ELECTION SECTION

• Election 2004 page

Shortly after Grossmann started running newspaper ads in September claiming Portune broke a tax pledge, Portune filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission saying the ads were false.

The commission found it probable that Portune, a Democrat, was right and set a full hearing for mid-October. The hearing was delayed until Thursday at Grossmann's request, and now Portune's attorney has asked for a second delay because of a scheduling conflict.

Tom Grossmann, David Grossmann's son and his attorney, said Portune only filed the complaint to silence his opponent.

"We were hampered in our First Amendment rights because we had this hearing hanging over our heads," Tom Grossmann said. "They put us on ice with this."

David Grossmann, a Republican, is now talking freely, saying Portune's votes to put the MRDD and Drake levies on the Nov. 2 ballot broke his pledge to hold property taxes to the rate of inflation. A September analysis by the county administration estimated property taxes would increase 10 percent in 2005 if both levies passed.

Portune again denied the broken-pledge charge Tuesday, noting commissioners haven't decided on the 2005 county budget yet.

"Taxes are down in 2004 because we carried through on the pledge," Portune said. "We met the pledge in 2004; we're working to meet it in 2005. I have $23 million in property tax reductions on the table for 2005."

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com