Correction appended
Unlike this year's presidential nominees, the two candidates vying for Ohio's 94th House district seat traded few barbs Tuesday night while facing off in their second public forum.
The two-hour forum organized by the Athens League of Women's Voters pitted Republican nominee Jay Edwards against Democratic nominee Sarah Grace at the Athens County Public Library. There was only one point where a candidate criticized another: Grace said Edwards had supported $2 billion income tax cuts, and Edwards denied it.
"I never said I wanted to reduce taxes, I said that I never wanted to raise taxes," Edwards said.
The two candidates tackled a myriad of issues facing the region, including taxes, jobs, fracking and education.
"We've asked our candidates more questions than in any forum I've been in," moderator and League of Women Voters Co-President Ellsworth Holden said at the end of the debate.
Bringing jobs to the region was a major focus of the debate. Edwards advocated for bringing natural gas jobs to the region.
"Our best product in what we have right now is the cheap natural gas," Edwards said. "We need for it to be regulated, we have to make sure it's being done safely."
Grace •believed the area should focus on the arts, which could further draw tourism.
"(Arts investment) can bring more jobs and also can create a more vibrant local community that makes people want to bring their businesses here," Grace said.
Both candidates are graduates of Ohio University, and while the debate mostly focused on issues important to local citizens, a few questions involved the local university. One of the primary questions was how the state and its citizens should handle the rising costs of higher education.
"I agree with Mrs. Grace wholeheartedly that we need to increase funding for more needs-based financial aid," Edwards said.
The candidates were specifically asked if they would ban universities from requiring students to live on-campus, as the price of housing and meal plans significantly increases the cost of college. Both candidates said they wouldn't.
"I definitely understand that perspective," Grace said. "But I also feel that that time living on campus was a really valuable time. It was a time that I met people from all over the world ... and I believe that I grew as an individual through those experiences."
The candidates were also asked how they would deal with the sexual assault crisis on college campuses. Grace said she would make it easier to obtain a restraining order, while Edwards said he would make sure that rape cases were handled as privately as possible.
"We need to recognize that some of the dialogue happening in our nation is perpetuating a rape culture," Grace said.
Edwards did not mention Grace's recent controversy over a discrepancy between bank statements and her records as treasurer for the East Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, a position she held from 2014 until June of this year. On Friday, the Athens City Schools Superintendent Tom Gibbs met with the current PTO and agreed that Grace had committed no wrongdoing.
Instead, Edwards repeatedly told the crowd that he was willing to work across the aisle.
"It comes back to being right and wrong instead of right and left," Edwards said.
The third and final public forum between the candidates will take place on Nov. 1 at the Nelsonville Public Library.
Correction: A previous version of the article misspelled Ellsworth Holden's name. The article has been updated to show the most accurate information.
