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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > October > 09
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Editorial: Mims is experience and more realistic
Susan Haverkos is stepping down after four years representing Montgomery, Miami, Butler and part of Darke counties on the state board of education. A bid by her husband, Mark Haverkos, to replace her is opposed by Jeff Mims, president of the Dayton Board of Education.
Both men have an earnest interest in education and a strong understanding of the state board’s role. But neither presents a strong vision for what he wants to accomplish.
Still, the best choice is Mr. Mims, because of his experience and resume.
As a young man just back from Vietnam, where he was a squad leader with a special forces unit, he started out as a teacher’s aide in Dayton. During his 35-year career in the city schools, he was an award-winning teacher, a coach, teachers’ union president, administrator and lobbyist. He lived in the district and sent his children to Dayton schools. In retirement, he became school board president.
Mr. Mims, not surprisingly, is most passionate about urban education. He’d have useful perspectives on how state policy actually will play out at the local level. As a former lobbyist in Columbus, Mr. Mims has contacts in the legislature and knows how that body does business.
Some state board members complain about being left out of education policy decisions made by Gov. Ted Strickland and other top lawmakers. The truth is that voters hold the governor more accountable for the state of Ohio’s schools than they do the state board. Most voters don’t know it exists. Meanwhile, the state is sending a lot of money to school districts.
Mr. Mims isn’t pushing any particular agenda. He says his top priority would be to help the state board “unify” and that he has a special interest in school transportation. Those aren’t exactly transformational issues.
Mr. Haverkos, co-owner of a computer data center, believes suburban school districts are getting shortchanged by the state. He says urban schools get too much funding, notwithstanding that their mostly poor students come to school behind and often require special help. He’s rigid in the extreme in his thinking that all districts should be financially equal and that all students require the same kinds of attention.
Mr. Haverkos says his top policy issue is “local control” and suggests wasteful spending could be reined in if the state were more demanding in the way it funds districts. He also believes school consolidation should be on the table as a cost-saver, although he doesn’t offer compelling ideas about the role the state board could play on those issues.
Serving as the voice of parents (his daughter is a recent high school graduate) and reworking funding for school transportation also are among his interests.
Politically, Mr. Mims and Mr. Haverkos are polar opposites. Mr. Mims is strongly connected to the Democratic Party, while Mr. Haverkos, from West Chester, is a suburban Republican. Both, however, believe intelligent design — a religious theory about the origins of the universe that’s offered as an alternative to evolution — should be taught in science class. Thankfully, both say that they wouldn’t push for changes in the science curriculum.
A painful war was fought not long ago on the state board over requiring science classes to teach intelligent design. Sanity prevailed. Even so, it’s surprising and disappointing that Dayton area voters don’t have the option of voting for a candidate who is strongly supportive of teaching only legitimate science.
Overall, it’s Mr. Mims who makes the best case that he will add value to the state board.
Letters of recommendation for the candidates can be found here.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: 2010 endorsements, Editorials, Education, Scott Elliott
TweetEditorial: Lehner should keep her job in Columbus
2010 Election
Click here to read letters of recommendation for these candidates.
Republican state Rep. Peggy Lehner says she wishes her opponent would move across the street from where he’s currently living, which would put him in a different legislative district.
She thinks Steve Byington would make a good legislator, but she doesn’t want him to have her job representing Miamisburg, Miami Twp., West Carrollton, Moraine and Oakwood, and parts of Kettering, Dayton, Carlisle and Springboro.
Rep. Lehner has nothing but nice things to say about the Oakwood City Council member, whom she knows from her interaction with a group of officials who represent “first-tier” suburbs. That group gets together to talk about problems that are vexing them, but not the newer, farther-out suburbs that have less poverty and newer homes and infrastructure.
Mr. Byington works as a project designer for a Daytonn architectural firm. He’s been on Oakwood’s council since 2008, which has gotten him connected to other groups like the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and the National League of Cities.
He says he’s interested in creating better planning standards, a view that’s usually associated with those who believe states should have incentives for regions to stop sprawling. He has not taken a “no new taxes” pledge (neither has Rep. Lehner) and he says he would have supported delaying the last phase of the state income tax cut (which Rep. Lehner supported).
Rep. Lehner, who was on Kettering City Council for nine years and failed in a bid to be on the Montgomery County Commission, is facing her first re-election. She’s been in the minority in the House these last two years, but she has been particularly dedicated to building bridges to Democrats and lowering the level of partisanship in Columbus.
Some people who have politically safe districts decide that situation allows them to be hyper-partisan; others use that latitude to try to get things done and find common ground. In opting for the latter, Rep. Lehner has the more mature, commendable style.
She is against the pending $400 million project to build high-speed rail between Cleveland and Cincinnati, passing through Dayton and Columbus. She calls the service a “19th century choo-choo,” and criticizes the incremental nature of the program. (Her opponent supports the “3C” plan.)
Married to a doctor, Rep. Lehner has disagreed with her party by voting for rules requiring insurance plans to provide certain coverage for autism and diabetes. That she’s willing to disagree with her party takes a certain courage because the assumption is that if state Sen. Jon Husted wins his race for secretary of state, Rep. Lehner could succeed him.
Though she’s not a fan of expanding gambling in the state, she is not against allowing video lottery terminals at a horse racing track in Montgomery County, if Lebanon’s raceway ever opts to move from Warren County. (Mr. Byington agrees.)
Rep. Lehner doesn’t like Gov. Ted Strickland’s education reforms, saying they treat all districts as if they have the same problems and same needs.
Both candidates are capable, but Rep. Lehner has been in Columbus, done her job and deserves the opportunity to continue.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: 2010 endorsements, Editorials, Ellen Belcher, Miami Valley Politics, Ohio government, Ohio politics
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