In this Ohio House race, candidates fight over a defunct amusement park

A competitive state House race pits a Democratic incumbent against an outspoken Republican lawyer known for his lawsuits against local leaders.

Democrat Rachel Baker , 49, of Anderson Township, has represented the eastern Cincinnati neighborhoods and suburbs of the 27th House District for two years.

She faces Republican challenger Curt Hartman , 59, an attorney and former Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge from Anderson Township.

Where is the district?

The irregular-shaped 27th House District covers the easternmost suburbs of Hamilton County, including Anderson Township, Newtown, Terrace Park and Indian Hill. It then doglegs to the west jutting into Silverton, Amberley Village, Reading, Lincoln Heights and Wyoming.

Is the district competitive?

It's fairly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans with a slight lean toward Democrats. The popular redistricting tool, Dave's Redistricting, put the split at 52% Democrat to 47% Republican. Both candidates see the margin even closer than that, putting the partisan split at 50% to 49%.

Baker thinks the lack of both media coverage and controversy in the race will make it much closer than her race in 2022, when she defeated Republican Jenn Giroux 56% to 44% .

"I do think it’s going to be a closer race than last time, due to the (partisan) breakdown and lack of drama," Baker said.

Why is this race important?

A Republican win would further solidify the party's veto-proof supermajority in the House of Representatives. Republicans occupy more than two-thirds of the 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Democrats hope to keep a seat they gained two years ago when Baker beat Giroux. The previous officeholder, Republican Tom Brinkman, was term-limited in 2022.

Who are the candidates?

Baker, of Anderson Township, works as a nurse researcher for Cincinnati-based health care system TriHealth and has taught nursing at the University of Cincinnati and Mount St. Joseph University. She first entered politics in 2021 by running for Forest Hills School Board. She lost but said the extremism she saw at school board meetings motivated her to run for a Statehouse district the following year.

Hartman, also of Anderson Township, has made a name for himself as a Republican lawyer who has challenged and filed lawsuits against local politicians and government agencies. He represented Brinkman, who previously held the House 27th seat, when Brinkman sued the Cincinnati Southern Railway board for holding secret meetings during the decision to sell the railway to Norfolk Southern. The board settled for $100,500.

He represented Republicans who challenged the abortion rights amendment Ohioans passed in 2023 and was a leading force in 2021 in a failed amendment to Cincinnati's city charter that would have lowered city council pay and limited the power of the mayor among other things.

Hartman served two years as a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge after then-Gov. John Kasich appointed him in 2017. He lost his bid for election in 2018 and again in 2020.

Why is Coney Island a big issue?

The demolition of Sunlite Pool and the purchase of the Coney Island site in Anderson Township drew a backlash from the pool's regular swimmers and people nostalgic for the old amusement park that entertained generations of Cincinnati families.

It has also become an issue in the House race. Both Hartman and Baker have written dueling op-eds about it in The Enquirer.

Hartman slammed Baker for voting to pass a state budget that included $8 million for Music and Event Management Inc. to build "Riverbend 2.0" on the Coney Island site.

"There was an outcry from residents within and outside the 27th District," Hartman said about the Riverbend 2.0 project.

Baker said she didn't support Riverbend 2.0 but supported other projects in the state budget, including money for education, a variety of nonprofits and regional bike trails, among others.

"It was one of those deals having to weigh the pros and cons," Baker said. "I was against it, but I was not willing to throw out everything else that was great for our district."

It's called Riverbend 2.0 because Music and Event Management Inc, better known as MEMI, bought the Coney Island site to expand the Riverbend Music Center it operates next door.

MEMI is the music promotion arm of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and operates multiple music venues in the region.

Hartman pointed to the protests of the project as an example of Baker ignoring the 27th District's will.

"Why do the taxpayers have to subsidize it?" Hartman said. "She gave taxpayer money to destroy Sunlite Pool, and she said nothing."

Baker said she tried to get the Riverbend 2.0 money out of the state budget and played a role in negotiating the amount down to $8 million from the original $20 million requested from MEMI.

"My concern with my opponent bringing this up repeatedly is that I have concerns whether he understands how budget bills work, and that you can’t not like one item of a thousands of page budget and throw out everything else good in it," Baker said. "It’s all a give and take. It’s compromise."

What about property taxes, abortion and immigration?

Both Baker and Hartman have heard from voters concerned about the rise in property taxes and assessments. Both support a bill that would create a "property tax circuit breaker ." The circuit breaker would allow property owners whose property tax bills exceed 5% of their income to be eligible for a rebate or tax credit. The bill is sponsored by state Sens. Louis Blessing III, a Republican from Colerain, and Hearcel Craig, a Columbus area Democrat.

Hartman said he believes cutting the size of government will staunch inflation and taxes but he didn't have specifics on what he would cut.

Baker said protection of abortion rights has come up frequently among the voters she's talked with.

As far as abortion rights, she wants to maintain the current protections codified in Ohio's abortion rights amendment passed by voters in 2023 allowing for abortions up to 21 weeks into the pregnancy.

Baker said they're concerned Republicans could still try to curtail abortion rights and access to in vitro fertilization and contraception.

"I think people feel like the constitutional amendment didn’t absolutely end the fight," Baker said.

The divisiveness of politics frustrated many of the voters she talked to, Baker said. She said she can work with Republicans. The bills she's co-sponsored with GOP lawmakers prove it, Baker said, including legislation to reform the adoption system and a bill to address workplace violence for health care workers.

Hartman said voters told him border security to restrict illegal immigration, the influx of fentanyl into the community and support of law enforcement were top concerns.

Hartman said he would lobby the government for more law enforcement support.

"In an ideal world you would not need to," Hartman said. "If local law enforcement is being challenged because of this, you need to provide the resources and support to them."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: In this Ohio House race, candidates fight over a defunct amusement park