Jordan, Patel square off for 19th District seat

MOUNT VERNON — The race for the Ohio State Senate 19th District seat in November pits Republican Kris Jordan against Democrat Neil Patel.

Jordan’s main concerns are jobs and the state economy.

“For the district, I think we need to create a better environment for Ohio that will attract jobs not repel them,” Jordan said. “You do this by cutting government spending and that puts money back in the pockets of small-business owners and families. Then you remove the burdensome and punitive regulations in our state. Ohio’s jobs climate is very far down the list. Depending on which study you look at we are anywhere from 42nd to 47th on the list. We need to look at states that are attracting jobs like Indiana and Texas and do more of what they are doing. And what they’ve done is remove some of the burdensome regulations and let businesses know that they are wanted in their state. When you do that you will be able to get rid of some of the social programs we are funding because you will have more people pushing the cart instead of riding in the cart. The best form of welfare is to give a man a job.”

Jordan said there are a lot of issues facing the state.

“There’s the matter of filling the $8 billion hole in the state budget without raising taxes,” he added. “Then there are the projects we need to not do like the light rail. I’m opposed to the light rail.”

Jordan has served in the Ohio House of Representatives and served two terms as a Delaware County commissioner. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University. He lives in Powell with his wife, Melissa, who is going to law school.

Patel is running as a Democrat for the 19th District state Senate seat. As with many candidates, jobs and the economy is at the top of his list.

“Jobs is my main goal,” he said. “With the international connections, I am going to bring more jobs to the area. That is the most important thing.

“After my election, my first bill will be to cut the pay of legislators by 20 percent because we need the money right now. Our state and our country are in a crisis. That is why everybody can sacrifice and the legislators can sacrifice that 20 percent for the next few years. That is one way to help bridge the $8 billion budget gap.

“It’s not going to be easy to close that gap. If we bring more sustainable jobs to the area, like manufacturing, then we can get that avenue — that is the only way we are going to cut that gap. I think right now it’s going to be tough to balance the budget. If we could get that money back from the Haliburton company then maybe we could do something about that.

“I also want to expand that fiber-optic superhighway. We want it to go from Delaware to Knox to Morrow, Richland and Ashland and up north and connect it to the world.”

Patel was born in India and is now a citizen of the United States. He lives in Westerville with is wife and four children.