Editor’s note: In preparation for the May 8 Primary, the Sidney Daily News is profiling each candidate who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Ohio House of Representative’s 84th District. Each candidate was queried on topics which affect the residents of the district. Travis Faber profile is April 11, Aaron Heilers on April 12, and Susan Manchester on April 13.

CELINA — Attorney Travis Faber, 29, of Celina, is seeking the Republican nomination for the House of Representative seat currently held by his uncle, Keith Faber, of Celina.

The younger Faber is in practice with Faber & Associates, attoneys at law. He received his Juris Doctor from Ohio Nortthern University Pettit College of Law.

He is licensed to practice law in both Ohio and Indiana and has prosecuted criminal cases through the Celina Law Director’s Office. He represents small business owners and local farmers and has represented clients against the EPA, OSHA and other state agencies. He is a board member for CA Group Inc. (Cheryl Ann Industries) in Celina, and also works as a firearms appraiser for one of Ohio’s largest firearms auctions.

Faber is a member of the Celina Civil Service Commission; executive member of the Mercer County Bar Association; and senior member of the Mercer County Notary Commission. He is engaged to Paige Becker, of Minster, Ohio.

How should school security be addressed with the rising tide of gun incidents in public schools? Does the state have a role in this?

“I think we need to start off by rejecting the premise that there is a ‘rising tide of gun incidents’ in public schools. While every shooting is a tragedy, the number of incidents at schools is declining. With that said, we do need to take steps to protect our children from those who wish to harm them and I believe the best way to do that is to follow the Shelby County model created by Sheriff Lenhart. Training and arming school officials, administrative staff, resource officers and teachers will harden soft targets like schools and make any criminal think twice about harming our children.”

Do you think the current concerns of mayors and other local officials regarding the reductions to Local Government Funds are valid ones?

“I do think mayors and local officials have valid concerns about funding. Many voters do not realize that cities, counties and municipalities are required to provide certain services to their citizens by statute and the state constitution. All too often the state places these requirements on our local governments without providing them the means to deliver those services. We need to see a stronger commitment by our state government to first help out with the mandates they have placed on local governments, and second we need the state legislature to stop placing new mandates on local governments that aren’t funded.”

What can lawmakers at the state level do to help combat the opioid crisis? Is this a problem of over-prescribing physicians or a problem with foreign-sourced contraband (fentanyl) from south of the border and from China? Do you favor using less-dangerous drugs in rehab settings to help wean addicts? And to what extent should the state government help fund any of this?

“The state legislature can do many things to help the opioid epidemic that has gripped our communities. First, they can increase the criminal penalties on those people who are pushing drugs on our streets and in our communities, giving law enforcement and prosecutors the ability to remove those drug pushers from the equation. Second, they can take steps to remove the sources of the opioid epidemic. As someone who has worked to prosecute opioid related crimes, I know that 4/5 opioid addicts become addicted after they are prescribed an opioid by a doctor. We need to crack down on the prescribing of opioids by physicians and we need to drug test every person before they get a prescription for opioids. This would insure that we aren’t helping feed their addiction. Third, we need to embrace the diversion programs like Drug Court that have been successful in multiple counties around the state to help those who want help getting off of drugs to beat their addiction. These programs have both helped get opioid addicts clean and saved taxpayer dollars by keeping people from becoming repeat offenders. As the state has done in counties with Drug Courts, I think the state should step up and help counties absorb the initial cost of what often becomes a taxpayer money saving approach to the drug crisis.”

Do you favor completely outlawing surgical abortion access in Ohio? Why? What about access to pharmaceutical/chemical abortions?

“I am 100 percent Pro-Life and I am proud to be the only candidate endorsed by Ohio Right to Life PAC. As someone who is Pro-Life, I believe that life starts at conception and ends at natural death, and I oppose all forms of abortion. I would support legislation to ban all abortions in Ohio and in our country.”

How can the state work with locals to retain college graduates in Ohio with new businesses, jobs and entertainment opportunities? And how do we attract people from outside Ohio to settle here to fill the vacancies at industries that currently go unfilled?

“The best way to retain college graduates and attract new talent to our district is to insure that our economy is thriving and our job creators are able to be competitive with other states. We can do this by reducing the tax burden on our job creators and our citizens, and by reducing the costly regulatory environment that our business community is required to operate in.”

Do you favor work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients?

“I absolutely favor work requirements for any able-bodied person receiving any form of welfare, including Medicaid. A major problem that we are seeing in our state and country is a loss of our society’s work ethic. That is in large part due to free government handouts and benefits. If you are able to work, you should be required to look for a job, take a job, or volunteer your time to get government benefits going forward. States that have implemented work requirements for Medicaid benefits have seen double digit drops in their Medicaid enrollments, and have saved millions, if not billions, of tax payer dollars in the process.”

Do you support expanding Ohio’s renewable energy favorability to companies like wind and solar developers, or do you think such projects are an unnecessary threat to property values of nearby residents?

“While I support all forms of energy, I do not support taxpayer subsidies to any sector of the energy production industry including wind and solar energy. Energy developers like wind and solar energy should be required to stand on their own in a free market, and we shouldn’t be giving them any advantage that other sectors of the economy aren’t getting. I also support greater set-offs for new windmills and other wind production facilities to protect the property rights of those individuals who are directly adjacent to properties with wind production.”

What is your position on the latest redistricting proposal? Is it fair or unfair compared to the current system? Why or why not?

“I support the proposed congressional redistricting plan that will be on the ballot as Issue 1. This redistricting plan is a bipartisan compromise that will help draw future congressional districts through an open bipartisan process. Taking politics out of redistricting by ending the one party method of drawing districts we currently use is a huge step forward in Ohio.”