ELECTION 2004 - OHIO Races for the Ohio statehouse Ohio 8th Senate District Ohio 14th Senate District Ohio 28th House District Ohio 29th House District Ohio 30th House District Ohio 31st House District Ohio 33rd House District ELECTION 2004 - KENTUCKY Battling for a seat in Frankfort Kentucky 17th Senate District Kentucky 23rd Senate District Kentucky 61st House District Kentucky 67th House District

Bill Seitz: Preserve core state services for public infrastructure, health care, school aid, local government/library funds, prisons/justice system, while flattening state income taxes.

Ann Thompson: First we need a balance of the parties. Our one-party rule has produced unprecedented arrogance and corruption, which precludes serving the common good. With honesty and common sense, we must tackle the real issues; those important to working families, like fair, equitable taxation, curbing health insurance costs and building a reliable steady income stream for funding our schools without property tax increases and school bonds. This could be done with the Ohio STAR funds. Then, we must encourage new and good quality teachers with tax credits and grants. Cutting estate taxes has hurt the budgets of our townships. TIF money also takes away from our general funds. Now we are facing new bond issues and more taxes, or faced with cutting police and fire services.

How do you think the next legislature should deal with the state's continuing budget deficit crisis?

Bill Seitz: Wring savings from departmental consolidation, privatization where appropriate, civil service/collective bargaining law changes. Allow voters to decide to permit slot machines at racetracks. Examine validity of existing tax deductions/credits. Promote/require group purchasing plans for government employees to buy long-term care insurance. Recognize that further cuts to core state programs are hard to come by.

Ann Thompson: We must restore fiscal discipline to Columbus; create a new system of performance budgeting and performance audits for each state agency. We could place a sunset provision on all state credits, grants and incentives so they are periodically reviewed for their effectiveness. Close the corporate and jet-set loopholes. We could prohibit state government from contracting with or offering assistance to corporations that "move" offshore in order to avoid their fair share of state tax.