By Sheila McLaughlin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LOVELAND - Three newcomers are pitted against incumbents in a council challenge spurred on by bad blood over development of an historic site and criticism that city officials have ignored residents.

Mayor Donna Lajcak, Vice Mayor Dave Bednar and Councilwoman Peggy Goodwin are vying to keep their seats in a challenge by residents Paul Elliott, Todd Osborne and Katherine "Katie" Showler.

Elliott and Osborne are part of a citizens group embroiled in a legal showdown with Loveland officials to block commercial zoning at the city-owned White Pillars, which was once owned by Loveland's founder, Col. Thomas Paxton.

"I was tired of council not listening to the people and actually having a dialogue. There seems to be this wall," said Osborne, who added that he wants to limit council members to two consecutive four-year terms.

As for the zoning battle, he said the city's action at White Pillars is important because it threatens other areas of Loveland, particularly in Warren County, which city officials targeted for its next wave of business development.

"The process that council employed with the projected White Pillars development was flawed from the beginning," Elliott said.

"It was a classic example of seven elected officials not listening to their electorate."

Incumbents said running a campaign on a single issue is short-sighted.

"White Pillars is one issue, but there are many other aspects of Loveland that need to be considered - this whole thing called the big picture," said Goodwin, who is trying to keep the seat she was appointed to two years ago.

More important, she said, is council's responsibility to continue its focus on economic development, neighborhood and downtown revitalization, park development and infrastructure improvements to solve storm water flooding.

The citizens group recently won an appeals court decision, saying that the city was wrong in refusing referendum petitions to repeal a change in the city's zoning code that allowed spot zoning.

The city hasn't decided whether to appeal the case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Lajcak said she doesn't think voters are caught up in the White Pillars flap. She said she and Goodwin have campaigned door-to-door together and have heard little criticism about it.

"We have been to hundreds of homes. We've had people who had some problems, but the number would probably be (counted) on one hand. The thing ticking people off is what happened to the YMCA," she said.

Lajcak noted Elliott's involvement in citizen protests that prompted the YMCA to pull out of plans to build in the city's Phillips Park.

Elliott, a member of Save the Park, wanted the YMCA to find another Loveland location.

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com