The Road to the White House
An Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates
By the Municipal Leader Editorial Staff
During this historic presidential election, each of you has already changed the contemporary political arena. Your campaigns have been inspirational to voters who were once excluded from participating in America’s democracy. Your campaigns have persevered in spite of the relentless media coverage, opposition research and negative campaigning.
It could be said that this is a presidential campaign of firsts. As of our print date, one of you will be the first African-American, female or most senior president of the United States. One of you will be the first senator elected president since Richard Nixon. But most likely, you will not be the first candidate since 1964 to win the presidency without winning Ohio. The streak speaks for itself,and it will continue in 2008. It’s even more challenging for you, Sen. McCain. No Republican candidate has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.
The state of Ohio receives enormous attention during presidential campaigns, and not just for the 20 electoral votes, but because we represent a true microcosm of the entire nation.
The bottom line is that if you want to take your place in history as our nation’s forty-fourth president, you must win Ohio. However, we at the Northeast Ohio Municipal Leader argue that if you want to win Ohio, you must win the 16-county region that encompasses Northeast Ohio.
There is more to Northeast Ohio than you may see on your frequent campaign stops. Did you know that our 16 counties – out of Ohio’s 88 – accounted for nearly 40 percent of the ballots cast during the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004, whereas the 27 counties in Southeast Ohio accounted for just 10 percent?
According to the Employers Resource Council, Northeast Ohio now has the fifth largest concentration of medical facilities in the U.S. Additionally, Northeast Ohio is home to more than 50 colleges and universities, making it the second largest concentration of educational institutions in the nation, second only to New York City.
Our economy is resilient to a volatile market. Ohio is the sixth largest exporter state in the nation, and Northeast Ohio accounts for more than half of those exports. Our workforce is diverse, skilled, dedicated and productive.
We are realists, though. We don’t see our region through rose-tinted glasses. We have our problems, too. Our largest city is, unfortunately, ranked as one of the poorest cities in the nation. We, like many states, have been devastated by predatory lending and an increasing number of home foreclosures. Our school funding structure has chronic problems that require resolution. We are trying to recover from the loss of many manufacturing jobs.
This article will offer you Northeast Ohio-focused thoughts regarding economic development, education and health care. What we need from you are answers. What we need from you are results. There is no doubt that during the next several months you will criss-cross our state and make multiple campaign stops. While you talk about how important Ohio is to your campaign’s success, keep in mind that your success depends on winning Northeast Ohio.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Northeast Ohio continues to struggle with economic development in relation to the rest of the nation. Our taxes are high in order to maintain key critical services. We need to reinvigorate economic growth to offset this financial burden from our employers, workers and homeowners. Foreclosures have hit our region particularly hard at a time when economic development remains slow. Additionally, energy costs are adding to the economic strain for our businesses and families. While our region trails the economic growth of the rest of the nation, escalating gasoline prices only compound the financial burden facing business owners and operators.
Action is being taken to collaborate as a region to compete nationally and internationally for new jobs and economic expansion. This task is daunting, but we are proud of where we live, work and raise our families, and we are committed to reinvigorating Northeast Ohio. There is a commitment to strengthen our entire region, not just our individual municipalities, including an increased awareness that we will survive and thrive when we work together to compete.
We do not seek a charitable hand-out, but rather assistance in support of our own efforts. As president, we need you to support programs to help economically challenged regions of the nation.
Therefore, as you campaign here in our region, offer solutions that will deliver results for Northeast Ohio. We want you to discuss how your initiatives will take us where we want and need to go. How will your administration deliver on the numerous opportunities for us to use our natural resources of fresh water and wind to bring high-tech, green industry jobs into our area? Our core cities are uniquely ready to provide the manufacturing facilities, equipment and workforce to produce the green technology that is in such high demand. Additionally, we need you to encourage shipping through Cleveland to alleviate strains on the East Coast, and support Northeast Ohio’s network of state-of-the-art medical facilities and world-renowned physicians.
Northeast Ohio will be electing one of you to bring high-quality jobs back to the area. Voters here are going to scrutinize and evaluate your economic development policies like never before, and your plan must ensure you can deliver economic development results to Northeast Ohio if you expect to be victorious on Election Day.
EDUCATION
It seems that every few years, schools scramble to comply with new mandates, which are created to ensure our students remain competitive in core educational courses. Yet, we have seen the achievement level of American students slipping in relation to the rest of the world.
Ohio lawmakers have looked for the solution in standardized testing, funding incentives, mandates and school accountability. There is no doubt that Ohioans are seeking an answer to the education funding reform dilemma. If you, as the next president, truly want to improve the educational development level of the children in Northeast Ohio, you must address the issue of unfunded mandates, which can have a crippling effect on school districts.
In our discussions with superintendents and school district treasurers, we have learned that federal mandates are not inherently negative. On the surface, their purpose often makes sense and can be helpful to the school district. However, when mandates are passed without funding, the school districts can suffer. Even if our state were to drastically reform our education funding structure, the fact remains that the districts must pay for federal mandates. This reduces opportunities for other programming areas or leads to cuts in current programs.
The choice, then, is actually quite straightforward. Your administration must allow states and local communities to control their school districts without federal mandates, or you must adequately fund the mandates the federal government imposes.
HEALTH CARE
Health care is a major issue for many workers and their families in this region. Northeast Ohio is home to some of the nation’s most elite medical facilities, physicians and research scientists. Yet, for too many, access and affordability remain as barriers to taking advantage of the facilities in our own neighborhoods.
Reforming the nation’s health care system is a daunting task. Health care spending is nearly one-sixth of our entire national economy, a huge part of our national expenditures. Many employers can no longer afford to provide extensive health care coverage and remain competitive in our global economy. This strain on businesses is unbearable at a time when Northeast Ohio needs these businesses to thrive and create jobs in our cities and across our region.
As president, your administration must deliver bold ideas and initiatives to address access to quality, affordable health care. These bold ideas must provide relief for citizens and the businesses which are tasked with providing quality health care. We do not need expensive new mandates and regulations, but ideas that will increase health care affordability without limiting innovation.
SEVERAL MONTHS TO GO
Northeast Ohio will account for nearly half of the entire state’s vote in the upcoming election. We do not want you to empathize with us, but, instead, to provide unique leadership that addresses the serious problems facing our region. We need you to be a champion for our area, a strong driver for jobs, and a leader who will allow education experts to drive education reform. We need you to be an advocate for access to quality, affordable health care for our employers, our workers and their families in order to reduce another obstacle to job growth. Your administration must address energy costs and ever-rising gasoline prices, which are crippling businesses already struggling in a weak economy.
Our votes will be cast on Nov. 4 for someone who will directly address and promote our region. When the ballots are counted and Northeast Ohio has elected you to the presidency, we simply ask you to remember the region that elected you to the highest office in the land, and deliver on the campaign promises you have made. NEO
