Approximately 200-to-300 concerned citizens attended a passionate debate on Issue 2 between a state senator and an attorney representing Ohio’s firefighters at a local school in Liberty Township Monday night.
The highly publicized Issue, where each campaign committee has aired television ads featuring firefighters, is a petition-driven referendum to repeal Senate Bill 5, a collective bargaining overhaul that limited the ability of public workers to negotiate for wages, working conditions and pension benefits.
Steve Lazarus, an attorney representing the Ohio Association of Firefighters, spoke against the law and encouraged the community to vote “no” on Issue 2.
“I ask this question to myself because I don’t know the answer and I am going to ask the same question to you, how much is too much to pay someone who goes to work everyday and says to their spouse and children ‘goodbye’ and they may or may be coming home at the end of their shift?’” Lazarus said.
Speaking in favor of Issue 2 and in approval of Senate Bill 5, State Senator Bill Coley said the law gives city, township and school officials more tools when to comes to balancing their budgets during poor economic times.
“Local government has to get control over its budget and when there are step increases and automatic pay raises and things like that and you don’t have the control you need over your budget and you get into situations where you must raise taxes,” Coley said.
During the debate, Coley focused on how Issue 2 restores balance and fairness by asking government employees to pay 15 percent of their health insurance, 10 percent of their retirement and have pay raises be based on performance.
West Chester Township Trustee Catherine Stoker questioned Senate Bill 5 after the township has lost its local government funds, tangible personal property taxes and estate taxes.
“Issue 2 is supposed to recoup this five to six million dollars a year?
“By making them (government employees) pay their health premiums from 12 percent to 15 percent saves us a couple hundred grand a year,” Stoker said. “I am sorry, I don’t know how we are going to maintain our roads with this kind of math.”
Despite the event being sponsored by the Liberty Township Tea Party, the majority of the crowd appeared to be opposed to Issue 2 and often cheered on Lazarus.
“There is no reason to have collective bargaining if one side holds all the cards. It is a sham,” said Lazarus on Issue 2. “Why are we wasting our time with collective bargaining when one side gets to make the decision.”
Meanwhile, Coley argued that the current collective bargaining laws have to be changed and if Issue 2 is not passed then change will never happen.
“We changed the law so you the voters have the final say what is or is not fair. Those who oppose change want you to vote ‘no’ on Issue 2, so we can give that power back to labor lawyers,” Coley said. “We trust you, they don’t.”
Posted in: Board of Trustees, Election, Events, Government, News, Political events, Tea Party |
Tags: Tags: Bill Coley, Catherine Stoker, Doc Thompson, Doc Thompson 700 WLW, Liberty Township Tea Party, Ohio Association of Fire Fighters, SB5, Senate Bill 5, Senator Bill Coley, Steve Lazarus, Tea Party
