Paul Bieniek
pbb001@marietta.edu
The Washington County League of Women Voters (LOWV), a non-partisan organization that encourages political involvement, held a Local Candidates’ Forum in the Alma McDonough Auditorium on Tuesday Sept. 29th. The forum featured separate debates between the candidates for Marietta’s three At-Large City Council seats, the 3rd Ward seat, the 1st Ward seat, and Mayor. Candidates running in uncontested contests delivered brief statements and students from Marietta College’s mass media department stated the pros and cons of the three referendum issues on the ballot in Ohio this fall.
The candidates for the three At-Large council seats include Kathy Downer (Incumbent, D), David Locke (R), Cindy Oxender (R), Kevin Paskawych (D), Sarah Snow (R) and Jane Tumas-Serna (D). Topics discussed in this debate included how to repair Marietta’s aging infrastructure and the two-hour time limit for downtown parking.
On the former, Tumas-Serna said that the city should apply for EPA grants to help pay for infrastructure improvements. Oxender praised the current council for replacing one mile of water pipeline per year and noted that she has experience writing EPA grants for non-profits. Locke argued that efforts to improve infrastructure should operate “like a business” with set goals and deadlines.
On the two-hour parking limit, Snow noted it could be limiting but that it is popular with small business owners. Downer said that the limit should be extended to three hours. Paskawych said that two hours is adequate and the limit should not be changed.
The candidates for the 1st Ward, which includes the first-year housing complex at MC, are Roger Kalter (Incumbent, D) and Jeffrey Schultheis (I). The first topic of this debate was the high rate of pedestrian-related traffic accidents in the city. Kalter said that he had created a safety committee to look into this problem and emphasized the importance putting city police officers on bicycles so they understand the pedestrian perspective. He added that pedestrians are not respected in Marietta. Schultheis argued the problem could be better solved by improving visibility and crosswalks and installing rumble strips on city streets.
Efforts to make the city more accessible for people with disabilities was another topic. Kalter said crosswalks should be made wheelchair accessible city-wide. Schultheis said businesses should be encouraged to install ramps to their entrances.
The candidates for the 3rd Ward, which encompasses all of the MC campus excluding first-year housing, are Stanley Lang (R) and Steve Thomas (Incumbent, D). On the city’s infrastructure needs, Lang said improvements need to be planned out and that the city should apply for grant money for funding. Thomas noted that Council has spent a lot on infrastructure improvements in recent years yet is behind schedule on installing new water tanks. He also said accessibility must be improved in the city.
On safety concerns, Lang said that the speed limit needs to be strictly enforced to reduce pedestrian-related accidents, particularly on Colgate Drive. Thomas noted that the 3rd Ward has “more blighted houses than any [ward]” and that there needs to be a renewed focus on paving side streets.
The Mayoral race is between Joe Matthews (Incumbent, D) and John Hambrick (R). The candidates discussed ways to improve the efficiency of local government. Hambrick said the first thing he would do in office would be to sit down with members of all city agencies to determine ways to make the government work more efficiently. Matthews said transferring control of Marietta’s health department from the city to county government has hampered efficiency in that area as the revenue for it has gone to the county while the city still has to make the practical decisions for the department. Hambrick said the mayor should focus on collaboration and not power grabbing.
Another topic covered was enforcement of the city’s building code. Matthews said the existing code, which dates from 1999, should be updated and more heavily enforced to improve dilapidated properties. He also said the situation could be improved if the city reclaimed the right to distribute building permits, currently a county government function in Washington County. Hambrick said he is strongly opposed to the idea of a code enforcement officer as it would “lead to abuse,” but did agree that the 1999 code should be adequately enforced.
Issue 1 on the ballot in Ohio in 2015 creates a bipartisan redistricting commission to draw state legislative districts. This would not apply to U.S. Congressional districts, which would still be determined by the Ohio House and Senate. Issue 2 prohibits the enactment of any ballot initiative that creates a market monopoly. Issue 3 contains two provisions. First, it legalizes the use of marijuana in the state of Ohio for both medicinal and recreational use for individuals over the age of 21. Second, it establishes 10 facilities that would have the exclusive right to cultivate and market marijuana in Ohio. If both Issue 2 and Issue 3 were to pass, the courts would likely have to determine how and if these potentially contradictory laws could coexist.
Freshman Emily Vigue said she was generally pleased with the forum.
“I definitely feel more informed about the candidates and issues now,” she said. “Some of the questions were a bit repetitive, but overall it was a good event.”
For information on how to find out your precinct or obtain an absentee ballot, contact the Washington County Board of Elections at 740-373-6623. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3rd.
