In this article from the Columbus Dispatch, Governor John Kasich calls for local elected officials to work together to reduce costs and provide better services for the taxpayers. With political considerations set aside, it’s time for real leadership in Ohio. Please share your thoughts below:
Although not in Gov. John Kasich’s budget by name, Senate Bill 5 is there in spirit.
Kasich said yesterday that legislation to limit collective bargaining for public employees is part of his plan to help local governments and public schools absorb the approximately $1.9 billion in cuts outlined in his proposed budget.
“This was designed to give local people a chance to deal with what we knew was coming,” Kasich said during an interview with The Dispatch’s editorial board yesterday.
And
In perhaps his strongest message yet to mayors, county commissioners and school boards, Kasich challenged local leaders to avoid raising taxes to cope with cuts in state funding.
The governor said Senate Bill 5 and his first biennial budget, which promotes sharing services between governments, pooling health-care costs and reducing prevailing-wage requirements on public construction contracts, are tools for local governments to control costs.
“Look, we’re making hard decisions at the state level,” Kasich said. “It is time for local government to make decisions at the local level. We’re giving them a lot of tools, and if they want more tools, we’ll give them to them.
“Everybody in this state, whether it’s the townships, whether it’s the cities, whether it’s the school districts – raising taxes at the local level is not an option.”
Kasich said his proposed changes to Medicaid, education, prisons and other state functions were difficult decisions skipped by previous governors because of political considerations. He is asking local officials to follow his lead and set politics aside.
“You’re a mayor, you’re on the school board, you just don’t want to deliver bad news to anybody,” Kasich said. “I’m calling for people to be leaders.”
You can read the entire article here.
Really unhappy that u signed the SB5 bill! I am a public employee of the Ohio Turnpike,my hours have been cut as it is after 15 years!Turnpike is self sustaining not payed for by tax dollars as most people think and making a profit! Now you want to sell it so a lot of people will lose their jobs!!! Indiana did this an the whole thing is a sorry mess! we hear all the complaints from people coming from there! How about doing something to make jobs not take them away!!!
Who is he kidding? Truely he doesn’t think restricting the bargaining tools of Public Employees is going to help us does he? If anything, it’s going to hurt. Thank God I;m not a Public Employee and this doesn’t effect me as it will others. Kasich should be ashamed of himself, and should the rest of the Ohio Legislature for this incredible error in judgement on their own behalf, trying to say it will balance the budget. Naybe they should go back to school and relearn a few things…wait…they cut bargaining rights for teachers and budgets for schools too, so that will not do any good either.
This bill should help deter the many sub-adequate so-called “teachers” who are in the various pathetic public school systems in Ohio who go into the business for no other reasons other than the Lenin-influenced and antiquated teachers’ unions assure them cradle-to-grave job security and lucrative benefits, summers off, winter ski trips, Monday holiday weekend ski trips, supplemental contracts for everything from hall duty to lunch duty (most of which should be a part of their salaries anyways since they should be considered “management” instead of “labor” or make them all wear blue collars), freedom of numbers or quotas or any other accountability measures upon which their annual rehiring is contingent, sick days, snow days, off at 3 p.m., weekends off, free continuing education, and plenty of misery-loves-company companions for whining and wheezing fests. Meanwhile, all the taxpayers who have been footing the bills for these luxurious lifestyles have to put up with phoning into a corporate or government call center and have to endure one of these public school products who could not verbally put together a coherent sentence to explain a service lucidly and understandably if her life depended upon it, and forget about expecting one of these public school products to have an analytical notion, to no fault of his own due to the pathetic push them through and pass them with no questions asked attitude of these so-called “teachers” who are there for “me,” “me” and “me” – and who cares about the students. Now they might have some incentive to start caring.
I have been a loyal Republican voter since I have been allowed to vote. I am a police officer who is a member of the FOP union. As I am sure you remember the state FOP endorsed the other candidate, but I voted for you in spite of who the union endorsed. I am now very sorry that I did vote for you.
My local FOP union just signed a contract with the city that I work for. We voted to not take a raise for two years to help with the financial woes of the city and my city is fiscally sound with over $5 million in reserves. Now because of SB5, I can look forward to never getting a raise for the rest of my career. I know that the city that I work for will not bargain in good faith once SB5 becomes law. Raises and benefits will not be given to the people who come to work every day and do their job effectively. Raises and benefits will only be given to the people with political clout, in other words the employees that can kiss the most ass of the city administrators. I am not one of those employees that is political, but I do come to work every day, provide the best service I can to the community I serve, and put my life on the line for my community.
Thank you Mr. Kasich for effectively losing a loyal Republican voter. I will never vote Republican again in this state.
John,
Try this one on for size when you are making legisative decisions.
‘ Every time sombody gets somthing that they did NOT work for sowhere sombody works for somthing that they DID NOT get”.
I am sick and tired of working hard for myself only to find out that the State of OHIO has decided to take my hard earned money and redestribute it to some scum bag low life that refused to work. I don’t ask for anything I just want to keep what is mine for myself !!!!!!!