Partners in taxing and spending -- Lovitt and Gov. Strickland The formerly safe Republican seat of Jim Raussen fell into democrat hands election night, with democrat Connie Pillich out-polling tax-and-spend Republican Virg Lovitt 54% to 46%. This loss contributed to the Republicans’ historic loss of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2008.
In July of this year, three-term representative Jim Raussen abruptly left his constituents in the 28th House District to accept a newly-created $115,000 per year job at the Ohio Department of Insurance. Governor Strickland created the position to create a vacancy in the Raussen seat, and make it easier for a democrat to seize the seat. The district, which includes Arlington Heights, Blue Ash, Evendale, Fairfield, Forest Park, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, has historically seen tough-fought contests. However, Raussen succeeded in holding the seat for six consecutive years.
“We felt from the very beginning that Virg Lovitt was not the correct pick to run for the seat,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “He was cut right from the tax-and-spend cloth of Jean Schmidt and Bob Taft, and his constituents would have suffered with his election.” In a strange display of Party loyalty, Lovitt endorsed for re-election to his County Commission seat liberal, big-taxing democrat Todd Portune.
After Raussen’s resignation, the Hamilton County Republican Party had a choice between Lovitt, 12-year Mayor of Sharonville with a long record of supporting wasteful spending projects and higher taxes and other candidates with records as fiscal conservatives. The Party chose Lovitt. Lovitt’s tax-hiking credentials are legendary. For example, the web site Republicans for Higher Taxes, gave him its “Tax Hiker of the Year” Award for 2008, citing his support for the Super-Sized Jail Tax, a 50% hike in the Sharonville Income Tax, huge increases in the Sharonville Hotel-Motel tax, and his support of Bob Taft’s wasteful 3rd Frontier Initiative.
The message to Republican headquarters is not only that it is wrong as a matter of policy to promote those who have shown distain for the core Republican values,” said Gloyd, “but also that they can’t win tough elections.”
Lovitt’s performance trailed Raussen’s 2006 numbers in the same district against the same opponent by a full ten percentage points.
In July of this year, three-term representative Jim Raussen abruptly left his constituents in the 28th House District to accept a newly-created $115,000 per year job at the Ohio Department of Insurance. Governor Strickland created the position to create a vacancy in the Raussen seat, and make it easier for a democrat to seize the seat. The district, which includes Arlington Heights, Blue Ash, Evendale, Fairfield, Forest Park, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, has historically seen tough-fought contests. However, Raussen succeeded in holding the seat for six consecutive years.
“We felt from the very beginning that Virg Lovitt was not the correct pick to run for the seat,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “He was cut right from the tax-and-spend cloth of Jean Schmidt and Bob Taft, and his constituents would have suffered with his election.” In a strange display of Party loyalty, Lovitt endorsed for re-election to his County Commission seat liberal, big-taxing democrat Todd Portune.
After Raussen’s resignation, the Hamilton County Republican Party had a choice between Lovitt, 12-year Mayor of Sharonville with a long record of supporting wasteful spending projects and higher taxes and other candidates with records as fiscal conservatives. The Party chose Lovitt. Lovitt’s tax-hiking credentials are legendary. For example, the web site Republicans for Higher Taxes, gave him its “Tax Hiker of the Year” Award for 2008, citing his support for the Super-Sized Jail Tax, a 50% hike in the Sharonville Income Tax, huge increases in the Sharonville Hotel-Motel tax, and his support of Bob Taft’s wasteful 3rd Frontier Initiative.
The message to Republican headquarters is not only that it is wrong as a matter of policy to promote those who have shown distain for the core Republican values,” said Gloyd, “but also that they can’t win tough elections.”
Lovitt’s performance trailed Raussen’s 2006 numbers in the same district against the same opponent by a full ten percentage points.
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Virgil Lovitt was the victim of false advertising regarding the taxes here in Sharonville.
ReplyDeleteThe taxpayers voted in the additional 1/2% income tax in order to fund the fire department.
The accounting software malfunction that overpaid fire department personnel was determined by council to be more costly in manpower to recoup than the overpayment itself.
I was enlightened in regard to campaign ethics to see this so misrepresented in the opposition's ads. I do not approve of some of the marketing materials used by Virgil Lovitt's campaign either, as they were too personal and too negative. In fact, they sounded like "junior high" on some occasions, similar to his last campaign for mayor.
I believe Virgil Lovitt is a good man, but his campaign methods do not represent him well. By the way, I am a 29 year resident of Sharonville, and am not an employee of the city, nor involved in politics, other than to vote.
November 11, 2008 3:27 PM
Anon 3:30-
ReplyDeleteWhat about Virgil's support of the hotel/motel tax increase, sales tax increase, and Third Frontier. Were those misrepresentations too, or were they accurate portrayals of his tax and spend record?
The ad I was referring to only misrepresented his responsibility for the increase in earnings tax and the overpayment to firefighters not being recouped.
ReplyDeleteI'm very proud of all my tax increases. I just don't know why the voters weren't.
ReplyDelete