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

Damon Thayer: What the 17th district needs most from state government is a Senator who reflects the traditional, conservative values of the people who live here. As a co-sponsor of the Marriage Amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman and a supporter of the fetal homicide law that defines an unborn baby as a life from conception onward, I fit that definition. Also, the 17th district has serious infrastructure needs(water, sewer, bridges, roads) and I am best positioned to address these needs.

Cliff Wallace: State government can provide leadership for the communities in the 17th district to help to provide these rural communities leadership or help develop leadership so that they can move forward. Southern Kenton County has all these tiny communities, that makes it hard for them to get a unified voice. If I'm elected, I want to spend a day a week in Southern Kenton County. State government is going to have to help provide funding so that these rural communities can provide the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the kind of residential growth they are experiencing.

What should be done to resolve the chronic budget impasse in the legislature, and how can you help in that process?

Damon Thayer: I voted for the Senate version of the budget twice, and it was the best budget Northern Kentucky has ever seen in terms of the aforementioned infrastructure needs. Members of both parties need to come to the table and compromise on tax reform and elements of the budget where there is disagreement; we need tax reform to fix our antiquated tax code so that we can better predict the amount of money government can spend in the budget. I will continue to press for tax reform that provides relief for taxpayers and a budget that addresses Northern Kentucky's needs.

Cliff Wallace: When our legislators were elected, their primary responsibility and duty was to pass a budget, and they failed to do that. I have developed a budget for 22 years as a local superintendent, and I have never run a deficit budget. In the past two out of the three last sessions we failed to pass a state budget. It's not about being Democrat or Republican, it's about electing people who want to do what is right in order to solve the problems in this state.