BG Independent News posed a series of written questions to legislative candidates. These are the responses from the candidates for the State Senate District 2.
Joel O’Dorisio is a proud father, professor, and labor leader. He grew up in Columbus, attending public schools his entire life. After graduating from Ohio State University, he moved around the country developing his trade as a glassblower and starting a small business. He moved back to Ohio 14 years ago after getting a teaching position at BGSU. O’Dorisio helped unionize BGSU in 2010, providing stability and security to faculty and staff. Today, he is running for State Senate to strengthen public education, improve the lives of working people, and end government corruption.
Theresa Gavarone was sworn into the Ohio Senate in 2019 having previously served in the Ohio House since 2016. She represents the people of Erie, Ottawa, Wood, Fulton (part) and Lucas (part) Counties. Prior to her service in the state legislature, Senator Gavarone served on Bowling Green City Council and practiced law in northwest Ohio.
Senator Gavarone holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University and a law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law.
In addition to her public service, Senator Gavarone is an attorney and the co-owner of Mr. Spots restaurant with her husband, Jim. They have three children and reside in Bowling Green where they attend St. Aloysius Catholic Church.
Do you favor the repeal of House Bill 6? In explaining your stance please address the effect this will have on green energy in the state.
O’DORISIO: I would support the repeal and replacement of HB 6. We cannot accept endemic corruption as a necessary factor in governing our state. I understand the crucial role of the Davis Bessie plant in the economy of both Ottawa and Erie counties, but we cannot ignore a $60 million bribe to purchase legislation, nor allow Ohioans to pay 1.4 billion dollars in corruption back taxes through higher electricity bills. Further, HB 6 eliminated RPS rules that protect our environment.
The elimination of RPS rules will ultimately harm communities like Bowling Green that have been at the forefront of renewable energy development. By subsidizing nuclear and coal directly, we make renewable energy uncompetitive. First Solar, the largest solar panel manufacturer in this hemisphere, is located in our district and will inherently suffer from this deal. The burden on renewables from RPS rollbacks make it nearly impossible to pursue commercial scale wind and solar.
GAVARONE: One of the nuclear power plants, Davis-Besse, is located in my district. That plant employs thousands of people, both directly and indirectly, across my district and in the state and it provides millions in tax revenue that is spent on things like school funding, emergency services, and libraries. The closure of that plant would devastate our region. Also important to note, I am a huge supporter of carbon-free energy. Nuclear power represents 90% of the carbon-free energy in the state. Should the plants close, that will increase our reliance on fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas. Retaining our nuclear plants will keep our energy portfolio diverse, which will help maintain low energy costs and reliability. That legislation also created a net decrease in consumer energy prices. I am opposed to any and all efforts to shutdown Davis-Besse.
How do you propose to address the financing of public education given the property-based system was found to be unconstitutional in 1997?
O’DORISIO: On a deeply simplified basis, we need to fund schools based on the cost of educating students rather than the wealth of local communities. Schools are an investment in our future, and as a state we have been shortchanging ourselves by abdicating our responsibility to fully fund districts based on the number of students they serve. We need to keep public money in public schools, rather than funneling public money through unregulated vouchers. We also need to make sure that any charter school that receives public money is accountable to the same high standards as our public schools for testing, teacher qualifications, and accessibility for students with special needs.
GAVARONE: Education must be among our highest priorities. I certainly believe the legislature should continue its work on alternative school funding models. However, since I joined the legislature in 2016, funding for schools has increased by hundreds of millions of dollars. That funding has increased for suburban, urban, and rural school districts. I have worked incredibly well with superintendents, teachers, school officials, parents and students to improve education across the state, and I will continue to do so as State Senator. In fact, I am such a strong advocate for education that I earned the endorsement of the largest teacher’s organization in the state, the Ohio Education Association.
Should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, would you favor a ban on abortion in Ohio?
O’DORISIO: I support the Supreme Court’s ruling on women’s right to choose the quality and scope of their own medical care. Choosing to start a family is a deeply personal moral and ethical decision. I trust each woman to make the decision that is right for themselves about when and how to start a family.
GAVARONE: I am pro-life. I believe in the sanctity of life and protecting Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens. I have supported and will continue to support legislation that will provide women with resources that will help them carry their babies to term, that will help with prenatal care and parenting classes, and that will help counsel any woman struggling with an unplanned pregnancy. If the Supreme Court makes a decision about Roe v. Wade and legislation results from that decision, then I will be sure to carefully consider the language of the bill and the thoughts of my constituents before casting a vote.
What needs to be done to address the distrust of police by some citizens?
O’DORISIO: As I look at Senate District 2, it’s easy to see that different parts of our district have different needs. For example, some rural portions of our community do not have adequate staffing of first responders. Low paid and understaffed departments have left some of our rural communities with only a handful of deputies on duty at night, or volunteer services for critical safety infrastructure.
As a BGSU professor, I am also a mandated reporter. That means I am required to share
information on students who show signs of suicidal intent. The county responds to such reports by sending police officers to evaluate the mental health of the student. If that student is found to need mental health services, they are often walked out of their housing in handcuffs and driven away in the back of a police car. Is this really the best way to help a community member in crisis? Everyone will be better served by having appropriately skilled professionals able to respond in relevant circumstances.
I know from experience that we need to fund police in communities that are under-served, but we also need accountability for the professionals serving our communities.
I will therefore never call for “defunding” the police. I am calling for increased funding for mental health counseling, shelters for domestic violence, addiction services, and paramedics. I am also calling for simple reforms to ensure our police and our communities can interact safely.
I support eight concrete reforms that have been shown to reduce police violence by up to 70 percent:
1. Ban choke holds.
2. Require de-escalation.
3. Require warning before shooting.
4. Require exhausting all alternatives before shooting.
5. Each officer has a duty to intervene.
6. Ban shooting at moving vehicles.
7. Require a use of force continuum.
8. Require comprehensive reporting on use of force.
Public servants must be responsible to the communities that they serve. To heal and protect our communities, we need to provide them the services they are asking for.
GAVARONE: I’ve worked with law enforcement in many different capacities over the past 26 years – through my work as an attorney, my work on Bowling Green City Council, and my work in the state legislature. Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our safety every single time they put on their badge. I am a strong supporter of police, but I am also open to reforms. We need to listen to better understand the viewpoints of those who distrust the police and work together, with law enforcement, to address any such issues in our communities. Any talks about reform MUST include law enforcement and, without their input, any changes made will be ineffective and almost certainly a recipe for disaster.
Should the state legislature have more control over public health orders? Should the legislature be able to override these decisions by the administration?
O’DORISIO: Health orders should be based on the best available medical evidence, and should not be subject to political considerations. In general, this has not been a controversial opinion until recently. It is easy to see the problems that can arise if huge portions of our population decide that they do not have to comply with health orders as we try to return to work and to school safely. We cannot have a healthy economy without healthy citizens to run the economy and we need everyone working together to make sure we slow the spread of COVID 19.
GAVARONE: Absolutely. Legislators are the direct line to government for our constituents and I believe the Legislative branch should play a bigger role when decisions like shutting down the economy are made. I believe the Governor has the right, and should continue to have the right, to make public health orders. However, the legislature should also have the right to evaluate those orders, conduct hearings with input from medical professionals and members of the public, and if the measures are too broad, harmful, or go too far, there should be a simple mechanism to rescind those orders. There are three branches of government for a reason – checks and balances.
