Issues of District 7

District 7, consisting of Euclid, South Euclid, Richmond Heights and the part of Cleveland known as Collinwood, has numerous concerns consistent with the problems that plague the entire state.

Jobs, jobs, and more jobs! Euclid, Ohio was once booming with factories, providing numerous employment opportunities for many residents. The Euclid Square Mall, Anchored by two major department stores, is now a “Ghost Town”. The Super K across from the Mall have windows plastered with “ For Lease” instead of “Big Sale” signs. Little businesses that are now “Out of Business” can be seen all throughout District 7. Employees are fleeing the state of Ohio, while new employers continue to look elsewhere.

Geographically, this is the best location in the nation. Our work force in second to none. We have the interstates, the airports and numerous work sites that are readily available, combined with our hospitals, Medical facilities and places of higher learning; we need a major promotion to turn this trend around.

Education is another major concern. Our graduates are creating a “Brain-Drain” by taking their diplomas outside of Ohio. In order to attract more jobs, we must insure that our prospective employers will have a more than adequate list of potential employees to pick from. Our escalating tuition costs do not assist this dilemma. High school seniors are looking outside of Ohio for their education due to the high cost of their colleges.

Our seniors are calling out for help. Health Care, prescription drugs, and virtually everything else has cast a tremendous burden on the financial security of our seniors. We must not sit still while those who fought in World War II and in Korea find themselves in yet another battle – this being a war on surviving. We all dream of retirement. Let’s not turn this dream into a nightmare.

Our society has also turned our backs on many problems that plague many of our neighbors. The single Mom – trying to find a balance between her parental responsibilities and her workplace responsibilities. We must also address those who work for a wage that is inadequate for providing a decent life for their families. There are too many Americans who are working hard every day and still living in poverty. This cannot be tolerated!

Also, our neighborhoods are changing. I see too many “For Sale” signs when we should be seeing “Welcome” signs. Our nation was built on the principles that we are all equal. Different nationalities immigrated to this great nation. They learned that the Slovenians, Irish, Italian, Hungarians and Polish could live in harmony. Today’s world is no different. We must reach out, learn to live in harmony, to respect our differences and to insure that everyone has the opportunity to choose where to live, choose where to worship and to earn a decent wage to provide for our families.

Together – we can all live in peace and harmony. Together – we can all take pride in where we live and work and do the best that we can. Together – we can work to look out for the unemployed factory worker, the single Mom, the Grandmother struggling to make ends meet and the frustrated college student. Together – we must reach out and work as one to keep our neighborhoods safe, to restore our homes to their original condition and our property values up. Together – we can revive our moral values, our desire to worship at a church of our choice, as well as our ability to live in peace and harmony.

2005 brought skyrocketing gasoline prices, increases in our taxes and heating costs which continue to keep getting higher. We fought to protect the funding for our communities and for various programs that serve so many of our constituents. Once again, school funding for our public schools fell flat. In November 2005, Ohioans voted for a Job Program. My concern is the repayment of these monies if we continue to take Ohio down the wrong path.

2006 will challenge us to look at new resources for fuel and energy. As more and more people rely on the State of Ohio for assistance, we must assure that our various programs are adequately funded. We must take action to provide necessary dollars for our public schools and places of higher education. We cannot allow our businesses and factories to either close or move to another state. Ohio must remain competitive in medical research and science technology with not only other states, but with countries throughout the world. We must restore the "hope" that way too many people rely on as their motivation to stay here.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

As your State Representative, you have my pledge to continue the fight so that contentment and happiness is more than just a dream... that one day soon it can become a reality.

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