I am running again for the 54th Ohio House District in 2016. While I welcome your good wishes and support, I am sad to say that I will not be running an active campaign this year. My job and other commitments do not not give me the time I need to run an effective campaign.
That said, I believe it is important to give the citizens of Warren and Butler Counties in the 54th District a real choice of candidates. I also plan to spend the limited time I have to support the Party's general effort to elect Democrats this year. Given how gerrymandered the State House Districts are (my opponent spent a total of $50 to beat me 72% to 28% in 2014), my time is better spent helping to elect our Presidential, Senate, and Ohio Supreme Court nominees.
Sincerely,
Rick Smith
Welcome to my website! Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, I think you will find my candidacy for Ohio State Representative in District 54 refreshing. I believe that Ohioans are not being served by the current State Legislature. The problem is that they have ignored three basic principles….principles that have effectively governed relationships everywhere from the kindergarten playground to the executive boardroom – Respect, Reason, and Fairness.
Please view my Facebook page for the latest information and issue discussions (https://www.facebook.com/mrsmithgoestocolumbus)
Respect
I don’t know anyone who isn’t sick of the divisiveness of politics today…and it seems to be getting worse every year. Government works best when both parties respect one another and respect the voter. We need to remove the institutional barriers to respectful dialog in politics by introducing redistricting and campaign finance reform.
Reason
Reason means passing reasonable legislation that truly addresses a problem or creates an opportunity. It also means not passing laws that just don’t pass the “red face” test. We can bring Reason back to government by bringing transparency back to Jobs Ohio, stop focusing on wedge issues, and make investments in transportation and education that will really increase jobs.
Fairness
When one party controls all three branches of government, it often overreaches, passing laws that become more and more ideologically pure without considering the diversity of needs and thought among Ohio citizens. Senate Bill 5 was the most public example of this, but there seems to be a systematic lack of concern for the needs of average Ohioans in the current Legislature. We can bring Fairness back to Ohio by making Medicaid expansion permanent, reducing the relative tax burden on the middle, restoring funding to local schools and governments, and ending any effort to make Ohio a right-to-work state.
