Tuesday, November 09, 1999
'West Chester'? Trustees to vote
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — When trustees vote for a new township name tonight, it's a safe bet they won't go retro and pick the 19th-century favorite “Hogtown.”
Or even push for a nostalgic return to “Mechanicsburgh.”
No, for years the front-running moniker to replace the name Union Township has been West Chester.
But according to local history, both Hogtown and Mechanicsburgh were previous community names used in the early 1800s — along with ""Chester” and “West Chester” — in what is now known as Union Township.
Years ago the all-too-common Union Township name lost its appeal as officials grew tired of receiving mail, emergency calls, lawsuits and phone calls intended for other Union Townships, in Clermont and Warren counties.
In Ohio alone there are 28 Union Townships but there will be one less next spring if trustees, and thousands of residents who have signed petitions, have their way.
Trustees are expected to unanimously approve a resolution tonight that will put the proposed change on the March ballot, allowing residents to decide whether the community enters the 21st century with the name of West Chester.
In recent years West Chester has grown in unofficial acceptance to the degree that it is already incorporated in township letterhead and signs.
But more importantly the fastest-growing township in Butler County wants a distinct identity from the confusing clutter of Union Townships.
“It's vital to the future of the community. We need a central identity, and right now that identity is diffused,” said Union Township Administrator David Gully.
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