Debbi Alsfelder
Age: 52
Resides: Mariemont
Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, from the Ohio State University.
Employment: Lawyer and also a certified public accountant
Political Experience: None; first run for public office.
Mike Kilburn
Age: 55
Resides: Morrow
Education: Bachelor’s degree, from the Ohio State University; master’s degree in business/hospital administration from Howard University.
Employment: Co-owner, Stine-Kilburn Funeral Home in Lebanon.
Political Experience: Warren County commissioner, 28 years.
Rep. Jean Schmidt
Age: 58
Resides: Miami Twp., Clermont County.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati.
Employment: Member of Congress since 2005; also worked as a banker and a teacher.
Political Experience: Ohio House of Representatives, 2001-04; Miami Twp. trustees, 1989-2000.
Tim Martz
Age: 54
Resides: Indian Hill
Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Cincinnati
Employment: Account manager in the oil industry.
Political Experience: None. First run for public office.
LEBANON — Primary elections are nothing new for U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt.
Since being elected in 2005 in a special election to replace then Rep. Rob Portman, the Republican from Clermont County has faced opposition in every primary for the 2nd Congressional District.
Three candidates, who feel their own brand of conservative values can make a difference in Washington, will face Schmidt in the May 4 Republican primary.
Challenging Schmidt are seven-term Warren County commissioner Mike Kilburn of Salem Twp.; and political newcomers Debbi Alsfelder of Mariemont, and Tim Martz of Indian Hill.
The 2nd Congressional District includes most of the southern portion of Warren County, the eastern portion of Hamilton County as well as Clermont, Brown, Adams, Pike and Scioto counties.
Schmidt said she’s seeking re-election because she believes “it’s important to have representatives that reflect the values of the district they represent.”
While her opponents criticize her work, Schmidt said she’s proud of her voting record and believes it represents the people of the district.
During her tenure in Congress, Schmidt said there were a number of accomplishments she’s proud of ranging from helping to save jobs at GE Aviation on the Joint Strike Fighter program or getting bureaucrats to allow the sale of land for a project in Sharonville.
She said her only regret was not having enough people to stop the health care legislation, adding it was “something we can’t afford fiscally.”
Debbi Alsfelder
Alsfelder said she decided to run “simply to make a difference and help the country get on the right track.” She is the mother of two Army officers who graduated from West Point and has a third son attending there.
“My sons are serving our country and committing up to a year of their lives at a time to secure our freedoms and liberties,” she said. “I don’t think we’re doing a very good job here in securing our liberties with the expansion of government, out of control and wasteful spending and ballooning deficits.”
A lawyer and certified public accountant, Alsfelder said the top issues facing the nation are the economy, jobs, federal spending and ballooning deficits.
If she wins the primary and is elected in November, Alsfelder said she would use a three-part test to any bill that she will vote on: Is it Constitutional? Do we need it? Can we afford it?
Alsfelder said she would support measures to require any unspent stimulus funds and repaid bailout funds to be returned to reduce the national debt; require a balanced budget; and require mandatory deficit reduction on an annual basis.
Mike Kilburn
After 28 years as a commissioner, Kilburn said he’s seeking the nomination “because I trust my judgment more than our current U.S. representative.”
He said Schmidt is a “progressive” and not a “conservative.”
“Congress has lost its way on both sides of the aisle and we need to get back to the basics with less government, less taxes and the notion to our citizens that government can’t do everything for everybody,” he said.
Kilburn, a self-described “real common sense conservative,” said he wants to take his conservative values and use his experience to make a difference in Washington, D.C. If elected to Congress, Kilburn said he’d only serve three terms and then come home.
“I am the most qualified because I truly get it with what’s going on in this government today,” he said.
Kilburn said there needs to be a restructuring of the tax system which includes the elimination of the corporate, estate and capital gains taxes and implement a fair or flat tax. He also said that Social Security also needs to be reformed.
Tim Martz
Martz said he wants “to put the country back in the right direction. He said he believes Schmidt no longer represents the people of the 2nd District, citing her votes to approve the bailout funding for the banks and other programs that are taking over the private sector.
He feels qualified to serve because he has worked 38 years in the private sector.
“I believe this experience is needed to fix the mess that is Washington,” he said.
Martz said the three top issues are putting people back to work, stopping and reversing the national debt spiral and stopping the government takeover of the private sector.
“To solve the unemployment and national debt problems, Congress should pass tax cuts and tax incentives to put money in people’s hands,” he said. “This approach has a proven track record of really stimulating the economy.”
Martz said he’s also concerned about new national health plan, which he believes is an attempt by the federal government to takeover the health care system in the nation. Diagnosed with prostrate cancer, Martz said there needs to be a way to fast-track new drugs and to make decisions more on scientific research than politics.
“I’m not at a stage where I am close to dying. I’m healthy,” said Martz, adding that he can fulfill the term of office.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4504 or erichter@coxohio.com.
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