Wednesday, March 1, 2000
Ohio House 37th District (Rep.)
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
One has led the charge against tax increases and school levies. The other is a triathlon competitor who has been the workhorse in several Republican Party campaigns.
One of the region's most heated primary races this year is for the Republican nomination for the 37th District seat in the Ohio House. Steve Adams, the Ironman contestant endorsed by party leaders, is pitted against Tom Brinkman Jr., the founder of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes.
Mr. Brinkman's efforts helped defeat a Cincinnati Public Schools levy in November, as well as a Hamilton County communications levy in May. He can be seen at school board meetings complaining about what he calls wasteful spending. And he's a regular at City Council meetings on the same topic.
“For 10 years I have stood up against higher taxes and additional spending throughout the city, county and in our schools,” Mr. Brinkman said. Reducing taxes is his top issue.
Yet there are other needs facing the state, he said. Unfunded state mandates are hurting schools because they are redirecting resources — including tax money — from other priorities, he said. The residents of the district want responsible government, Mr. Brinkman said.
Mr. Adams said Republican voters are concerned with more than tax bills. They are worried about their safety, about their schools and about their jobs.
The former prosecutor called taxes “a necessary evil, at some times.” The issues facing Ohio, and its residents in the Cincinnati area, deal with more than money,he said. There are crime victims struggling to understand how criminals are released from prisons. There are workers who have seen their jobs move across the Ohio River into Kentucky.
He, too, talks of mandate relief for schools. He also stresses that tax incentives may be needed to keep businesses in Ohio, and to lure new ones.
THE CANDIDATES
Steve Adams
Personal: The 34-year-old lives at 811 Delta Ave. No. 11 in Mount Lookout and works as the Southwest Ohio regional representative in the office of Ohio Treasurer Joseph T. Deters. He earned a law degree from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law.
Experience/qualifications: Mr. Adams was an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor for eight years. A triathlon athlete and community leader, he volunteers with charities and civic groups.
Tom Brinkman Jr.
Personal: The 42-year-old lives at 3215 Hardisty Ave. in Mount Lookout and works as a printer. He earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science from George Washington University in Washington D.C. His family includes his wife, Cathy; daughter Kelley; and sons Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Stephen and William.
Experience/qualifications: Mr. Brinkman founded the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, which helped defeat several tax levies, including efforts by Cincinnati Public Schools and the Cincinnati Zoo. He sued Cincinnati to stop it from suing gun manufacturers.
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Ohio House 31st District (Dem.)
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Clermont County
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Milford school bond issue
Ohio House 72nd District (Rep.)
Butler County
Union or West Chester: Name the township
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Ohio House 60th District (Rep.)
U.S. House 8th District (Dem.)
Warren County
Mason, Kings, Little Miami schools
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Ohio House 2nd District (Rep.)
U.S. House, 6th District (Rep.)
