In my recently published letter titled "Questions for the Governor," some readers may have misinterpreted my remarks as criticism of Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz. Let me make it perfectly clear that my remarks were intended for your readership to understand that the radical extremist agenda of Gov. John Kasich and the Republican legislature is why Tiffin is facing financial problems. Mayor Montz was not my target in that article. He has personally assured me he has asked Kasich the tough questions.
It was not the mayor, but Kasich who eliminated Ohio's estate tax, a cut which benefited the top 8 percent of Ohioans but removed tax revenue, 80 percent of which went to cities and municipalities. Now the citizens of Tiffin are being asked to approve an additional tax to maintain the outstanding public services that our dedicated policemen, firemen and other public employees provide for us. We cannot afford to lose any jobs in Tiffin, especially those public servants who keep us safe and make Tiffin the wonderful community it is. I know many people I have met said they cannot afford a new tax. However, the money is necessary to maintain our absolutely essential police and firefighting forces. To lose even one officer or firefighter would have a negative impact on our community and safety.
What we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg of the Kasich administration's extreme policies and their effects, especially on our wallets. While Kasich sits on half a billion dollars in the rainy day fund, everyone else has to pay up to keep our essential services. Next month, two-thirds of the school levies in Ohio will be asking for additional local taxes to support the education of our children. As Kasich continues to cut taxes on the wealthy and make drastic budget cuts, the local school systems will be forced to ask again and again for the average citizen to dig deeper and deeper into our pockets, just to scrape by.
None of this is Mayor Montz's fault. The governor and my opponent are responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves today. We need and deserve a state representative who will be truly bipartisan and not vote 100 percent with the governor and his anti-middle class agenda. Together, we can make a difference and together we can make Tiffin, Seneca County and all of the 88th District a better place to live.
Bill Young,
Green Springs
