To the Editor:
A recent letter published in The Post seriously misrepresented my involvement in the Nelsonville Bypass project, and criticized several of my votes. Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight.
Some issues lend themselves to more than one interpretation. The assertion about the Nelsonville bypass is not one — it’s just plain false. I worked with my colleagues to lobby for projects eligible for ARRA funding, and fought to prioritize funding for the Nelsonville bypass. I was proud to stand with Governor Strickland at the groundbreaking, and with ODOT Director Jerry Wray at the ribbon cutting. That project has helped to improve safety, and will benefit our whole region in many ways, which is why it had such strong bipartisan support.
The writer also criticized my votes on several bills. Here’s my reasoning on those votes:
HB 473, which regulates water withdrawal from Lake Erie is woefully inadequate on several counts. It allows very large water withdrawals without corporations even registering their use. It allows those withdrawals from tributaries, without consideration of conditions, or the impact on spawning walleye and other sport-fishing species, and it was opposed by Ohio’s environmental organizations.
I voted no on HB 375 because it failed to direct sufficient funds from the severance tax to oversight and to our local communities. It would have forced landowners in our region to subsidize tax cuts for the wealthiest Ohioans across the state.
I voted no on HB 369 because a companion bill took funds from our local mental health and addiction treatment programs to fund state programs, while at the same time this bill would impose new mandates.
I voted no on SB 316. It created the 3rd Grade reading guarantee, which was purely a state initiative. It had nothing to do with the Common Core, and it failed to provide funding for early childhood education, or sufficient funding for intervention for children who are struggling. It’s exactly the wrong approach to education — holding kids accountable when we fail to provide the support they need to learn.
Debate is good. Campaigns should be about the issues, the facts, and the kind of leadership we want for our community. Let’s have a healthy debate based on the facts, and let the voters decide. I encourage everyone to research the issues, campaign for the people you support, and be sure to get out and VOTE!
Debbie Phillips current State Rep. D-Albany, is up for re-election in November.
