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2018 was a big election year in Ohio. Republicans held onto all five statewide executive offices including governor and super majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there were a few bright spots for Democrats, among them the reelection of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the election of two Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court.With election 2018 over, the focus now shifts to governing. Stay connected with the latest on politics, policies and people making the decisions at all levels affecting your lives.

Governor Candidate Cordray Announces Plan to Fix Roads and Bridges Without Tax Hikes

photo of Richard Cordray at construction site
JO INGLES
/
OHIO PUBLIC RADIO
Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Richard Cordray (right), wants the state to issue bonds for improvements to roads, bridges, broadband internet and public transportation.

The Democrat who wants to be Ohio’s next governor says the state needs to repair its roads and bridges, make sure all of the state has access to broadband internet, and invest in public transportation.

Richard Cordray says he wants the state to issue a bond package to allow it to borrow money to make improvements to roads, bridges, broadband internet and public transit. But he emphasizes that effort won’t involve a tax hike.

“We just banked a $670 million surplus at the end of the fiscal year," he said. "We have the new Supreme Court ruling on sales taxes on internet purchases that’s going to be a windfall for state revenue. We do not need tax increases at this time. That’s off the table as far as I’m concerned.”

Cordray says details on the cost and scope of the plan will come after comprehensive study.

In a recent public forum, his Republican opponent, Mike DeWine, said he’ll appoint a blue ribbon task force to come up with an infrastructure plan and ways to pay for it. And he didn’t rule out tax increases, if those were recommended.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.