Inside the Precincts: Looking Deeper at Troy's At-Large Election
Vol. III, No. 163 - An election sends three incumbents back to City Hall
We Are Feeding our Neighbors here at Civic Capacity
Throughout November, this publication is giving our readers an opportunity where our readers can support local food pantries. Every dollar received from our “Buy Me a Coffee” Page will be given to New Path Food Pantries.
We started November with a modest goal to raise $750. After the ninth day our campaign, our community has raised $2,345! Thanks to Kathy for your generous donations over the past couple of days! Our new goal for November is to raise $2,500. You can be a part of this effort by making a donation here:
Last week, Troy voters chose three incumbent at-large council members in the general election. All three winners — Susan Westfall, Todd Severt, and Lynne Snee — had already earned the Republican nominations in the primary election last May. Yet behind these repeat winners, the structure of voter support shifted in ways that might matter for understanding Troy’s neighborhoods and the city’s political landscape.
In the May primary, Todd Severt finished first in total votes with strong leads across the city. He was the top vote-getter in 12 of Troy’s 20 precincts. Susan Westfall was second overall, but she led the others in 8 precincts. Lynne Snee placed third citywide, but she didn’t finish first in any single precinct. The early results, then, tended to point to Severt’s broader appeal with a solid base in most districts, with Westfall not far behind. Snee supporters were spread throughout the city but didn’t concentrate enough to make her the top candidate anywhere.
Fast forward to the general election, and the picture changes. Susan Westfall picked up momentum, overtaking Severt in total votes to take the top spot and become Troy’s highest vote-getter, even though it was only by a margin of four votes. Westfall also expanded her precinct leadership, topping the polls in 9 precincts—one more than she did in May. Severt’s count of top precinct finishes slipped from 12 to 9. Snee remained in third place both times, but again never captured first in any precinct; her best performance was coming second in precinct 3A in the May Primary Election. These patterns show how neighborhood support can shift between Primary and General Elections, even when the overall winners stay the same.
Bryan Begg was a non-party candidate making his first bid for public office. Begg finished fourth in the election but had a unique vote map. Begg didn’t win citywide, but he was the top candidate in a pair of downtown precincts (2C and 3C). He also finished among the top three in additional neighborhoods (precincts 4C, 5A, and 5B) in the Westbrook area, showing that pockets of voters strongly backed his campaign even if he missed a council seat.
One of the clearest examples of vote shifting came in the Sixth Ward, specifically in precincts 6A and 6C. In the primary, Todd Severt led both precincts in the May Primary. By November, Susan Westfall had overtaken Severt in these same areas, pushing him into second place.
City turnout for the general election was expectedly higher than for the primary, signaling that more voices chimed in during the final race. While a larger turnout doesn’t guarantee big surprises, it sometimes makes results more complex. With more ballots cast, small shifts in precincts can add up to substantive changes when it comes to who leads where. In this case, the overall council winners stayed consistent, but the precinct level data showed different paths to victory.
It’s also worth noting that Troy’s at-large system means candidates must appeal to voters throughout all neighborhoods, not just in one part of town. Voters in the downtown, the Westbrook neighborhood, and every street in between help choose who serves on council. Success isn’t just about total votes—it’s about building trust and earning support from different communities.
The story of Troy’s council election is about more than just who won. It’s a reminder that every neighborhood and every vote counts. When candidates make their case to the public in person and in print, they shape the city’s future with each conversation and each campaign stop. Local elections don’t always get national headlines, but they matter just as much for shaping the place we call home.
Participate in our November Community Survey!
Back when this project was kicked off over two years ago, this newsletter was imagined as a helpful tool to not only help have our residents understand their community, but also to receive feedback and get ideas on how residents perceived where our hometowns was headed.
In order to achieve that goal, the decision was made to release a small survey that would ask residents their thoughts and feelings every two months. Every month seemed excessive, yet, once a quarter didn’t seem quite frequent enough. The idea was to help create a picture of the sentiment in the community and measure that sentiment over time.
So, throughout November, you can participate in our survey to give your thoughts and feelings on the direction of your hometown!
You can access the survey here:
Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!
A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!
Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.
Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?
Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!
Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!
In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!
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