Candidate for
Commissioner; County of Hamilton; 4 Year Term Starting 1/2/05; Republican Party

The following is an excerpt from a Cincinnaiti Enquirer questionnaire:

Q. What do you see as the most important issue facing the county commissioners?

A. Reducing the size of county government is the paramount issue. Although cutting taxes and stopping abortion seem to be the buzzwords in this primary election--and those are important issues, to be sure--I believe that smaller government means more efficient government, which means better service, which should mean lower taxes. Just look at the way our urban townships are run efficiently and effectively, all without any dollars generated from payroll taxes. Hamilton County needs to return to its core purpose of providing basic services to its citizens. County government--really, any government--cannot be all things to all people for very long; eventually it taxes itself out of business.

Q. Putting all countywide levies on the same ballot?

A. Levy reform is not an indictment of social issues; it just makes good business sense. While the single-ballot initiative might not be the perfect solution, it is better than what we currently have. "Special," it's worth noting, is simply a disingenuous term for creative tax layering, where special-interest levies are strategically placed on ballots so as to not allow them to be weighed and evaluated by voters in comparison to one another. Further, their costs cannot be put in perspective with the operating expenses required to provide for basic county services.

Q. Holding levy increases to the rate of inflation?

A. The issue is not just holding levy increases to the rate of inflation: It is one of controlling the spiraling growth of county government. Holding all county spending of our hard-earned tax dollars to--or better yet, below--the rate of inflation is the beginning step. We will not need higher taxes if we don't spend more money (not a novel concept, unless, of course, you're in government). Government managers have a difficult time discerning the difference between needs and wants. We must teach them the difference and then hold them accountable. . Q. What would you do to attract and retain jobs, businesses, and residents in Hamilton County?

A. First, you do not incentivize an environment for new jobs by forcing government employees to join a union or to pay union dues, as recently implemented by the Board of County Commissioners. Cincinnati was not settled because of its lovely views, or its sports teams, or its entertainment districts; it was settled because it offered jobs and opportunities for prosperity. Meaningful jobs are the key to the future of Hamilton County, its Cincinnati hub, and its first ring of suburbs. These jobs are necessary to provide the infrastructure to support projects from the Banks to Rookwood Commons. We need to attract and build a feeder business base by utilizing incentives to encourage emergent local business and industry clusters countywide. We need to grow new, productive jobs (not minimum wage jobs) and, by all means, not let our 49 communities steal them from one other. We need to identify and target industries, not just specific companies, by utilizing incentives such as the New Market Tax Credits, which were a part of the Tax Relief Act of 2000. Jobs are the lifeblood of this and any community.