removing county commission candidate from ballot

The protest document says it was filed by Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Mohamed Al-Hamdani and a Republican named Brenda Blauser last week.

The complaint alleges McDonald is not qualified to be on the Republican primary ballot because she did not file a declaration of intent to run as a Republican and was still an elected member of the Montgomery County Democratic Party Central Committee when she filed her candidate petition.

McDonald has been a Democrat for years, but she announced her plan to run as a Republican against Democratic incumbent county commissioner Debbie Lieberman during a Nov. 27 Montgomery County Republican Party press conference.

The protest filing also included a copy of an email dated the morning of Thursday, Jan. 4, from McDonald to Al-Hamdani, with McDonald telling the party chairman she is resigning from the position of Democratic precinct captain “effective November 27, 2023.”

McDonald’s candidacy for the March 19 Republican primary was certified Jan. 2 by the Board of Elections.

If the race moves forward in a typical fashion, McDonald and Lieberman would both be unopposed in March’s party primaries, so they would advance to face each other in the November general election.

McDonald last week said she was disappointed by the news of the protest, feeling that it centers on a technicality. She said she wants to run for commission because she feels her leadership experience in Trotwood and her ability to work with others could help move the county forward.

“I’m still one who believes we should all win,” she said on Friday. “Montgomery is successful when we all win. In Trotwood, I led the charge in saying failure is not an option. I want to bring that same spirit to the county.”

McDonald was unseated from the Trotwood mayor position by Yvette Page in the November election, where she had been seeking her third term as mayor.

“Elections are specific and must be followed,” Al-Hamdani said Thursday. “Just two months ago, the former mayor was running as a Democrat and lost the seat she held for eight years. Now, she failed to follow election laws properly, which is necessary to switch parties. Small mistakes can cause big problems.”