By Sheila McLaughlin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hutzel

LEBANON - Two weeks after receiving the temporary title, Rachel Hutzel narrowly won appointment Tuesday as Warren County prosecutor.

The county Republican Central Committee approved Hutzel by a 57-54 vote, edging out Lebanon lawyer David Fornshell.

Hutzel, a county assistant prosecutor for nearly a decade, replaces Tim Oliver, who received a governor's appointment last month to fill a vacancy on the Warren County Domestic Relations bench.

County commissioners named Hutzel, 47, interim prosecutor Feb. 20 to fill the position until the central committee took its vote. She already had moved into Oliver's old office in the Warren County Courts Building on Justice Drive.

Hutzel must run in the primary in May 2004 to keep the position and will undoubtedly face another challenge from Fornshell, a 29-year-old civil lawyer with Dinsmore & Shohl and part-time city prosecutor in Blue Ash.

"There are a lot of Republicans in Warren County who feel like their vote doesn't count. Usually only one person is on the ballot. The issue is that they have a choice," Fornshell said, vowing to get his name on the ballot.

Before Tuesday's vote, he had become the favorite of Christian conservatives within the heavily-divided GOP and had won support from some of the longtime GOP old-guard such as former State Rep. Corwin Nixon.

Both candidates had stumped hard on their experience, with Hutzel touting her background on trying criminal cases, supervising attorneys as the prosecutor's chief assistant, and handling civil matters, such as child neglect and township issues. She was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, township officials and other elected county officials.

Fornshell was riding on his experience in multi-million dollar civil litigation and his prosecution of more than 200 misdemeanor cases in Blue Ash.

Hutzel said she will begin campaigning for the primary today.

"There are only two ways to run - unopposed or scared. That's going to be my philosophy," Hutzel said.

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com