MOUNT VERNON — The two Republicans and two Democrats vying to unseat Bob Gibbs, incumbent 7th District U.S. Representative, fielded questions during a debate held Thursday night on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Democrats Ken Harbaugh and Patrick Pikus, along with Republicans Patrick Quinn and Terry Robertson, responded to questions ranging from gun control to term limits to infrastructure. Gibbs did not respond to an invitation to participate.
In their opening and closing statements, the candidates noted the divisiveness between political parties, Gibbs’ unresponsiveness to constituents, and the influence of big money as some of the problems in Washington. Following are their responses to questions posed by media representatives from KnoxPages.com, WNZR, WMVO/WQIO, and the Mount Vernon News.
There are people in the audience tonight who live in rural Knox County. They are asking for access to high speed Internet and reliable phone service. If elected, what would you do to see that their needs are met?
Harbaugh believes lack of connectivity is a failure of leadership, not technology, and that infrastructure development needs to be broadened to include connectivity and education.
Quinn, who is in the internet business, said that unlike with the stimulus money “handed out like candy” to big companies, things should be set up to work with smaller companies that have more maneuverability and less overhead.
Citing China’s growth from a backwater country to a leader in mobile technology, Pikus said the U.S. needs to be “thinking about the next generation of connectivity and stop investing in things that are obsolete.”
Robertson said that as a conservative, he favors creating an environment for better competition, not more governmental regulations.
Are you comfortable with exchanging ideas in a civil manner with members of the opposing political party? What experience do you have in civil discourse?
Quinn said that if something is a good plan and it will work and is in the best interest of the majority of the people, he doesn’t care who comes up with it. Pikus agreed that solutions need to come from both sides.
Robertson said he has no problem with civil discourse, but added “I am firm in my conservative beliefs and will not compromise those.” Harbaugh said his campaign mantra is “country over party.”
What is your stance on gun control?
All of the candidates said they believed in and supported the Second Amendment. Referring to school safety, Pikus said there are common-sense things that can be done that would not violate the Second Amendment. “The real issue is there are 300 million guns in private hands. We can’t go collect them, so we have to find a way to live with them in the community,” he said.
Harbaugh said that “no weapons of war should be in the hands of civilians” and advocates better background checks.
Robertson and Quinn agreed that gun-free zones don’t work. Robertson said more armed officers are needed in the schools, and students need to be educated about gun safety. Quinn said taking guns away makes citizens unsafe and that underlying issues such as mental illness need to be addressed.
We have members of Congress who have served for decades. Do you think term limits should be imposed?
Robertson said he is big on term limits, and that it is one of the reasons he is running for 7th District representative. He suggests either two four-year terms for both the House and Senate or one six-year term.
Harbaugh said the absence of Gibbs illustrates the need to remind representatives that they answer to the public, not the political class in Washington.
Quinn said the Founding Fathers did not include term limits because they knew it was a civic duty to serve. “If you go into it thinking it’s a civic duty, you don’t need term limits. They would term limit themselves,” he said.
Pikus said that term limits are a good idea but he is reluctant to vote for them. “Turnover in representatives and the legislature is helpful; it brings new ideas and growth,” he said. “Voters have the opportunity to impose term limits. If we have engaged voters, they make better decisions than having the law decide for us.”
Recently tariffs were raised on newsprint coming in from Canada because a US company wants more of the market share. Should the federal government be raising tariffs when there is no justification for the increase?
All agreed that unjustified tariffs are bad. Harbaugh said “follow the money when you wonder where campaign contributions are coming from.” He promised to take no money from corporate PACs (political action committees).
“Tariffs are not necessarily bad; in some cases you need to have options to keep things fair and reasonable,” said Quinn. “But if a company wants to monopolize an industry, then no.”
Pikus agreed tariffs are a useful and important tool in keeping things fair, protecting U.S. jobs, and creating industry. If tariffs are applied so that corporations can pocket additional profits, they are not good.
Robertson agrees with President Trump’s tariff policy, noting that “we have a huge trade deficit.” “To keep Americans working we do want the merchandise made here,” he said.
If elected what can you do to get Ohio’s infrastructure projects, specifically roads and bridges – funded and completed.
Noting it is a difficult situation, Quinn said the one thing he has learned in meeting with county commissioners in Ohio is that “we need to get rid of some of the restrictions on the money they receive from the federal government.”
Pikus said one of the things to look at is removing or scaling back the requirements of state matching dollars when federal money is used for projects.
Robertson believes that rather than sending money to the federal government and then having to beg to get it back, with restrictions, the money should stay with the states. He also advocates greater accountability for the money.
Harbaugh said that a large amount of federal grant money is left on the table because it’s not applied for. He said infrastructure needs to get beyond roads and bridges and include high-speed connectivity and education. Accountability is also critical.
To watch a live stream of the debate, visit mvnutv.com.
