URBAN TO RURAL AFFAIRS

According to a December 2001 report from the Buckeye Institute there is no urban sprawl "crisis" in Ohio. The report states that "less than 14 percent of the State's total surface land area is developed, and only about two-thirds of that developed land is urbanized." It also states that, "More than 43 percent of Ohio's total surface area is cropland," and that "harvested cropland increased from 1990 to 1999." This exhaustive study is to be commended, but I believe it is a situation that must be closely monitored.

As Governor, I will support any legislation that positively effects Ohio farmers. We Americans have taken our groceries for granted. It is too easy to go to the supermarket or run through the drive-thru to pick up meals. Without our farmers, none of this is possible. I have watched the small farmer near the edge of extinction, while others are forced into what is essentially corporate farms. And in the process, I think we have lost quite a bit of our heritage.

The “mad cow scare” overseas should remind us all how much we rely on the American farmer. I seek legislation that would benefit the small farmer as well as prevent further city expansions which have created significant “urban sprawls.” This new century will see land development as a critical issue, and we must prepare accordingly. Why are cities spreading out and annexing more land, only to leave behind huge urban ghettos in the old downtown areas? Renovating and utilizing the location of these unproductive inner-city ghettos can bring prosperity both socially and financially for Ohio’s urban areas while preserving our farm lands and environmental areas. I would support any legislation that has the same goal.

Conserving and protecting our environment is a personal issue for me. I am an avid outdoorsmen, and I want my son to have the same opportunity to enjoy our wildlife, woods, and streams. I promise to seek legislation that seriously cracks down on environmental contamination or any other destruction of wildlife. I will graciously support any program that has proven effective in cleaning up and improving the quality of these environmental areas.