Letson has earned support of 64th District Democrats

Voters in the 64th Ohio House District should ask themselves the following question as they contemplate the battle for the Democratic Party nomination in the May 4 primary:

Is it beneficial to have a two-term representative at the table when the state budget and other issues of importance to Ohio are being discussed, or is there an advantage to having someone who would be a freshman with no experience in state government?

From our vantage point, the budget crisis, the effort to create jobs in the Mahoning Valley, and the experience that comes from serving in the General Assembly make the case for incumbent Tom Letson.

Indeed, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Letson is in a position to not only have an up-close look at Ohio’s fiscal picture, but he has the ear of the speaker, Armond Budish, and other Democratic leaders, and also of Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland. Such access stands in good stead not only for the 64th District, but the Mahoning Valley as a whole.

Letson, who is in his fourth year as a representative, is being challenged for the Democratic nomination by Vincent Flask, a six-year member of Warren City Council.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Albert J. Haberstroh Jr. of Southington in the November general election.

Both the candidates in the May primary are Warren residents, but they have different professional backgrounds.

Letson is a lawyer with Letson & Swader, Co., LPA. He is a past president of the Trumbull County Bar Association, and has worked as an acting judge in Warren and an assistant city prosecutor in Newton Falls.

In addition to serving as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and vice chairman of the Insurance Committee, he is a member of the Health Committee and the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. He also serves on the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission.

Flask, who retired as a laborer from Delphi Packard Electric with a buyout, is owner of Liberty Tax Service with offices in Warren, Niles, Boardman and Girard. In Warren City Council, he is chairman of the Water/Water Pollution Control Committee and former chairman of the Public Utilities Committee.

Challenges

The differences between the two candidates are accentuated by their understanding of the challenges confronting the governor and the legislature in developing the next biennium budget.

In his meeting with The Vindicator’s editorial board, Flask was unable to discuss with any specificity what needs to be done. Indeed, other than saying that he would focus on increasing revenue rather than making cuts, he was in the dark about the budget.

That is troubling, especially since the residents of the 64th District will be affected by the decisions made in Columbus.

By contrast, Letson not only has a firm grasp of what occurred in developing the current biennium budget, but has thought about what could be done in the future.

Noting that 5,000 state jobs have been eliminated from the General Revenue Fund and $5.6 billion cut out of the budget, the Ways and Means Committee chairman told The Vindicator that the challenge will be to further reduce spending.

On the other hand, Letson has been thinking about ways to increase revenue, and one avenue he says should be explored is the “capture” of the state’s sales tax on purchases by Ohioans through the Internet, from catalogues, by telephone and in states where Ohio residents make purchases and bring them home.

Gas drilling

But while Flask is unable to speak with any authority about state finances, he is making an issue of the latest legislative initiative on gas drilling in urban areas.

He contends that Letson, rather than listening to his constituents in Warren and elsewhere by pushing for more stringent requirements, embraced the Senate bill that updated the law.

Among the key provisions: a fee to fund oil and gas oversight; and, a program to deal with orphan wells to reduce the number of abandoned sites.

Flask contends that the 150-foot setback — the distance a well can be drilled from a home — is inadequate and should be increased to 300 feet. In response, Letson told The Vindicator that while the gas drilling bill was not perfect, “it will change things for the better.”

Had the measure been voted down — it passed with substantial margins in House and Senate — the status quo would have prevailed.

The 64th District covers Warren, Cortland, West Farmington, and the townships of Howland, Champion, Warren, Braceville, Southington, Farmington, Johnston, Vernon, Mecca, Bristol, and parts of Mesopotamia, Fowler and Bazetta.

Letson has earned Democrats’ support.