Weidman changes mind about seat

Sycamore Township Trustee Tom Weidman took out petitions to run for Hamilton County Commission, because he was "disgusted" by Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper's attempts to raise the sales tax to pay for a new jail.

But as the filing deadline draws near, Weidman says he's changed his mind. He wants to continue to focus on Sycamore Township in 2008 and running for another office detract from that, he said.

Here's what he e-mailed to the Enquirer:

"Prior to the November elections, I began receiving a significant number of requests by various elected officials and prominent Republicans in the county, to consider a run for County Commissioner against Todd Portune. I left on a 18 day trip out of the country two days after the election, and when I returned I met with various political and business advisors. This seemed like a great opportunity, as I was just as disgusted as the voters were with the Portune/Pepper team for shoving a tax down the throats of the Hamilton County citizens that was three times the size they rejected just months before. And only now do we find out that this was nothing more than a shell game, in an effort to camouflage the across the board deficiencies in their county budget.

In Sycamore Township, we are experiencing substantial business and retail redevelopment in the Kenwood area, and there are a few projects that I am committed to seeing through to completion. As a business President, I am committed to continuing the growth my company has demonstrated over the past 21 years, and increasing penetration into new foreign markets.
While I am flattered and honored with the degree of interest in me as a County Commissioner Candidate, at this time a campaign running nearly a year would compromise the commitments I have to the residents of Sycamore Township and to my business. It is for those reasons that I have decided not to run for County Commissioner in 2008."