MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich used his annual
State of the State speech Monday to pledge a new round of tax cuts,
propose using casino money for a plan to boost ties between communities
and schools and said state higher education funding will be tied to
course completion and graduation.
Kasich also pushed the
importance of vocational training as an alternative route for some
students, proposed giving veterans free academic credits for training
and experience they received in the military, and promised a new fight
against smoking in the state.
In a dramatic moment, Kasich
presented his annual courage awards to three women who survived a
decade-long captivity in Cleveland after they were rescued in May when
one of the women pushed her way through a door to freedom.
The
governor also used the 64-minute speech to indirectly ask Ohio voters to
support him over likely Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald in
November.
Citing a spiritual mission to "bring about a healing"
before he dies, he said being governor to all Ohioans is his life and
mission. He likened his first term to a hike up a mountain.
"After
you’ve struggled through the early obstacles you get out on more solid
ground, and when you get out on that more solid ground you get the first
glimpse of your goal — the summit — and you come together and it lifts
your spirits, and you get that extra boost to keep going," he said.
Kasich’s tax plan would push Ohio’s inome-tax rate from 5.33 percent to below 5 percent for individuals
and small businesses.
"When
Ohioans have more money in their pockets, we’re being true to the
fundamental idea that made our nation great," he said to applause.
"Government works for the people, not the other way around."
Education
was a key theme of the address, which took place at the Performing Arts
Center in Medina. This marks the third consecutive year Kasich has
taken the speech outside the Statehouse in Columbus.
Kasich
proposed directing $10 million in casino revenue to get communities more
involved with schools and parents more involved in their children’s
education, and said he wants to make it easier for returning veterans to
get civilian jobs.
"If you can drive a truck from Kabul to
Kandahar in Afghanistan, don’t you think you should be able to drive a
truck from Columbus to Cleveland?" he said.
Kasich will introduce a
midterm budget bill soon that could be the vehicle for the policy
priorities of the fourth and final year of his term.
"Our great
purpose will continue to be helping every Ohioan have a chance to find a
job that lets them fulfill their purpose," he said.
House Education Chairman Gerald Stebelton said he liked the governor’s education proposals but said
they’ll need careful review.
He
said some proposals should be dealt with separately from a midterm
budget bill. "If each idea has merit, it will stand on its own merit,"
he said.
Stebelton, a Lancaster Republican, said tying higher education funding to graduation rates also raises
concerns.
"The
devil is in the details because universities are not in total control
of what happens to their students on the paths to graduation," he said.
He
said family emergency, accidents and other events can take students out
of the school cycle. "In concept, I like the idea," he said.
FitzGerald,
the Cuyahoga County executive, questioned Kasich’s budget priorities.
He said Kasich was "counting on Ohioans to forget that he balanced those
budgets by shifting the financial burden to the middle class and
already-suffering communities."
Minority Democrats said the
governor’s actions do not match his words. They said while Kasich
claimed to not raise taxes, many Ohioans are feeling the bump in the
state sales tax and the removal of the homestead exemption and property
tax rollbacks.
Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni said Kasich’s
plan to cut the income tax rate wouldn’t pad the wallets of many in the
middle class.
"It’s not going to change the way that they act,"
said Schiavoni, a Boardman Democrat. "It’s not going to change the way
that they spend. It’s not going to change anything about the way that
they conduct their life."
Republican legislative leaders pledged
to review details of Kasich’s plans. They couldn’t say whether session
schedules would need to be extended or changed.
"If you know
anything about John Kasich, you know one thing:
He’s not willing to sit
back and rest," Senate President Keith Faber said. He said the governor
had given them plenty to work on through this year.
Several dozen protesters gathered outside before the speech to protest Kasich policies.
"Everything
that he has done so far has been against the working class people of
this state," said Jamie Fant, of Dayton, a retired corrections officer.
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