In Columbiana: Bolon, Wilson

In Columbiana: Bolon, Wilson

Both of Columbiana County’s members of the Ohio General Assembly have been active supporters of what would be a transforming project for the county, a coal-to-liquid plant proposed by Baard Energy. The $5.5 billion facility would be built in Wellsville and would provide thousands of construction jobs over a period of years and then hundreds of good jobs after that.

Their support for the Baard project and the need for continuity would be reason enough to endorse the re-election of state Rep. Linda Bolon in the 1st House District and the election to a full term of state Sen. Jason Wilson, who was appointed to the 30th Senate District seat when his father, Charlie Wilson, was elected to Congress. But both earn The Vindicator’s endorsement on other issues.

Wilson supports Gov. Ted Strickland’s call for fiscal discipline in Columbus and resurrecting the economy throughout the state. As general manager of the family’s furniture business for 16 years, he has a businessman’s eye toward the economy, but he also speaks passionately about the need for the state to help families struggling with job loss, foreclosures and health care issues.

His opponent, Republican Tim Ginther, did not attend an endorsement interview with the paper’s editorial board.

Bolon, who is seeking her second term, also wants to see the legislature tackle the tough issues of school funding. She proposes restructuring and moving away from the dependence on property taxes for funding. Her auditing background gives her a solid understanding of some of the problems schools face.

Bolon is being challenged by Caroline Hergenrother, a Republican making her first run for public office. Hergenrother brings conviction and enthusiasm to the race, but didn’t handle follow-up questions well. For instance, she was emphatic that Ohio’s regulatory environment stifles job creation. We anticipated that the nursing home operator would be able to give concrete examples of such over-regulation in her highly regulated business, but she didn’t.

Voters in the 1st House District and the 30th Senate District would do well to stick with their Democratic incumbents, Bolon and Wilson.