MOUNT VERNON — It’s no surprise that the three candidates vying for the 68th district state representative seat presented diverse views to constituents in a debate Thursday night at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Incumbent Republican Rick Carfagna, Democrat Kathleen Tate, and Libertarian Patrick Glasgow covered topics ranging from education to high-speed internet to balancing agriculture and job growth.
On education and school funding, Tate said many high school graduates do not understand how to use credit cards, handle checking accounts, and the rights and responsibilities of voters’ privilege.
“They think the money is going to be there forever and ever. We need to be training them how to be responsible citizens and how they can survive in this world,” she said, adding that funding needs to be equitable across the board for all schools and needs to include money to improve school infrastructure.
Carfagna said “we put way too much stock in testing.” He believes some testing is needed to provide data the school can use improve. Funding should not be capped as it does not allow for growth in the number of students. Saying it would take another $400 million annually to fully fund school districts, he favors fair funding as a more realistic alternative. Under fair funding, public schools will get at least as much money per student as nonpublic schools rather than being capped.
Pointing out that Carfagna recently sponsored a bill that moves power from local schools to the governor’s office, Glasgow said, “The big problem is the Legislature is trying to centralize school control as much as possible. We need power returned to the local board levels to determine spending and funding. We don’t need people in Columbus telling Knox County what to do.”
Noting that millions in Ohio lack broadband access and that many students in southern Ohio have to go to McDonald’s, grandma’s, or “anywhere but their own bedroom” to access the internet, Carfagna pointed to a bill he sponsored that helps fund projects that provide broadband to underserved areas of Ohio. He pointed out that the billed passed the Ohio House with 92 of 99 votes.
Tate agreed internet access is important, but she also said “we need a secure internet.”
Glasgow unequivocally said he would not do anything to promote the spread of broadband services.
“As a government official, I have no place in the free market. I have no place to tell people what to provide and where. I would reduce regulations, I would reduce taxes to encourage growth, but that’s the best I can do as a government official,” he said.
Responding to a question on State Issue 1 and amending the Ohio Revised Code to give judges more control of sentencing, Glasgow said that Issue 1 is a “great first step” to ending the drug crisis in Ohio.
“By promoting lesser sentences for nonviolent offenders, you have more chances for rehabilitating them back into the workforce and working through the mental issues that they have,” he said. “By going further and legalizing marijuana, you could see less overdose deaths and opiod addiction.”
Tate also supports Issue 1, but regarding the opiod crisis, she said the approach is piecemeal. She advocates setting up a “big commission” that includes people from the medical and judicial fields, ex-users, and lawyers to look at the issue. She also advocates for more testing to see what kind of drugs are being laced with fentanyl.
Carfagna strongly opposes Issue 1. He said he is on board with sentencing reform, but Issue 1 is not the way to do it, primarily because it becomes enshrined in the Ohio Constitution and very difficult to change or calibrate.
“Whatever side you’re on, you need to think very strongly about it being in our constitution. If something’s not working out or needs tweaked, you can’t do it. You’ve got to go back to a vote of the people,” he said.
On the issue of balancing agriculture and economic expansion into Knox County, Carfagna said that he does have to navigate two different worlds. Citing Delaware’s growth, he said, “Knox County would love to have that kind of development.”
That means figuring out how to promote and market the Siemens campus and other industrial sites to JobsOhio so that Knox County will be considered when companies are looking for a place to locate. To that end, he has arranged visits between the economic and agriculture representatives for JobsOhio and local officials, organizations, and businesses to make the needed connections.
Glasgow, who is working on an agriculture engineering degree, said that “unfortunately, there is more profit in raising houses than corn these days.” He said there is something to be said for showing the potential of rich farmland, but there is also room for job growth for farmers as well as business.
“It’s not my place as a legislator to determine which will take precedence,” he said. “The free market is going to do what it’s going to do. We can do our best to get out of the way for job growth, get out of the way of farmers. We can lessen regulations … but at the end of the day, we really don’t have control over who goes where, who buys what land, and what happens to it.”
Tate cited water pollution from fracking, overuse of pesticides, and the inability to hire people even at $12 an hour as three of the problems facing farmers. “We need to talk to farmers more, and as far as people in the city, we need to also get them to come up with some ideas for jobs that we can have out here in this area that would help the farmers,” she said.
Stressing their commitment to bipartisanship, all three candidates said political affiliation will play no role in their decision-making.
Tate summed up her candidacy by saying “I am a woman concerned that there are not many women representatives in the legislature. I am a senior citizen concerned about my Social Security. I don’t want my Medicare reduced or my Social Security privatized. I don’t want the healthcare act totally screwed out of existence.”
Glasgow says he provides a new voice and new political perspective. He is concerned about keeping civil liberties, keeping more money at the local level, and keeping government out of constituents’ bedrooms. He would also try and advocate to not force corporations to pay an outrageous minimum wage.
Carfagna pointed to his past record, which includes having nine bills voted out of the Ohio House and six of them being signed by the governor. He said he will continue to work to make Ohio a good place to live, work, study, raise a family, and operate a business.
KnoxPages.com, the Mount Vernon News, WNZR, and WMVO/WQIO partnered in hosting the 68th District debate, along with a debate between candidates for the Ohio Senate District 19. William Pursel, Republican candidate for Knox County Commissioner, and Ken Harbaugh, Democratic challenger for the U.S. House 7th District, also spoke. To view all of the debates visit www.mvnu.tv.com.
