Tax rollbacks are key, says ex-legislator
The Dispatch series of Q&A’s for Ohio’s gubernatorial candidates continues today with former state Rep. Connie Pillich, a Democrat from Montgomery in suburban Cincinnati.
Pillich did not answer a question about her willingness to raise state taxes, saying instead:
“Over the last seven years, the politicians in Columbus have given lavish tax cuts and handouts to millionaires, billionaires and the special interests. These priorities are wrong for Ohio. I’ll first reprioritize our spending to invest in education, infrastructure and the like. If we do not have sufficient funds to pay for basic government services, I’ll seek money from the $7B in tax credits issued by the State of Ohio every budget cycle. I’ll roll back the giveaways and make the wealthiest 1 percent pay their fair share so we have the funds to invest in our schools, rebuild our infrastructure and battle the opioid crisis.
“I support rolling back the (Gov. John) Kasich tax cuts on the 1 percent as well as reforming the small business pass-through loopholes.
“I also support bringing back Ohio’s estate tax on the richest estates to return local government revenue back to municipalities.
“Additionally, I support increasing the severance tax on fracking to make sure that gas drillers are giving back revenue to our communities.”
whether she would support a state tax increase if 100 percent of the revenue went to Ohio public schools, saying instead, “I’ve unveiled an Education Stimulus Package which calls for a reversal of Republican tax cuts on the richest 1 percent to make a transformative investment in our education system and make Ohio’s schools the best in the nation.”
She also did not respond to a question on whether parents should be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school in Ohio, saying, “I believe that our voucher system is broken and needs to be reformed. Ohio should invest in public schools to create the best public school system in the nation.”
Pillich didn’t answer a question on charter schools, saying, “Some charter schools are performing exceptionally well, and I believe the state should continue to give them space to operate and innovate. But for those charter schools that are taking our tax dollars and failing — it’s time to shut them down.”
Pillich did not respond to a series of questions about abortion, saying, “I trust women to make the complex decisions relating to their own health care. Politicians have no business playing doctor.”
Pillich would not say whether she thinks stricter
gun-control laws would reduce the number of gunrelated deaths in Ohio, whether the state concealand-carry laws are too strict or lenient, nor did she respond fully to a series of questions about gun laws. “I was trained to shoot in the military — and safety always came first. It’s time that we accept common sense safety measures — like closing the background check loophole, banning the sale of bump stock weapons, and keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals or suspected terrorists — that protect our communities as well as the rights of responsible gun owners.
She did not respond to a question about legalizing recreational marijuana, although Pillich did say, “While I don’t want to condone the use of recreational drugs, our state has better things to do than lock up marijuana offenders. If the legislature will deliver a thoughtfully worded bill to legalize marijuana in Ohio, I’ll sign it into law.”
Instead of answering a question on the death penalty, she said, “The death penalty is the law in Ohio and, as the state’s chief executive, I’ll enforce the law.” _X_Support ___Oppose
Instead of saying directly whether she supports or opposes generally requiring applicants for Ohio welfare, food stamp or Medicaid
benefits to pass a drug test before they can receive these benefits, Pillich replied, “As an attorney, I know that such requirements are unconstitutional burdens on our most vulnerable citizens and do nothing to stop drug use or save tax dollars. I’d like to focus our resources on moving people out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.” _X_Support ___Oppose _X_Support ___Oppose _X_Support ___Oppose
She would not answer whether Ohio schools should be required to allow transgender or gender-fluid students to choose whichever restroom or shower facility they wished to use, instead saying, “As a state representative I cosponsored legislation to end discrimination against LGBT Ohioans and I’ll continue that fight as governor. I’m sick of Columbus politicians pushing divisive wedge issues like ‘bathroom laws’ to cover up the fact that they haven’t done a darn thing to create jobs or grow wages for working people.” ___Yes _X_No _X_Yes ___No _X_Support ___Oppose _X_Yes ___No ___Depends on the circumstances _X_Yes ___No