Give the Class Act an Encore!

One of the big problems with one party rule is that the majority party begins taking the voters for granted. They think, sometimes correctly, that the voters will vote for anyone who is in the “right” party no matter who he is. A good example of that in our area is State Representative Tom Letson in the 64th District.

Let me start with my limited personal experience with Mr. Letson. Back in August, I attended a Northwest Neighborhood Association meeting where he spoke and answered questions in a town hall type setting.

Mr. Letson treated his constituents with disrespect and rudeness. At the beginning of his remarks, he referred to someone who wasn’t present with a vulgar word. A gentleman in the audience reminded Mr. Letson that he was in a church. Mr. Letson repeated the epithet. The gentleman again reminded Mr. Letson of where he was. Mr. Letson’s response was to make a smart aleck remark about Jesus riding a “donkey.”

Later, someone asked a question about upkeep on vacant lots. That person referred to the fact a weed filled lot could be both unsightly and dangerous. Mr. Letson responded with a rather bizarre statement about growing up on a farm and how beautiful a wheat field is. His attempt at humor was both strange and disrespectful to the person who asked the question.

When discussing Mr. Letson’s faults, I guess the most glaring are his personal issues. Some would say that his previous problems with taxes and his substance abuse issues are in the past, and it is not fair to bring them up in this election. However, I disagree. While I feel compassion for people who struggle with addiction-in fact two of the people I love most in the world have had these struggles-the skeptic in me cringes each time I see a public figure follow this same tired script that Mr. Letson followed back in January, 2011. It goes like this: public figure has an embarrassing mishap, accident, tax problem, etc.; public figure goes to rehab. Quite frankly, I think using the rehab card is a mockery to people who sincerely seek help.

Mr. Letson’s tax problems are a matter of public record, but let me review the facts for those who haven’t paid attention. In January of 2011, it came to light that Mr. Letson had a tax lien placed on his property by the IRS for $37,416.58 for taxes, interest, and penalties for the tax year 2006. WhiIe I understand how easy it can be to get into trouble with the IRS, my issue with this is not just that he owed that tax. In February of this year, Mr. Letson spoke to another newspaper about the tax issue. He said that he spent money he that he needed for his own taxes on his parents’ care, but that now all of his taxes have “since been paid.” As of September 13, 2012, the county recorder’s office still had the federal tax lien listed as unpaid. It is my understanding that once the taxes have been paid, and a form filed, that the lien must be released within 30 days. It seems to me that a sensible person, having paid those taxes, would make sure that he filed any forms necessary to have the lien released as soon as possible. I’m not sure if Mr. Letson was being dishonest in his interview; or if he doesn’t have the good sense to take care of the paperwork and get the lien off of his property. Neither option inspires much confidence.

More important than Mr. Letson’s personal deficiencies is his history of not putting the best interests of his constituents first. As a member of the Warren City Board of Health, he voted to approve the renewal of the Warren Recycling Landfill in spite of the Ohio EPA’s recommendations and the concerns of the community about the hazards posed by the landfill. It was eventually shut down and declared a Superfund cleanup site.

In 2009, Letson co-sponsored a bill to raise state income taxes by 4.3% and delay a planned tax decrease. In his version of the bill, the pay for state representatives was also increased. That’s right, folks, he co-sponsored a bill to increase taxes on his constituents while raising his own pay.

More recently, as outlined in a previous column, Mr. Letson assisted in successfully blocking the consolidation of the Eastern and Central District Courts. He and his fellow Democrats cared more about making sure the Democrats keep power than saving the taxpayers $150,000-$200,000 a year.

So do the people of the 64th District have an alternative this year? Yes, they do. Former State Representative Randy Law is Mr. Letson’s opponent.

While Mr. Law doesn’t come from a family of attorneys like Mr. Letson, he is a lifelong resident of this area. He has owned several businesses over the years and has been very involved in the community.

Mr. Law was elected to the Ohio House in 2004, and during his time there, he voted for the largest tax cut in state history. Representative Law also sponsored the Landfill Reform Bill as well as the Firefighter Safety Training Bill. It is especially important to note Mr. Law’s work on the Landfill Reform Bill in light on Mr. Letson’s failure in this while on the Warren City Board of Health. Mr. Law had to fight hard for this legislation working to convince his own party that it was the right thing to do. As a true public servant, he put the needs of his constituents before partisan politics.

This year the citizens of the 64th District need to realize that they deserve better than what they have. They have a choice between Letson and the better man. I’ve heard Mr. Law referred to as a “class act.” That is an apt description. I sincerely hope the voters choose to give the “class act” an encore.