Three Battle for Ohio House Seat

The three candidates vying for the Ohio House 22nd District seat agree on
one thing: The average Ohioan is paying too darn much in taxes.

It's an odd bond among three men who clearly represent different points
along the political spectrum.

"That's what they're telling me about," said Jim Hughes, the Republican
incumbent, referring to recent conversations with constituents. "People are
telling me 'We can't have our property taxes raised. I can't afford to pay
for this stuff.'"

Hughes, a Clintonville resident, has solid conservative credentials but is
also tight with the more moderate party leadership of the state's
legislative and executive branches.

The 38-year-old currently represents the 27th District, the boundaries of
which will change next year. Redistricting efforts by the General Assembly
resulted in the newly formed 22nd District, which will encompass
Clintonville, Dublin and, roughly, the southwestern half of Worthington.

In his first term, Hughes has already built a reputation for holding
bureaucrats' feet to the fire when it comes to answering queries about
their budgets.

Hughes doesn't discuss specifics about what taxes should be reduced,
deferring instead to the Select Committee on Taxation, which is supposed to
report recommendations for tax-code changes at the end of the year.

One of his competitors this year, Democrat Ken Schweickart, is probably
best known for his advocacy of legalizing marijuana for medical and
industrial uses, although that isn't an issue he raises in this campaign.

Schweickart, 32, is development director for the Ohio Patient Network and
is focusing his campaign on changing the state's tax code and eliminating
Ohio's dependence on fossil fuels. "I want a trickle-up economy," he said,
adding he would support lowering personal, death and inventory taxes, if
elected.

Schweickart also wants Ohio to offer tax breaks to technology companies and
businesses pursuing clean energy sources.
"Ohio was the leader of the industrial revolution and I want it to be the
leader of the post-industrial age," he said.

Schweickart is also critical of recent tuition hikes by state colleges and
universities and the legislature's decision to remove caps on the
percentage of tuition increases.

The third candidate in this race is listed as an independent but actually
represents the Green Party.

Alan Amstutz, 52, is a Dublin resident and ran an unsuccessful campaign for
Dublin City Council last fall. A self-employed painter, Amstutz has,
perhaps, the most aggressive ideas when it comes to tax reform. He believes
the state should do away with property taxes and focus on a value-added, or
sales tax-based system.

"The mishmash of what we have now is not effective," Amstutz said.

He also favors gun-control legislation and a single-payer, or state-run,
system of health insurance in Ohio. For obvious reasons, both

Amstutz and Schweickart criticize the one-party dominance that has existed
in state government for the last eight years.

Amstutz said he worries about what he perceives as the over-dependence
Republican candidates have on their leaders, such as

House Speaker Larry Householder and Gov. Bob Taft. "They're not the
candidates," he said. "I think there's a fear factor there. What if the
party's wrong? What do you do?"