Does Ohio need Blackwell?

By Michael Edwards
Contributing Writer
Union County Post

A Democrat has not held any of Ohio’s statewide offices for more than a decade and if gubernatorial candidate and current Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has his way, it will stay that way.
With a faltering state economy and a hemorrhaging population, Blackwell is advocating a heavy dose of fiscal restraint, tax cuts, and reducing government regulations to create more jobs in the private sector. Blackwell is also a champion of school choice, opposes abortion and strongly supported a 2004 ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man and woman.
Years ago, Blackwell defiantly opposed former Governor George Voinovich’s attempts to raise the state sales tax, a move that alienated some members of his own party, earning Blackwell the label of a maverick. It’s a label Blackwell doesn’t seem too upset with and may actually help in light of Governor Bob Taft’s ‘no contest’ plea to four misdemeanor counts of ethic violations last year.
In 1994, Ohio’s tax burden ranked 24 among the 50 states. Today, it has risen to seven as government spending has grown faster than in any other state. Since taking office in 1999 as secretary of state, Blackwell has cut tax dollar funding to his agency by 61 percent, without reducing services, by using an enterprise-driven model that has user-fees.
“ He practices what he preaches,” said Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo.
Blackwell, who often speaks of how his father insisted that an opportunity is something one has to grab, believes that African Americans and many others are ready for a candidate who doesn’t preach victimology nor see the world solely in terms of black and white.
“ The reality is that many African Americans are very conservative in their views, especially when it comes to family,” said Steve Cheek, president of African-American Republicans of Ohio. “We simply want the same fair opportunity, not a handout.”
Blackwell’s public service includes terms as mayor of Cincinnati, and undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Keith Dailey, campaign spokesman for Democrat Ted Strickland, emphasizes that Strickland’s TURNAROUND Ohio plan seeks to unite everyone around “kitchen table” issues such as controlling healthcare cost so businesses can reinvest that money and create jobs.
“ Strickland has a broader base and is more representative of the people,” said Dailey.