CLEVELAND — There was at least one thing the Democratic and Green Party candidates were in complete agreement on Wednesday night during Ohio’s sole gubernatorial debate: There should have been another chair at the table.
The audience at the City Club of Cleveland was constantly reminded of Republican Gov. John Kasich’s absence as Democratic candidate Ed FitzGerald and the Green Party’s Anita Rios took turns criticizing the governor’s policies but never criticized each other.
The event marked the first time she and Mr. FitzGerald have met.
“We are not here for the benefits of the candidates, but rather to provide the voters with an opportunity to compare and contrast,” said Ms. Rios, a former mental health case manager from Toledo. “Whether [Mr. Kasich] stands here with us tonight or not, I think that we must not forget the great harm that his policies have done to women, to workers, and to communities.”
This marks the first time in three decades that there’s been no public debate between the major party candidates for governor.
Citing the “implosion” of Mr. FitzGerald’s campaign and with the incumbent holding double-digit leads in polls, Mr. Kasich opted not to participate.
“For the governor to dodge this debate is not only cowardly, I suppose, politically, but it also really shows a level of disrespect to the voters, and I hope he’s held accountable for that,” said Cuyahoga County Executive FitzGerald.
The two candidates largely agreed that Ohio should recognize gay marriage, should better regulate fertilizer runoff to protect Lake Erie water quality in the wake of Toledo’s water crisis, and fix a school funding system the Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly said was unconstitutional.
Both took aim at the governor’s tax policies and his claims that his administration takes credit for helping to add about 250,000 new jobs since he took office after major job losses under his Democratic predecessor.
“All 50 states have gotten better, to some extent, because we’re in a recovery just like all 50 states went down during the recession …” Mr. FitzGerald said.
“Are we doing better than the rest of the country or worse, and the answer is, according to academic Bureau of Labor statistics, we are doing worse, on average, compared to the rest of the country.
“That’s one of the reasons that John Kasich is not here,” he said. “He would love to just have a 30-second television commercial conversation about that where he can make a claim and not have to defend it.”
Ms. Rios urged the state to invest in worker-owned-and–operated factories.
“We have rust belt towns like Toledo, and Youngstown, and even Cleveland that have a wealth of experienced workers who have done those jobs, know how to make manufacturing run, and we need to empower those workers,” Ms. Rios said.
Contact Jim Provance at: jprovance@theblade.com or 614-221-0496.
First Published October 23, 2014, 4:10 a.m.
