League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton, Warren County, OH May 2, 2006 Election
	Karen J. Adams Answers Questions Candidate for State Representative; District 35; Democratic Party

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area or League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I bring many years of experience and knowledge in government, education, law and land development to office. I was elected to a school board, the third largest district in the state, with 17,000 students. I served on a township planning commission for nine years.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

I want to provide an excellent education for Ohio school children through a fair and equitable system. Ohio must take the burden away from antiquated property taxes and restore cuts in state education funding.

Ohioans must have access to affordable health care. I will use a common sense approach to promote health and preventative care and provide for low cost medical care.

I will work to restore Ohio's government to provide for the health, safety and welfare to all for a positive change. The laws, rules and regulations apply to all in and across party lines.

3. What changes would you recommend for improving public oversight of charter schools? (150 word limit)

I would require charter schools to be subject to the same requirements of our public schools for performance, curriculum and safety. We must insure that all our children receive an excellent education in a safe and adequate environment. We must ensure the curriculum meets state standards and that the students are performing to an aceptable standard so that they may become productive adults. A system of checks and balances needs to be in place to ensure that tax dollars are spent correctly and wisely. Buildings used for schools must meet safety, health and fire codes to protect our children.

4. Ohio has the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. What actions would you support at the state level to address this crisis? (150 word limit)

I would propose anti-predatory lending laws like those already passed in Dayton, Cleveland and Toledo and include full disclosure of the terms and cost of the loan to stop fradulent and deceptive practices. These predatory lenders must be stopped from targeting people based on certain characteristics unrelated to credit worthiness. I would ask banks and savings & loans to commit to making loans to low-income areas. These measures will help stable neighborhoods maintain affordable good housing and maintain a solid tax base.

5. Both parties have called for redistricting reform. What three top criteria should be used in redrawing legislative districts? (150 word limit)

They are compactness, competitiveness and set criteria for drawing districts. Districts should not be gerrymandered to suit an encumbant's reelection bid. These safe districts are disservice to the residents.

Competitiveness is the most important of these. Safe districts discourage good candidates and stifles debate on issues. A competitive district would make a legislator more responsive to constituents.

Compactness would truly serve the residents of a district. It would not dilute the common issues and interests of the constituents. There would be less confusion about boundaries and representation. Every effort should be made to consider municipal and county boundary lines in drawing the districts.

Redistricting should be done according to a set of neutral criteria by a bipartisan commission so that there are checks and balances to prevent gerrymandering. The citizens of Ohio would be better served if the districts were drawn in a neutral way to best represent the residents.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 1, 2006 09:52
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