League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2011 Election
	Jeffry K. Smith Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; Township of Green

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

Questions & Answers

1. What services do you believe should be considered basic and essential for the township?

Fire, EMS, police, road & park maintenance, and snow clearing.

For an example of unessential services, consider a program which pays for sidewalk replacement for *some* residents, depending on the conditions of sidewalks on a particular street. This attitude of "Let the government pay for it" is part of the reason we have government which is too big for our wallets.

2. How would you balance the Township Budget?

A balanced budget is not a praiseworthy achievement - the township budget must be balanced **as a matter of state law**.

Of far more concern is the attitude the trustees have about revenue, from whatever source: spend it! The problem with that attitude is that the Ohio Estate Tax is going away in 2013, and Green Township's portion of the Ohio local government fund is reduced starting next year. These represent **millions of dollars in lost revenue**.

The people best suited to dealing with such a situation are not those who have been reckless in spending OUR tax money. For example, the trustees have been wasteful with our tax dollars by subsidizing the money losing (> $2 million over 11 years) Nathanael Greene lodge, in their willingness to sell township property at a loss of more than $1 million, in their hiring of unqualified friends and family, in their spending of funds on various projects without any kind of cost/benefit/payback analysis, in their issuing of bonds (placing the township in greater debt than ever before) so that future tax dollars can be spent now, and on and on.

Trust YOUR tax money to an independent conservative - someone who has documented, highlighted, and questioned the trustees' reckless financial decisions.

3. What actions will you take to support clean air?

I will do all I can to ensure that township vehicles and other township sources of pollution operate within applicable laws, and, while still being available for needed purposes, are used in such a manner as to minimize pollution.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits may apply. See individual questions for specific word limits. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. Please edit your work before submitting. We are unable to provide spell-check at this time.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 27, 2011 14:00
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