MOUNT VERNON — The loss of jobs is the foremost issue facing the state of Ohio, according to the two candidates vying for the position of state representative for the 90th District. Margaret Ann Ruhl and Tom Whiston will face off in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
“The economy is foremost — it’s on everybody’s mind; retaining jobs and getting the economy back and growing,” said Ruhl. “If you don’t stimulate the economy so people have good-paying jobs, people can’t afford to stay here.”
“The biggest thing we need to address is loss of jobs,” said Whiston. “We need to have a plan to make sure we are competitive to keep jobs in Ohio that we lose each year.
“We are still manufacturing things,” he added, “but a lot are being manufactured overseas. The Honda plant continues to do well, but we just lost a plant to Indiana.”
When asked about the coal industry as an example of jobs which have been lost due to environmental issues, Whiston said the state still has large supplies of coal. The question is, he said, can it be efficiently mined and used?
He said when economic data show Ohio lagging 48th and 49th in some categories, it shows “we’re not doing something right.”
“There are people moving out of the state because of a burdensome tax base,” he said. “Business looks for a stable environment, investment money, and to get a good return.”
Whiston said elimination of the personal property tax for businesses was a good thing, as it was an impediment to business. Companies were required to pay the property tax regardless of whether they made a profit. The commercial activity tax, which replaced the property tax, taxes profits.
“If a business does well, it can pay the tax. As you increase business, you ease the burden,” he said.
Ruhl believes legislators need to work to bring industry to the state, but said it needs to be done through working with the individual communities.
“We have to want industry here,” she said. “We have to work with area development — work with them as to what the people want.”
As an example, she said Morrow County is the only Ohio county that does not have a Wal-Mart. The question she would explore is whether it’s the people’s choice to not have one, or is there some other reason the store has chosen not to locate in Morrow County.
“I see myself as a liaison between people that live here, and people in Columbus and business,” she said.
Along with bringing industry to the area, Ruhl is concerned about keeping green space.
“I like our green space,” she said. “Coming from a farming background, I think we have a very diverse area, rural and industry. It’s going to be a struggle to keep the urbanness out.”
Ruhl said she would work to control urban spread, but also to enhance the current urban areas. As an example of urban enhancement, Ruhl cited the city of Gahanna, which recently renovated its downtown. City officials put parking areas under the streets, had businesses on the street level, and condominiums above the business.
“I see that as something that would be good for Mount Vernon ... or even in Mount Gilead,” said Ruhl.
An area of concern to many Ohioans is that of health care. Both candidates favor making it easier for the private individual to obtain and retain coverage. For Whiston, portability is a key component.
“We have to make sure to provide portability,” he said. “[Now,] when people go from one job to another, they have to change health care plans.”
This, he said, causes individuals to be subject to increased premiums and pre-existing condition clauses. With portability, the insurance coverage would stay with the individual rather than the employer.
He also said greater efficiency and less paperwork is needed in providing health care. He cited preauthorization requirements as an example.
“United Health Care found it was cheaper to actually pay for the services than to go through the authorization procedures,” he said. “When you spend 30 percent of health care dollars to operate the health care system, that’s something we are going to have to change.”
“Health care is expensive for small groups,” said Ruhl. “I would like to see private individuals able to do what public entities do.”
What public entities do, she said, is form insurance pools, banding together to get a discounted larger group rate. Ruhl said current laws don't allow that option for private individuals.
“I would like to take a look at that,” she said.
What Ruhl does not favor is a state mandate that employers offer health care coverage.
“A business owner knows what they can afford,” she said. “The state doesn’t know, so the state should not say a business has to offer something.
“Employers are not going to keep employees if they don’t offer health insurance,” she said. “The same thing with paid sick days. Employers should offer — I hope they would offer — sick days, but the state should not mandate it.”
What she does favor is legislation that would make it easier for businesses to offer these types of benefits to their employees, perhaps in the form of tax deductions or credits.
Regarding the state budget, Whiston said he did not favor a blanket, across-the-board approach.
“There are some things that need to be funded, so you don’t want to cut 5 percent across the board,” he said.
However, there are areas where changes could be made, which would ultimately decrease cost. As an example, Whiston cited the state’s prison system, where officials are working to reduce recidivism. Some officials, he said, have achieved up to an 80 percent reduction in recidivism, thereby reducing the number of individuals in prison.
“We can’t continue to put as many people in prison as we are,” he said.
Another example cited is instituting co-pays for prescriptions in the Medicaid system. Co-pays, he said, have caused patients to stop and question whether they really need the medication.
“If you give patients ownership, all of a sudden they become better consumers,” said Whiston.
Ruhl said that until she got in office and really began to look closely at the various state departments and their budgets, she could not say whether she would favor an across-the-board cut or individual department cuts.
“Until I really got in and looked at and digested those numbers, I really can’t say right now,” she said. “However, coming from local government, I would not be in favor of cutting funding for local government. They don’t have enough now, and they are putting more tax burden on the local taxpayers.”
On the issue of education, Ruhl acknowledged there’s no easy answer. To learn about school funding, she said she would start with what the state gives schools.
“As county auditor, I see school budgets. I see local funding, but I don’t see what schools get from the state. I think that would be a place to start,” said Ruhl.
She cited home schooling and administrative positions within school districts as examples.
“If, for example, a student is home schooled, there must be a reason,” she said. “But the school is still getting money for that student. ... And assistant superintendent — why do they need that position? The school needs to answer that question. Those are the kinds of things I would start to look at.”
Ruhl has served as Knox County Auditor for 13 years. Prior to that she served as city auditor for 11 years.
Whiston has served as mayor of Mount Gilead for more than 10 years. He is president of Whiston Pharmacy, a third-generation drug store serving Mount Gilead for over 75 years.