Blog

Candidate Profile: Harry Bossey for Montgomery County Auditor

My name is Harry Bossey and I am running as the Republican candidate for Montgomery County Auditor in the November 2010 General Election.

I am a first generation American, Roman Catholic and the oldest of nine children. For almost 24 years I have called Montgomery County my home.

I came to this great nation of ours in August 1981 to attend Walsh University (formerly Walsh College) in North Canton, Ohio and earned my Bachelor degree with triple majors in Accounting, Finance and Management. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors and notable mentions on the Dean’s List as well as playing collegiate soccer during my 3-year studies – all without any scholarships!

Upon graduation from Walsh University, I went on to attend Cleveland State University and earned my Masters degree in Accountancy and Financial Information Systems (MAFIS) with dual majors in Accounting and Financial/Computer Information Systems. I completed my graduate schoolwork in 18 months.

I completed the Ohio Certified Public Accountants (CPA) examination and have been a licensed CPA to public practice since 1987.

I started as an intern with Deloitte LLP (formerly Touche Ross & Co. – a forerunner to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu) in Cleveland, and was transferred to the Dayton office in July 1986 and have lived in Montgomery County ever since. I rose to the rank of Audit Senior. In my final years at Deloitte, I became the resident audit senior liaison between my firm and The Mead Corporation through its Internal Audit Department, then the office’s largest client. I was also the Division Controller for Mead Realty Group, Inc.

I left Deloitte in November 1992 to start my own company, Western TradeWinds, Inc. The company offices are located in Miamisburg, Ohio. As president and general manager, my responsibilities include operations management and directing activities of our wholly owned divisions. These divisions are primarily involved in the domestic distribution of industrial equipment and supplies to industrial, commercial and government agency accounts (United States, NATO and Foreign Military Sales), military packaging, warehousing and worldwide logistics.

As your county auditor, I will work to create fair and equitable real estate tax assessments, promote open government, and save the taxpayers’ money.

Fair and Equitable Property Tax Assessments

• Make assessment information available on-line for speedy dispute resolutions
• Impartial and fair citizen hearings
• Use local licensed appraisers and systems for consistent assessments

Open and Balanced Government

• Fresh approach to County government
• Make major County expenditures and disbursements visible to the public (on-line)
• User friendly access to Auditor’s Office and records

Save Taxpayers’ Money

• Reduce Auditor’s Office operating costs
• Use local available resources and spend locally
• Work with other County departments to reduce redundancies

For more information, please visit my website at www.harrybossey.com. I hope I can count on your vote on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Candidate Profile: Mike Henne for State Representative, 36th District

Mike Henne was born and raised in Clayton, Ohio and is a graduate of Northmont High School and Miami University. In 1987 he joined the family business, Boord-Henne Insurance Agency, and currently owns it with his brother, Steve. The agency has been protecting businesses and families in the area for over 40 years and Mike is a respected member of the insurance community having earned the designation as a Certified Insurance Counselor.

Mike has been married to another graduate of Northmont, Jenny, for 22 years where they live in Clayton and are raising their four children: Amanda a senior at Miami University, Rebecca a junior at Ohio University, Matthew a senior at Chaminade-Julienne High School and Nicholas soon to attend St. Christopher in Vandalia.

Politics have always been a passion for Mike, so when Rep. Seth Morgan decided to run for the Auditor’s office it was the perfect opportunity to follow his passion and become a State Representative. Thru the years, he has been actively involved in many church and community leadership positions, serving on the Education Commission and Precious Blood Parrish Counsel. He was also very involved in the local youth soccer program where he has served several positions, including the president.

This campaign has afforded Mike the opportunity to put actions behind the words. So many people can be critical of their elected officials and it easy to complain about or to feel disenfranchised by the system, but it takes leadership to enter the arena of public scrutiny in order to make a difference. Mike decided that it was time for him to put his ideas into action and feels that his experience in the business community can be of great value in shaping the Districts future in economic development and the creation of jobs.

As a business owner, Mike has seen how the decisions made in Washington and Columbus directly affect the business community. Regulations and taxes directly affect the ability of businesses to make a profit and create jobs. He understands what it means to work within the limits of a budget, what it means to have people depend on his good decision making for their livelihood and knows that we cannot spend our way out of financial trouble. As a business owner, Mike is very clear in his understanding that eventually the bills will have to be paid.

“I hope to bring a commonsense, businesslike approach to the government which is sorely needed. If we can reduce the size of the government, minimize the intrusion into our businesses and households, Ohioans can once again prosper, create jobs and lead this nation’s recovery. I believe in changing the opinion that politicians promise one thing and fail to deliver more often that not. I promise to put the interests of Ohioans in the forefront and to be true to my conservative ideals.”

For more information, please visit Mike’s website at www.mikehenne.com. He would appreciate your vote on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Candidate Profile: Terry Blair for State Representative, 38th District

I am running for a second term as a State Representative from the 38th House District, which includes Washington Township, Centerville, parts of Kettering, Dayton and Riverside. I serve as ranking member on the Local Government/Public Administration committee, as well as a member of Commerce and Labor; Housing and Urban Revitalization; and Ways and Means committees.

Previous to joining the Ohio House, I served as a Washington Township trustee for 21 years. In addition to my work in the legislature, I am CEO of Buckeye Pools, Inc. I am involved is such organizations as Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners, Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, Noon Optimist Club of Centerville and American Business Club of Dayton. I am also a member of the Church of the Incarnation.

I hold a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and previously served as past president of the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Dayton. My wife Judy and I live in Washington Township. We are very proud of our family of four children and seven grandchildren.

I have a strongly held belief in “limited government”. The purpose of government is to protect individual liberty, freedom and rights, and, to provide those services that are best provided collectively. Certainly, there is a delicate balance that is difficult to achieve when government, at all levels, attempts to achieve its purpose. I recall many a zoning hearing as trustee, where I would try, in my own simple way, to let the involved parties and interested citizens at the hearing know that the basis of this zoning hearing was to arbitrate conflicting property rights. I agree with many who believe that the majority of citizens of this nation just want government to do its job, fulfill its purpose and stay out of their personal lives to let them pursue their own happiness as they see fit.

My simple belief is that I have been elected to a position of trust by the citizens that I serve. A position in which I have been entrusted: to make decisions on behalf of the citizens of my district and of our state; with the fiduciary responsibility to effectively operate the people’s business, its government, in the most efficient manner; and, to protect the freedom and rights of the citizens.

This first term has been quite enlightening and certainly a challenge. It has been enlightening to see just how state government operates. Equally enlightening has been the sheer volume of legislation that has been introduced during the 128th General Assembly – to date in excess of 500 house bills. That is quite a lot. All are well intentioned, I am sure. Some, in fact, are quite necessary. Yet, there are very few that address what I believe are the State’s most basic problems.

Our nation’s current economic recession has highlighted one of state government’s real problems. It is a problem over which we have much control. It is our lack of fiscal discipline. As a small businessman, it is obvious to me, that when faced with declining revenues caused by economic conditions beyond our control, we must reduce our spending to control our costs – to wring out excess, gain efficiencies and increase productivity. Businesses started doing this many months ago. In the private sector, significant productivity gains are realized during economic downturns, particularly downturns that are caused by excesses.

Quite appropriately, then, the first bill that I have sponsored, HB 396, deals with fiscal discipline. This bill would prohibit the Governor from proposing and the Legislature from enacting a biennial General Revenue Fund (GRF) budget that exceeds 97% of actual GRF revenues received in the previous two years. Any revenues received in excess of the budgeted amount would accrue to the “rainy day fund”. Quite a novel idea: spend less than you reasonably expect to receive and save the rest to protect yourself!

It is not rocket science. There are no complex calculations, just a simple, straight forward, common sense approach. In fact, it might just be too simple to be taken seriously. I suspect the real concerns about HB 396 are simply that it requires tremendous political courage to enact a bill that would immediately reduce spending. Believe me, these are difficult decisions to make in the private sector, as well, but economic survival dictates that they must be made.

In a very positive sense, HB 396 would force government to review, justify and prioritize its spending. An effort that I believe is long overdue and absolutely necessary. It would serve as an admission that government has grown too fast, become too large, operates beyond its basic purpose and is now a drag on the private sector and the citizens that it intends to serve.

Most importantly, HB 396 would tie the growth of government to the growth of Ohio’s private economy. And this is a much needed benefit of HB 396. Over the past thirteen years, the growth of state government spending has exceeded the growth of Ohio’s private economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Private Product, by 15%. I believe most rational citizens would agree that a growth rate of government spending that exceeds the growth of the general economy that must support it is unsustainable.

For more information, please visit my website at www.terryblair.com. I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Candidate Profile by Mike DeWine, candidate for State Attorney General

I began my career in public service as the Greene County Prosecutor, where I was committed to fighting crime and protecting children and families. While Prosecutor, I slashed plea bargaining, successfully prosecuted rapists, established a welfare fraud unit, and cut my net budget.

I carried my passion for protecting Ohioans throughout my career. I served in the Ohio State Senate, where I wrote Ohio’s first tough drunk driving law, as well as a mandatory sentencing bill for repeat and violent offenders and tougher laws for those who use a gun in the commission of a crime. I then served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I wrote into law a measure to protect child victims in Federal Court.

As Ohio’s Lieutenant Governor, I was in charge of the Governor’s criminal justice agenda. I took the lead in improving the parole system to target the most dangerous offenders. I also worked to bring drug treatment and work programs to the state’s prison system.

In the U.S. Senate, I promoted the emerging DNA technology, helping to expand a truly national database for DNA, fingerprint, and ballistics information, so that violent offenders — no matter where they traveled — could be caught and prosecuted.

In addition to experience, we need leadership in the Ohio Attorney General’s office. Our economy is in shambles, and there are streets in this state where our citizens are justifiably afraid to walk.

As Attorney General, I will fight to bring jobs back to Ohio by creating a safe, corruption-free, business-friendly environment. Jobs simply don’t come to states where there is high crime, government misconduct, and an eagerness to sue and regulate.

Ohio needs to completely rethink how we do everything. It is time to fundamentally reform state government and finally make the real changes this state needs to grow, innovate, and prosper. The Attorney General’s office is one of the keys to this change. I will provide the strong leadership this office needs to reinvigorate Ohio and get us headed back in the right direction.

My entire career has prepared me for this job. As Greene County Prosecutor, I first truly understood the pain and anguish of crime victims. I have always carried that with me, standing up for children and families and law and order.

As Ohio Attorney General, my top priorities will be:

• Overhauling the state’s crime lab, the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to increase evidence testing and analysis times.
• Creating a business climate in Ohio that encourages the creation and growth of jobs in Ohio.
• Cleaning up corruption at all levels of Ohio government. For example, it took the current Attorney General’s office 14 months to respond to corruption charges in Cuyahoga County, even though reports of wrong-doing had been widely discussed in the Plain Dealer newspaper. As Attorney General, I will act quickly and deliberately to root out corruption.

I will be the watchdog and the protector of our state. And, I will bring to the Attorney General’s office the passion, determination, vision, and leadership we need to get Ohio back on track.

Candidate Profile: Representative Peggy Lehner

State Representative Peggy B. Lehner is currently serving her first term as the representative for the 37th House District, which includes Oakwood, Dayton’s 9th ward, Kettering Wards 3 & 4, West Carrollton, Miamisburg, Miami Township and Moraine. Prior to serving in the Ohio House, Peggy served briefly in the Ohio Senate in the 6th Senate District.

Representative Lehner comes to the Ohio House after serving three terms as a member of the Kettering City Council from 1998 to 2008. During this time she was chosen as vice mayor and appointed to the Kettering Development Corporation. While she was on City Council, she was the founder and chairwoman of the First Suburbs Consortium of Dayton, a coalition of suburbs organized to seek solutions for challenges facing First Tier communities in the Dayton area. Representative Lehner also is the founder of C.O.A.S.T., an organization created to develop county-wide senior transportation options.

Keeping active with her community, Representative Lehner has been a member of the National League of Cities, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, Senior Resource Connection and Montgomery County Republican Party. She was also an appointee of the governor to the Ohio Ethics Commission, twice serving as chair of the commission. In 2001 the Senior Resource Connection recognized Representative Lehner for Outstanding Service to the Senior Community by an Elected Official.

Representative Lehner attended both American College in Paris and St. Mary’s of the Woods College where she obtained a degree in history. She has a strong interest in the areas of health care, aging, Medicaid and local government. She and her husband Dr. James Lehner reside in Kettering and have five grown children and ten grandchildren.

If you are interested in learning more about Peggy, contact her at peggylehner@gmail.com or visit his website at www.peggylehner.com.

Next Page »