Todd Portune
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Todd Portune is a American politician of the Democratic Party, who currently serves as a commissioner for Hamilton County. Before holding that position, Portune was a councilman for the city of Cincinnati.
Out of the three county commissioners, he is the only Democrat. He is an outspoken supporter of fellow Democrat David Pepper Jr., who is seeking to unseat current commissioner Phil Heimlich (R) in 2006.
Todd and his wife Angie, their twins Ellyse and Ethan, and daughter Emma reside in Green Township, Hamilton County, Ohio.
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[edit] Cincinnati City Council
Portune was appointed to fill a vacancy on council in 1993. After that, he was elected to four full terms on council (with each term lasting two years). Cincinnati council representatives are elected at-large.
[edit] County Commissioner
In 2000, Portune successfully ran for a position as a Hamilton County Commissioner by defeating his Republican opponent, Bob Bedinghaus. Though the city of Cincinnati has voted solidly for Democratic candidates in recent elections, Hamilton County's more conservative suburbs have traditionally supported Republicans. Portune was the first Democratic commissioner elected in 36 years, according to Cincinnati Citybeat. Bedinghaus, the unpopular incumbent, collected 43 percent of the vote in 2000, while Portune received 48 percent. There were 363,948 votes cast, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Four years later, he would run for reelection and win, defeating David E. Grossman, a former juvenile court judge who had last run for election in 1992. Portune collected 222,198 votes (57%) to Grossmann's 165,936 (42%). His solid victory in a conservative county was attributed to his moderate platform, excellent name recognition and high-profile endorsements. (Both the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post endorsed him.)
Soon after the 2004 election, Rep. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio's 2nd congressional district was appointed to President Bush's cabinet, leaving a vacancy. Portune's name was mentioned as the strongest of a short list of Democratic challengers for the seat, which is heavily Republican. Portune told the media he was not interested in the seat (though he believed he could win), because of his stated commitment to Hamilton County and its voters.
[edit] Reaching Out
Despite being pegged as left of center on social issues, Portune is regarded as a fiscal conservative.
