Is Balderson ducking debates with O’Connor?

Darrel Rowland

Congressman Troy Balderson has turned down an offer by WOSU-TV and The Dispatch to take part in a debate hosted by them, in the rematch with his 12th District opponent, Danny O’Connor.

The two also won’t have a traditional debate on WBNS-TV (Channel 10) though they might both appear, various sources said. Attempts by WCMH-TV (Channel 4) to get the candidates together there remain up in the air.

And WHIZ in Balderson’s hometown of Zanesville has offered to host a Nov. 1 forum with the duo.

Republican Balderson narrowly won a special August election over O’Connor, the Democratic Franklin County recorder, to replace longtime GOP Congressman Pat Tiberi.

But wait, there’s more...

If you were looking for any more evidence that the silly season is nigh, Jessica Balderson O’Connor

Wehrman of The Dispatch Washington bureau notes just take a look at all the tumult over debates happening across Ohio.

Democratic challengers, not surprisingly, largely want debates. Republican incumbents, needless to say, are sometimes less enthusiastic.

Among the GOP minority who have agreed to debates so far: Rep. Steve Chabot, a Cincinnati Republican who faces a tough challenge from Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval; Rep. Steve Stivers, an Upper Arlington Republican who faces Democrat Rick Neal of Columbus; and Rep. Jim Jordan, an Urbana Republican trying to fend off Janet Garrett of Oberlin.

In Dayton, Democrat Theresa Gasper sent a challenge to Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, urging him to debate her. A Turner spokeswoman said they have agreed to a forum hosted by WHIO.

In the open northeast Ohio seat currently held by Rep. Jim Renacci, who is running for the Senate, former NFL and Ohio State receiver Anthony Gonzalez was bashed by Dems for not agreeing to a debate with Susan Moran Palmer. But his campaign manager Tim Lolli said Friday that was just because they hadn’t received an invitation from the Cleveland City Club.

That invite came late last week, so now negotiations are on.

When it comes to debates, it seems the debate over when and where to square off is almost as contentious as the debate itself.

Schools pay for tax breaks

Policy Matters Ohio released an interesting study last week showing that realestate tax abatements cost 180 school districts more than $125 million in lost revenue last year.

The abatements are granted by local officials to encourage economic development; some local leaders provided other compensation to schools to at least partially make up for the lost money.

Cleveland Municipal Schools were the biggest losers, with $34.2 million in lost revenue, followed by Cincinnati City Schools at $18.4 million.

In Franklin County, the top amount of forfeited revenue was sustained by South-Western City Schools, with $3.9 million; Westerville City Schools, $2.9 million; New AlbanyPlain Local Schools, $2.7 million; and Columbus City Schools, $2.6 million — just a tiny amount more than Olentangy Local Schools in neighboring Delaware County.

Though the amounts are small when compared with a school district’s overall budget, Policy Matters noted that even if only a third of the abatements were restored, schools across Ohio could rehire 662 librarians whose positions were eliminated in the past 12 years.

The data are easily available for the first time because local governments have adopted new reporting requirements by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board — although still “a substantial amount” of abatement information, such as tax-incrementfinancing deals often used to pay for infrastructure, isn’t included, the left-leaning think tank notes.