Candidate: John Kasich

Political Party: Republican

Background: John Kasich is Ohio’s current governor. He was sworn in on Jan. 10, 2011. Kasich has been praised for adding an estimated 244,000 jobs. From 1995-2001, Kasich served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio’s 12th congressional district from 1983-2001. During his tenure, he was the Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget. Mary Taylor, Kasich’s running mate and current lieutenant governor, leads the Common Sense Initiative intended to create a jobs-friendly climate. She also serves as the director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. 

Why should I care?

Kasich is known for being fiscally conservative. As chairman, Kasich spearheaded the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which included a $112 billion cut to Medicare funding. In June, Kasich approved House Bill 483, which cut Ohio’s income tax by 10 percent. It also expanded tax cuts for small businesses and low-income households. Earlier this year, Kasich signed House Bill 487 — a provision making it easier for high school students to gain college credits in while in high school — into law. The governor said the biggest challenges facing higher education are quality and value. In the governor’s 2014 mid-biennium review, he emphasized taking advantage of technology, distance learning and keeping international students in Ohio after graduation.

Message to Kent State Students:

Connie Wehrkamp, the communications director for the Kasich campaign, said Gov. Kasich’s most recent budget limited in-state undergraduate tuition and general fee increases to no more than 2 percent at four-year colleges and $100 at community colleges.

“It’s no secret that many college students and their parents are concerned about two things: the cost of tuition and job opportunities after graduation,” Wehrkamp said. “In order to compete in today’s global economy, higher education has to make changes to become more affordable and this will remain a focus for the Governor in his second term.”

Mary Taylor is Kasich’s choice for lieutenant governor. Kasich named Taylor to lead Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative intended to create a jobs-friendly climate in Ohio and serves as the director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. Previously, Taylor was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for three years.

Candidate: Ed FitzGerald

Political Party: Democrat

Background:

Ed FitzGerald currently serves as the first Cuyahoga County Executive. He has emphasized boosting the local economy by creating the Western Reserve Fund, a $100 million economic development fund passed in 2012 intended to help businesses and create jobs. He also helped initiate building Cleveland’s new $465 million convention center. Before becoming the County Executive, FitzGerald served as the mayor of Lakewood, Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and an FBI special agent. FitzGerald attended The Ohio State University and earned a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Why should I care?

FitzGerald’s plan to make college more affordable across the state includes putting $100 in a college savings account for every Ohio kindergartner next year. FitzGerald said he wants to restore state funding levels to $160 million in state financial aid for current college students. He wants to ensure Ohio’s community colleges and vocational system is supported to prepare students well.

Sharen Neuhardt, FitzGerald’s running mate for lieutenant governor, is a lawyer and made two unsuccessful runs for U.S. Congress. She is an abortions-rights activist and was a board member of Planned Parenthood of Miami Valley who helped lead a protest last fall of Kasich’s budget that included abortion restrictions.

Message to Kent State Students:

FitzGerald could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Candidate: Anita Rios

Political Party: Green

Background: 

Background

Anita Rios, a longtime green party activist, currently serves on the Central Committees for both the Lucas County and Ohio Green Parties and most recently was President of the Ohio chapter of the National Organization for Women, according to Rios’ website. She was elected to head of the union for Zepf Community Mental Health Center in Lucas County, which provides a range of behavioral health services. She negotiated two union contracts, and was the union’s representative to the regional labor council of the AFL-CIO.

Why should I care?

Rios has campaigned for lowering the cost of tuition at public institutes of higher education by placing limits on administrative spending. Her platform states she would work for a state-charted bank, the legalization of marijuana and hemp, and lobby to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Ohio. According to her website, she and her running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Bob Fitrakis, would work to ban hydraulic fracking, declare amnesty for all undocumented immigrants and place a moratorium on closing  abortion clinics.