B4 • CJN-MMA • OCTOBER 24, 2012
Becker, Myers seek House seat Gannett News Service Republican candidate John Becker and Democratic candidate Steve Myers are vying for the Ohio House Representative seat for the 65th District. Whoever wins the vote in the Nov. 6 general election will replace current state Rep. Joe Uecker. The district covers Milford, Loveland, Owensville, Newtonsville and the townships of Union, Miami, Goshen, StonelBecker ick and Wayne. Becker defeated Republican candidate Michael Brem in the March primary election. Myers was unopposed. Myers’ priorities are jobs, eduMyers cation and safety. Issues Becker is focusing on include right-to-life, government and taxes. Myers says he will bring higher-income jobs into the area, improve public schools and ensure safety in Clermont County’s neighborhoods. “As the nominee for state representative in the region I have spent my lifetime, I have a jobscreation focus with an eye for municipal areas, environmental integrity and long-term growth,” Myers said on his campaign website. Becker said he will work to discourage abortion, lower taxes and limit government. He supports House Bills 534 and 25 that reduce taxes and government administration, respectively. “I want to keep taxes and regulations as minimal as possible,” Becker said on his campaign website. Becker was a Republican State Committeeman, from 2004 to 2012. Myers served in Student Government and Student Senate while at Clermont College and McMicken College of Arts & Sciences.
LIFE
JOHN BECKER
STEVE MYERS
WHERE THEY STAND
Party: Republican Age: 51 Residence: Eastgate Education: MBA with emphasis in taxation from Xavier University; Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), and School District Treasurers license Real life job: Becker Consulting: Accounting/Tax/Finance/Utilities Political experience: Republican State Committeeman from 20042012 and member of the Clermont County Republican Party since 1993 Web site: www.BeckerGOP.com
Party: Democrat Age: 55 Residence: Milford/ Miami Township Education: Master of Arts (MA) human resources and employee relations. Bachelor of Arts (BA) psychology and leadership. Associate of Arts (AA) liberal arts and pre-law. Real life job: Human resources, organizational development and leadership consultant, small business owner, B-2-B business consulting, staffing, training services Political experience: University of Cincinnati Student Government, Student Senate, College Tribunals, Clermont College and McMicken College of Arts & Sciences Web site: www.myersfor families.org
Democratic candidate Steve Myers could not be reached for answers to the following questions. Why are you running? John Becker: I’m running for state representative to support and promote the conservative values of Clermont County. What makes you the best candidate? John Becker: I’ve lived in the Cincinnati area all of my life and I’ve been a Clermont County homeowner most of my life. My 19 years of experience in the Clermont County Republican Party and my eight years of experience on the Republican State Committee have provided me with a network of contacts, and knowledge, to utilize on behalf of the populace. Additionally, I’ve attended countless commissioners, trustees, council, school board, and transportation meetings in Clermont County. I have a good understanding of how government works and how it can work better. Furthermore, I am the only candidate who is a lifetime Republican. I am a fiscal and social conservative who is vetted, tested and proven. Should parts of Senate Bill 5, the law - since repealed - that restricted public worker unions, be reintroduced? If so, what parts? John Becker: Leadership needs to thoroughly assess what the voters opposed and why. Negotiations should then be initiated with opposition groups. Depending on the outcome of the above, some of the components of SB5 should be reconsidered by the legislature. What services, if any, should Ohio government consider adding or cutting? John Becker: An Ohio version of The Grace Commission should be established to consider and recommend which services should be eliminated, privatized, or transitioned to major charities. What taxes or fees, if any, should Ohio government consider raising or cutting? John Becker: According to Ohio State University’s Dr. Richard Vetter, the income tax can be phased out over 10 years without raising other taxes or cutting spending. I’d support a more aggressive five-year phase out. Additionally, the Commercial Activities Tax is very burdensome to high volume/low profit margin businesses. Should funding of community projects be part of the state’s capital budget or should the budget be limited to state-owned property? Why or why not? John Becker: I would lean toward limiting the state’s capital budget to state-owned property. Communities can create their own capital budgets with state and/or other funds. Should the state hold a constitutional convention to rewrite or revise the Ohio constitution or use the Constitutional Modernization Commission to do so? What issues, if any, would you like addressed, added, subtracted or revised in the constitution during this process? John Becker: I do not support a constitutional convention. The Constitutional Modernization Commission will recommend changes for consideration. I hope they find a way to make our minimum wage law more competitive with other states. Should the so-called heartbeat bill, House Bill 125, be passed by the Senate? What changes, if any, would you make to it first? John Becker: I support the House version of the heartbeat bill.
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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS The Community Press worked cooperatively with the Clermont Chamber of Commerce to formulate the following questions. The candidates presented these answers to chamber and community members at a forum hosted by the chamber Oct. 2. To see how the candidates answered additional questions, visit Cincinnati.com/clermontcounty.
JOHN BECKER
1. What are your legislative/public policy priorities? If elected, what two or three issues would be your top priorities? The first bill I would like to introduce would eliminate the Ohio Income Tax Marriage Penalty. 2) I want to eliminate Ohio’s nine progressive tax brackets and replace them with a single flat tax. 3) Ultimately, I want to phase out the Ohio Income Tax over a five to ten year period. According to Ohio University’s Dr. Richard Vetter, this can be done over a ten year period without significantly raising other taxes or cutting spending.
STEVE MYERS
1. What are your legislative/public policy priorities? If elected, what two or three issues would be your top priorities? Jobs: I support environmental restoration, renewable energy and green-collar manufacturing to revitalize the region’s economy. My website: www.myersforfamilies.org highlights, JOBS|CLERMONT, a comprehensive jobs plan that will fill over 12,000 new jobs by 2015 as part of the state’s Democratic jobs bill. Clermont County is at the center of the plan. The plan emphasizes environmental restoration, renewable energy, and green-collar manufacturing to revitalize economic output in our region. The CECOS Closure Project is a project similar to the Fernald Closure Project. The Fernald Closure Project in Ross, Ohio, was a $2.2-billion superfund site that employed thousands of people over a 20-year period. Fernald was paid for by the organizations that polluted the area.
FOLLOW THE ELECTION • Read primers, get voter information, see past stories, follow the presidential race, and build your own ballot at our 2012 election page:http://cincinnati.com/elections. • Get updates at the Politics Extra blog:http://cincinnati.com/blogs/ politics. • Join the conversation: Use the #ohel hash tag on Twitter.
Harding, Uible want to help lead county Gannett News Service The names Mary Walker and Archie Wilson won’t appear on Clermont County ballots in November, but Len Harding would like to remind voters about them anyway. Both Walker and Wilson are former Clermont commissioners. Both were Republicans, and both left office in disgrace. Walker was found guilty in 2008 of violating state ethics law, and she resigned in a plea deal with a special prosecutor. Wilson resigned in February and pleaded guilty in Kenton County in June to misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution and possession of a controlled substance. The man appointed in March to replace Wilson is businessman David Uible, 51, a Republican from New Richmond. He’s running against Harding, a Democrat from Milford, in November’s election; the winner will complete the final two years of Wilson’s term. Harding, 68, knows he faces a huge challenge in a county long dominated by the GOP. Hence, the reminders about Walker and Wilson. “There’s an issue of Republicans not looking too closely at their own kind,” Harding said. “I think in counties where you have two active parties, you don’t get the kind of embarrassing things we get in Clermont County. That’s doesn’t mean I think Mr. Uible’s a bad guy; I don’t know.
(But) I think it’s a situation where they define insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.” Said Uible: “Obviously the Democrats must not be doing a good enough job putting candidates up if they can’t get them elected. It’s the (voters) who put them in (office), not the Republicans.” Like Harding, Uible describes himself as a fiscal conservative. Uible is a self-made entrepreneur who buys distressed companies, turns them around and sells them for a profit. He also raises American bison on the former dairy farm where he lives. In the months since he was appointed commissioner, Uible said, he has focused on applying his business expertise to government. “So much of everything in government is budgets; that’s what I do for a living. Being able to read an income statement and a balance sheet is extremely helpful, and maybe something that commissioners in the past have lacked.” Uible said his attention now is devoted to getting a balanced budget approved by the end of the year. He’s also working on a project that he says would improve the bottom line of the county jail by giving Clermont judges the option of sending nonviolent criminal offenders to an alternative sanctioning program.
CANDIDATE: LEN HARDING
CANDIDATE: DAVID UIBLE
Party: Democrat Age: 68 Residence: Milford Education: Bachelor’s degree, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1965; Harding master’s degree, University of Cincinnati, 1967. Occupation: Retired consultant, technical writer, historian and architectural spec writer. Community involvement: Founding member South Milford Neighborhood Association, (from which Valley View Organization emanates - also in on founding of Valley View); Clermont League of Women Voters representative to the Eastern Corridor Study group, 1994-2005; Milford Tax Appeals board; coached daughter’s SAY soccer team from her K-6 grades. Endorsements: None – received too late to meet deadlines. Campaign message: If you are embarrassed by the fact that we keep sending county commissioners and other county folk to court for behaving badly, vote for me. My opponent is undoubtedly a good man, but he is nonetheless an appointed Republican official and one can hardly expect him to blow any sort of whistle or even a small noise-maker on another Republican. I don’t have that problem. Besides, I’m qualified and smart. Website: LenHarding.com
Party: Republican Age: 51 Residence: New Richmond Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Occupation: Businessman; Clermont Uible County commissioner. Community involvement: Southern Ohio Agricultural & Community Development Fund, National Association of Counties, County Investment Advisory Committee, County Planning Commission, Republican Central & Executive Committee, Young Entrepreneurs Organization, New Richmond National Bank Endorsements: Clermont County Republican Party Campaign message: Committed to bringing ethics, professionalism, and transparency to the Board of County Commissioners. Website: DavidUible.com
FOLLOW THE ELECTION • Read primers, get voter information, see past stories, follow the presidential race, and build your own ballot at our 2012 election page:http://cincinnati.com/elections. • Get updates at the Politics Extra blog:http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics. • Join the conversation: Use the #ohel hash tag on Twitter.
ALSO IN CLERMONT COUNTY COMMON PLEAS JUDGE RACE
Name: Jerry R. McBride City/town: Batavia Age: 61 Occupation: Clermont County Common Pleas Court Judge Website: judgejerrymcbride.org Education/degrees: Bachelor’s degree in political science, University of Cincinnati, 1973; master’s degree in public administration, University of Cincinnati, 1974; law degree, UC, 1977.
Name: Ken Zuk City/town: Amelia Age: 65 Occupation: Attorney Website: None. Education/degrees: Bachelor’s degree, Xavier University, 1968; law degree, Chase College of Law, 1972