Ohio State Senate District 14 Choose 1
**The information on this page reflects Ohio s new State Senate and State House districts that determine elections in 2024 and go into effect in 2025, which may be different from your current districts.
Biographical Information
Training and Experience
Banking and Finance, AFWERX SBIR/STTR, USAF/ANG, Entrepreneurial, Economic Development
Volunteer/Community Service
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser,
What are your top priorities and how will you address them?
Education-Supporting all local school districts and public universities by hiring, continually training, and retaining superior educators across the state. Retention of graduates is key too. Housing- With the climbing cost of housing across the country, having a clean and safe place to live is getting out of reach for many families, even those with two working adults. There are resources available to alleviate this but the problem persists, requiring outside the box solutions and counterintuitive actions. Infrastructure- The Brent Spence Bridge was 40 years overdue, but let's not lose this momentum. By leveraging federal and state resources, it is essential that we continue investment in our state's deteriorated roads, rails, and waterways.
What changes do you support or oppose to voting and elections policy?
Early and absentee voting has been under attack in recent years with critics citing fraudulent and duplicate votes being cast. Evidence has not supported these claims, with flexible voting options affording all voters an equal opportunity to cast their ballot on their time, especially for those juggling complicated work schedules, children, travel etc. This wide array of options encourages an increase in voter participation with negligible risk to the integrity of our elections. I want to see fairly drawn districts that are not subject to the human hand or partisan whims, but are drawn in a consistent, intuitive way that effectively captures the will of Ohioans.
How should government bring economic and job opportunities to Ohio?
Making Ohio competitive in the economic development sphere is of the utmost importance in securing Ohio's economic and social future. We as Ohioans need to make the highest and best use of the resources we have available to us in terms of real estate and incentives, to ensure that we are landing quality projects that their respective communities and citizens support. Jobs creation for the sake of job creation should not be our goal, but rather creating the right jobs for our communities that bring with them the salaries and benefits families need to be able to thrive . Holding companies who receive these incentives accountable to their agreed upon job metrics is also paramount, with the years that follow being essential.
What are your aspirations for K-12 and higher education?
An investment in our schools is not just an investment in our children but an investment in our future as a county. There's a saying that goes"we all drink from someone else's well," meaning that we all rely on the efforts of those that came before us to thrive. When I was born, there were roads, clean drinking water and electricity. None of that would have been possible were it not for the labor and foresight of previous generations. Even with a $700B economy, Ohio, according to the Report Card on American Education, ranked Ohio #28 in the nation, with spending per student ranked at 20th in the nation, despite our 7th place economic status. The inequity of Ohio schools needs to be narrowed and our standards raised for all Ohioans.
Under what circumstances should the state support or check local government?
This question is best answered on a case by case basis. City, township and county governments have a more localized understanding of the needs of their communities. Their increased agility and ease of response places them in a better position to act on local issues in an efficient manner. Adversely, as we have seen recently in Cincinnati and other places, these local governments can be rife with corruption, requiring state or federal oversight that can hold these local politicians accountable. With the recent passage of issues 1 and 2 in November 2023, many local local governments issued moratoriums and their own legal restrictions in an attempt to limit their statewide implementation.
State your position on healthcare policy.
A more robust healthcare system would benefit us all. Different parts of the state have issues that may require specialized facilities, while other areas such as Brown County lack larger modern hospital facilities altogether. Evaluating and acting with our healthcare partners to alleviate these gaps in service would serve to better develop our rural communities and provide their residents with the same care available elsewhere in the state. The role of government in this issue should be to provide equitable assistance where needed and access to healthcare, especially for youth. Its role does not and should not include making medical decisions in any capacity for any private citizen.
State your position on environmental policy and natural resource management?
We are continually confronted with new and more efficient renewable energy technologies, yet we continue our reliance on fossil fuels, and I am excited to see this decline in the future. Mining of fossil fuels has a destructive and irreversible impact on our landscape, damage that can never be repaired, making the preservation of our natural landscape a top priority. While I will admit that we're not quite ready for the transition as a society, I do want to see these processes retired in favor of clean alternatives, while ensuring that we can effectively make the change as a society. Incentivizing and encouraging new development to embrace these technologies will lead to better health and preserve our green spaces for future generations.
What role, if any, should government take to ensure no person is discriminated against?
We find the definition of protected classes ever-changing. Most Americans associate discrimination with being on a racial basis, when it has in fact grown to encompass many aspects of what makes any human unique(i.e. age, national origin, marital status, religion, sexual identity etc.). I believe the first step in overcoming this base issue is education, and cutting this weed at the STEM (lol). We cannot force citizens to accept others, or even treat each other with respect, but I believe that we can afford this opportunity to the generations that follow so that they can be better equipped, better prepared and have a better comprehension than we do for people unlike themselves. Policy can only take us so far. It's up to us to close the gap.
Biographical Information
What are your top priorities and how will you address them?
Candidate has not yet responded.
What changes do you support or oppose to voting and elections policy?
Candidate has not yet responded.
How should government bring economic and job opportunities to Ohio?
Candidate has not yet responded.
What are your aspirations for K-12 and higher education?
Candidate has not yet responded.
Under what circumstances should the state support or check local government?
Candidate has not yet responded.
State your position on healthcare policy.
Candidate has not yet responded.
State your position on environmental policy and natural resource management?
Candidate has not yet responded.
What role, if any, should government take to ensure no person is discriminated against?
Candidate has not yet responded.
Biographical Information
Twitter
@@marcum2024
Training and Experience
Criminal Justice (Police Training), U.S. Marine Corps
Volunteer/Community Service
Jaycee's, Ohio/ Erie Cannel clean up, Youth Counseling, Living History (Civil War Reenactor), worked with people of mental disabilities for five years
What are your top priorities and how will you address them?
To finally address the human trafficking, drug epidemic, corruption, and lack of progress in industry, green energy, and education.
What changes do you support or oppose to voting and elections policy?
I want to see each county have a set number of five polling stations spread evenly across from each other. This way everyone can have ease to vote and it would not allow for targeted voting which alienates specific people or areas.
How should government bring economic and job opportunities to Ohio?
I think we should reach out to many different companies. Give them incentive to open a new location. Whether it be through tax breaks, land agreements, or even showing them the benefits of opening in our state. Like the ese of access to river shipping, railroads, and highways.
What are your aspirations for K-12 and higher education?
I want to see full overhaul in the educational system. A focus more on teaching kids rather than prepping them for high test scores. Teach them history (Both good and bad), true math (Not common core), etc. I also think teachers should be given better wage and benefits.
Under what circumstances should the state support or check local government?
I think the State should always keep some form of check on local governments. From personal experience I can tell you not all local governments have the public's best interest at heart.
State your position on healthcare policy.
I think everyone should have access to medical help. The cost of which needs to drop and I think it will only do so if the government grows a spine and stands up to these companies who profit from illness. I think diabetics should not have to pay to live either. Insulin was invented and sold for $1 by it's creators because they wanted everyone to benefit from it. But these companies found a way to patent the method of production and force the general public to pay to live. Shameful
State your position on environmental policy and natural resource management?
I am very pro Green. I see the concerns. I think in area that have been stripped by logging companies a windmill or solar field should be created. This way we are not destroying land to build and we can use the roads made by the loggers as an access road to maintain. I also think this grandfather in stuff should stop. Companies should not under any circumstance be allowed to dump in our water ways or fields.
What role, if any, should government take to ensure no person is discriminated against?
I think an enforcement of anti discrimination laws would be a start. But we must do so in a way as to not infringe upon a person's personal liberties. (You can't arrest someone for being a jerk.) But we definitely need more protection for LGBTQ here in Ohio. As well as people of different race and religion.