From The Statehouse 2005 No. 22
by Jennifer Garrison
Aug. 8, 2005
From the Statehouse Article 22
With the Ohio Legislature in recess for the past month and no votes to report, I have been taking a break from writing my columns. I want to thank the voters who have shared they miss the columns and appreciate being informed about State Legislation.
The Speaker of the House has called the Ohio House of Representatives back into session on August 2nd. I would like to take the opportunity to communicate the purpose of the session before I vote and provide an opportunity for input.
The purpose of the August 2nd session is to vote on placing a newly crafted Bond Issue onto the November ballot for voter consideration. This bond issue combines the Third Frontier Issue, Issue 2, and a shovel ready sites issue. For the voters to get the opportunity to vote yes or no, 60 members of the House must vote "yes" to place this on the ballot. Traditionally Issue 2 has been a bond issue placed on the ballot for the voters to support infrastructure projects across the state. It is a 10 year bond issue that must be renewed at the latest on the November 2006 ballot. The Issue 2 bonds have been in existence for over 18 years. These infrastructure projects include roads, bridges, and water and sewer projects for townships, villages, cities and counties across Ohio.
In addition to Issue 2, the "Third Frontier" bond initiative has also been placed in front of the voters in the past. The "Third Frontier" bond issue is a pet project of our Governor, designed to support research and technology mainly at universities in the state. While the voters have consistently supported and voted for the Issue 2 bonds, they have also voted to reject the "Third Frontier" bond.
Unwilling to accept the will of the voters on this issue, the newly crafted bond Issue now combines both efforts in an attempt to use the popularity of Issue 2 to carry the Third Frontier to success.
I have consistently communicated my unwillingness to follow this attempt to implement the Third Frontier Bonds by hiding them in the Issue 2 approval. My belief is that good government is formed on clear communications and clear intents. We should not be working to circumvent the will of the voters and prevent the opportunity to vote on these initiatives independently.
The ballot issue was originally scheduled to come to a vote in June, but it was pulled from the House schedule because the Governor and Speaker did not have the votes. The Speaker has again scheduled a vote on August 2nd. However, it is believed he still does not have the votes.
In desperate times people resort to desperate measures. This is where the politics of half truths comes into the picture. On Thursday, July 28, 2005 automated calls were made to my constituents advising them I did not support Issue 2 and that our roads, bridges and water projects would no longer be funded. Third Frontier was not mentioned according to the people receiving these calls. The information given in the message was a falsehood. I have always supported Issue 2. In fact I want to protect Issue 2. Placing Issue 2, Third Frontier, and shovel ready sites together on the same ballot initiative will erode the ability for Issue 2 to pass. On Tuesday, August 2, 2005, I am prepared to offer an amendment on the House floor to place Issue 2 on the November ballot alone, so the voters can have a clean vote.
While I always welcome input from the voters, I also work very hard to insure that issues are clearly communicated and understood. Please contact me if you have any questions.
You can reach Jennifer Garrison at her Columbus office at 614-644-8728 or in the district at 740-373-2414 or by e-mail at jennifer@jennifergarrison.com. Her website is www.jennifergarrison.com