As your State Representative, I pledge to bring jobs to Ohio, to support a high quality education and to work to solve the issues that face my district in a responsible manner.

Legislative Agenda

The first three bills which I will introduce as your State Representative will address concerns I have heard from you while knocking on doors in the district over the past year:

Absentee Landlords
-enable the community to hold absentee landlords accountable for upkeep of houses & yards and for ensuring those residing in the houses are on the lease.

Reintroduce Representative Stewart's HB 176
-ensure Ohioans are not discriminated against in the workplace for their sexual orientation.

Foreclosure Mediation
-make it mandatory for banks to review individual cases prior to initiating foreclosure proceedings.  Missing one payment after years of paying a mortgage on time should not cause a family to lose their home.

Jobs and the Economy
Ohio’s economy and Ohio’s workers have suffered greatly in the global economic downturn. I am committed to revitalizing the economy and supporting Ohio’s working families.
As your State Representative, I will place the economy and job growth as a top priority. I will work to rebuild our state’s economy, attract new industries and create more jobs.
In order for job recovery to occur, Ohio must have business growth.  Recently Ohio has taken a positive step, reforming the business tax code. Because of this reform, Ohio now has one of the highest rates of new or expanding business in the Midwest. We must continue these policies and encourage additional growth through the use of incentives such as tax credits that encourage businesses to invest in Ohio and its workers.
Building on Ohio’s, and the 25th District’s, strengths, Ohio can lead the nation in the emerging Green economy. As State Representative I will expand the number of green jobs. Ohio has a great tradition of meeting the country’s industrial needs. A new infrastructure is needed to build the components of the green economy. The manufacturing of wind turbines, solar collectors, alternative energy cars, and bio fuel refineries should be happening in Ohio.  With a cooperative effort between state government and local municipalities, Ohio can attract businesses to invest in repurposing existing dormant manufacturing facilities and use our available workforce to fill the needs of the Green Economy.  

Foreclosure
Ohio has one of the highest rates of home foreclosures.  The Near Westside of Columbus has a home vacancy rate that is reported to be one of the highest in the nation. I pledge to work to reduce this.
Due to the recession good hard-working Ohioans have lost their jobs and cannot meet their mortgage obligations. To address the existing foreclosure crisis state government should protect the rights of the consumer and hold business accountable forcing them to adhere to the principles of fairness, equity and honesty.  I support Governor Strickland’s expansion of the Homestead Tax exemption for seniors and disabled homeowners giving a tax credit to one in four homeowners. I will continue to support this expansion in the legislature.  
As State Representative, I will work to protect Ohioans facing forclosure by supporting legislation to push for banking reform that creates responsible lending practices and oversight.  Lending policies and marketing that encourage consumers to enter into mortgage obligations with inadequate equity or resources to repay the mortgage should be eliminated.
The Save the Dream initiative, which was created out of the Ohio Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce, provides resources to help homeowners who are facing a foreclosure. Additionally the state signed agreements with several major lenders, with the lenders agreeing to work with homeowners prior to reaching foreclosure.  I plan to continue to build on these important steps and work towards tools such as delinquency forgiveness, extended mortgage terms and temporary interest rate reductions.   


Public Education
Education is a vital tool to revitalizing our economy.  Ohio’s schools must prepare students for jobs of the future. To stay competitive in the 21st century, Ohio needs an educated and creative work force.  Governor Strickland and the Ohio House of Representatives have continually shown their support for public education and I plan to continue this commitment.
To be successful, every child needs a strong foundation consisting of parental guidance and early education preparation. As your State Representatives I will support early childhood programs. Too many children are starting kindergarten not knowing the basics of counting to 10, reciting the ACB’s or understand the structured environment of a classroom.
As the saying goes “Education begins at home.” Educating parents about how to prepare their child for school is key. As the representative of the 25th district I pledge to initiate a low-cost volunteer program involving parental mentors to help young parents gain skills needed to prepare their child for school.
I support many components of the Governor’s recent Education Reform Plan. This plan not only creates a constitutional funding system, but also holds schools to a high level of accountability.  Our schools must encourage creativity and innovation and must prepare our students for jobs of the future. Our students must be ready to compete with students from around the world.  
Higher education must be accessible and affordable. I am encouraged by the work of the Governor and General Assembly who have kept tuition at Ohio’s universities and colleges. As a state representative I pledge to continue this work.

Affordable Health Care
Affordable health care for all Ohioans is not an option – it is a necessity. Currently 1.3 million Ohioans are uninsured. We live in the richest country in the world; we should increase the affordable options available to our citizens.  
We must also provide coverage options for our citizens who need it most. As your State Representative I will support programs for children and low-income families, programs such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides coverage for children.  
Additionally we must provide options for our seniors, allowing families to choose the option that works best for them. We need to increase efficiencies in providing long-term nursing home care and improve and expand programs, such as PASSPORT, that allow people to stay in their homes longer.