URBANA — Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, 85th District, responds to six survey questions about the upcoming election.
What do you consider your three most important accomplishments?
“My three most important accomplishments are one, the completion of college. I am the first in my family to actually achieve an advanced degree. Second, my marriage of twenty years and my five boys. And lastly, I have grown in my faith in Jesus Christ which has compelled me to fight for faith, family and pro-life causes.”
What do you consider your three most important goals?
“My three most important goals as a state representative are first, to get government off our backs. They take too much of our paychecks and take too much of our freedom. I will fight to make government smaller and less expensive. Second, I will always fight for families. Families are our most important and most local form of government. And third, to represent God and the people of my district in Columbus on each decision and bill that is proposed.”
State Issue 1 on the Nov. 6 ballot would “Reduce Penalties for Crimes of Obtaining, Possessing, and Using Illegal Drugs.” Should this issue pass or fail, and why?
“I am against State Issue 1. First, limiting the type of sentence that someone receive based on their possession of drugs may make our society less safe. If a judge and jury determine someone is a danger to society and needs to be locked up, I trust their judgment. Second, this takes away decisions from local courts. The local judges, prosecutors and juries know what the best way to handle any given case may be. You don’t fix a problem by going soft on the punishment. This is one thing I have learned raising five boys.”
How can you help the district overcome the tariffs being implemented against the United States by various countries?
“Other countries are playing with their currency and pay their people too little money, and thus are not treating their citizens well and also not entering into fair trade with the U.S. This has hurt our steel industry and many other industries. I support President Trump in his efforts to create a level playing field. America has proven more than once that its large and rich internal market can support itself, and if consumer prices rise, there is a point where we will start making the goods here again, like we used to.”
After the recent drug overdoses at the Chillicothe prison, how do we protect law enforcement exposed to illegal drugs as they do their job protecting citizens?
“The recent drug overdose in prison shows that our first responders are and have been in jeopardy. One important way of protecting Ohio from the drug problem is building the wall. I support the decision to build a wall and protect our citizens from this epidemic. I would also add that at some point, people have to be responsible for their own decisions. I am not in favor of the ever-increasing cry at all levels of government to spend more and more of our tax payer money. Stop taking drugs!”
How can local employers find quality workers for their growing businesses and industries?
“One way is to limit the number of government benefits we give individuals. We need to reduce the nonsense of free cell phones and other programs like this and reduce the amount of time someone can be on other programs. I realize we will always have some that need our assistance, but I think government is one of the worst ways to help people. Only the truly needy should be allowed to live on someone else’s money as a safety net. A little hunger in the belly is a good motivator to get up and go to work.”
