As the governor's race continues to intensify with both campaigns gathering endorsements and defining their political platforms, they have begun to shape plans for Southeast Ohio.
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, the Democratic candidate, and J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state and the Republican candidate, have a myriad of issues to deal with, particularly education and the economy.
Southeast Ohio is extremely important to the campaign for governor
said Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Strickland's campaign.
Appalachian Ohio is home to an estimated population of 1,455,313 with an average income of $20,516 ' barely above the national poverty line of $20,000 for a family of four. It comprises 29 counties that stretch from Columbiana in the Northeast to Clermont in the Southwest.
The region depends heavily on the government as both a service provider and one of the primary employers, and though neither candidate has explicitly stated plans for cutting or enhancing social welfare programs, it is necessary to watch their ideas, said Tracy Galway, spokeswoman for the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.
For Southeast Ohio especially Athens County government as business is very important
Galway said.
Data from Ohio's Office of Strategic Research show that government employment accounts for 16.9 percent of the total employment for all 29 counties. Although the unemployment rate is relatively low at 5.7 percent, the low average income means people are working, but they're stuck in low-paying jobs, she said.
Galway said the candidates can have a lot of ideas during the campaign, but they will need the state legislature to implement any changes come November.
But until it actually comes down to they're in office ' that's when it becomes more important for us
she said.Ted Strickland
The Democratic candidate's plan is Turnaround Ohio
which Dailey calls a comprehensive plan for Ohio's future.
In a copy of the document, Strickland wants to increase enrollment at Ohio's private and public colleges by 230,000 and raise college graduation levels by 20 percent by 2017.
About $247.75 million of the funding for the first year of the program would come from Ohio's general revenue funds, while an additional $108 million would come out of the state's excess Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds. The bulk of the latter money would be invested in the Knowledge Bank, a program that would create state-funded savings accounts for college-bound students, parallel to personal accounts.
We need to promote access and affordability in a culture in which too many students don't feel like they have the ability to go to college
Dailey said.
Strickland's education plan also targets quality early care and education for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Ted appreciates how deeply Ohio's problems ' sometimes criminal behavior in our state government ' have adversely affected the Southeast Ohio region
Dailey said.
Although Strickland's comprehensive plan, as well as Blackwell's strategy, focuses on education, spokesmen for the campaigns said quality education is the key to other reforms, most notably economic development.J. Kenneth Blackwell
Like Strickland, the spokesman for Blackwell's campaign, Carlo LoParo, said Southeast Ohio suffers from education problems and economy problems as much as, if not more than, other areas of the state.
Secretary of State Blackwell's plan for education has been dubbed the 65 Cent Plan because it would require all Ohio school districts to spend 65 percent of education funding in the classroom. About 57 percent of education funding gets to the classroom right now, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.
According to Blackwell's Web site, in the classroom is defined as teachers' salaries, instruction supplies, activities, special needs instruction and tuition paid to out-of-state districts. Administration salaries, maintenance, food services, transportation and student support (nurses, therapists and counselors) would be left with the remaining 35 percent.
One of his other ideas is to lease the Ohio Turnpike, much the way that Michigan did several years ago, and allow the lessee to charge fees. LoParo said this endeavor could generate $6 billion in funds that could help pay for programs without an increase in taxes.
Blackwell's strategy aims to allow the region to climb the economic ladder
instead of continuing the dependence upon low-paying jobs and cash assistance programs. Although his Tax and Expenditure Limitation Amendment, which would have capped government spending, has fallen by the wayside, Appalachian Ohio critics still have expressed concern that Blackwell would cut the safety net of social programs.
LoParo rebuts this, saying if (the dependence) continues
then Southeast Ohio will continue to be poor.
