Buckland, Cross face off for 83rd District Ohio House seat

Republicans in the 83rd District of the Ohio House of Representatives are being presented with a choice this primary election. Cheryl Buckland is a nurse and business woman from Findlay and she is facing Kenton’s Jon Cross, who is the Director of the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance.

The district includes Hancock and Hardin counties and part of Logan County. Early voting is underway with the primary election on May 8.

The winner will face Democrat Ashley Philipp of rural McComb in the general election on Nov. 8.

Cheryl Buckland

With a background in business, health care and education, Cheryl Buckland said she would bring a new perspective to the issues which will be considered at the statehouse over the next four years.

The Findlay resident said she decided to get involved in politics after she became concerned with the climate during the Obama administration. Issues were being decided, she said, which were too far to the left of her conservative principles.

She began by joining the Republican women in Fostoria and then moved on to the county level in Hancock County. Her involvement in GOP politics brought her to become a state central committee member.

When Rep. Robert Cole Sprague announced he would not seek reelection in order to seek the state treasurer’s post, he supported Buckland to take his place in the House, said the candidate.

“Robert encouraged me and endorsed me,” she said. “I am what our forefathers had in mind when they considered public servants. They wanted someone who was successful in a career to serve the public. They wanted statesmen. That is the big difference between me and my opponent, I am running to be a statesman, not a politician.”

She noted she has had a successful career serving the public in business as the co-owner with her husband, Larry Manley, of Independence House, a 50-bed skilled nursing facility in Fostoria, where Buckland served as Director of Nursing and Administrator. It is one of the strengths Buckland said she would bring to the statehouse.

Not only has she established herself as a businesswoman, but also is a nurse mindful of the needs of the public when it comes to health care issues, she said. Nurses by nature, said Buckland, are critical thinkers and problem solvers.

She also would be highly qualified to assess the state’s Medicaid program, Buckland said.

Her health care background and personal experience also brings her a special insight to the dangers of the opiate crisis. Her grandson successfully went through opiate addiction counseling nine years ago, said Buckland.

“When I tell someone I understand the opiate problem, I do understand,” she said.

It was that experience which drove Buckland to co-found MOMS (Maternal Opiate Medical Support.) The Hancock County-based program works with opiate-addicted pregnant women and the Blanchard Valley Hospital to not only help them deliver healthy babies, but to assist the new mothers in getting counseling, she explained.

As a legislator, Buckland said, she would make it a priority to find more effective ways in general to spend money on drug prevention programs and provide a voice to all health care concerns.

Looking at ways to reduce Medicaid costs would open up money for other needs in the state, such as addressing the aging infrastructure, she said. The current state leaders don’t respond until after there is a problem, she said. She would support identification of infrastructure issues to be controlled at a local level with financial assistance from the state.

“It just all comes down to dollars and cents,” said Buckland. “I am in favor of local control in general. The people of Hardin County know the needs of their community better than the people in Columbus.”

Buckland also supports the increased presence of alternative energy in the district, but wants to make sure wind farm developers have a long-term plan for the sites and are responsible for maintaining local roads and bridges. As a legislator, Buckland said she would open dialogue with all those impacted by the development to establish best practices.

In addition to having backgrounds in business and health care, Buckland brings educational experience to the statehouse. She has been an instructor at Owens College.

A graduate of Carey High School, Buckland said she is a supporter of local control when it comes to making decisions in the public schools with minimal interference by the legislature.

“Teachers know their students and their needs better than those on the outside,” she said.

She would like to see less emphasis placed on standardized testing and more time teaching students to become problem solvers. She also supports efforts to strengthen the workforce through vocational education, said Buckland.

A supporter of the 2nd Amendment, Buckland said all of her children were taught gun safety and believes the current responses to gun violence are not addressing the root of the problem, which she said is addressing mental health.

More regulations are not going to keep guns out of the hands of those who want to be destructive, she said.

Buckland said her training in nursing has taught her to be non-judgmental about people. When it comes to the issue of abortion, said Buckland, “I am for life.”

Voters should support her in the primary election over her opponent, said Buckland, because she is running solely to improve the lives of people in the 83rd District, not to establish a political career.

“I am not interested in more trophies in life,” she said.

Concerns that Hardin County would not as represented with her in the statehouse than Jon Cross, Buckland vowed to continue to be a visible presence in the county.

“I am just a heartbeat away,” she said. “I would be here as much as Hancock County … People will think Hardin County will not be represented, but that is not true. I am for the people of Hardin County. I’m not running for anything else.”

Jon Cross

If Jon Cross is elected to represent the 83rd District in the statehouse, he will bring a Hardin County perspective to the legislature while standing strong for conservative values, he said.

“This is a great opportunity for us to have a seat at the table,” said Cross. “We can elect someone who knows the district well and provide a voice for our concerns in Columbus, Ohio.”

As Director and CEO of the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance, Cross said he decided to seek the seat in the general assembly being left by Robert Cole Sprague because he can use his professional experience to benefit the district.

In his role at the Alliance, Cross noted, he has led Hardin County’s efforts to form a partnership between businesses and the public schools to strengthen the county’s work force. It is that type of leadership the 83rd District needs in the statehouse, he said

“I have never been shy about taking on a leadership opportunity to help the community,” said Cross. “This is not about fame or fortune. I am doing this because I care.”

A diversified workforce would benefit not only the people of Hardin County and the 83rd District, said Cross, but would make Ohio a bigger contender for economic development. He can bring his experiences of retaining, developing and creating jobs to the state level, said the candidate.

“I understand the community challenges,” he said. “We need a strong conservative voice in the statehouse to make sure our challenges are being met … You can’t be a good community leader without knowing your community and during this campaign I have met great people in every inch of this district.”

While he is standing up for improvements which will impact the people of the 83rd District, said Cross, he will not waver from his conservative principles on issues that impact the state.

“I am pro-life 100 percent,” he said, noting he is the only candidate endorsed by the state’s two major right-to-life organizations. “I will faithfully protect life and make that my number one priority.”

Cross also will be a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, he vowed.

“I will defend your rights and freedoms and fully defend the 2nd Amendment,” said the candidate. “People have the Constitutional right to gun ownership and we should not get in the way of that … I will never waver on life and I will never waver on the 2nd Amendment.”

Cross noted he has been endorsed by all three sheriffs in the district.

“I am pretty proud to get those endorsements,” he said.

He said working with law enforcement and education leaders will be necessary to “harden” public schools and improve security for the buildings. He supports a state effort to give the districts the funding they need to make it harder for intruders to break into schools.

He noted the Alliance waived a $3,000 fee to loosen up funds in the city of Kenton to allow city council to budget for an extra officer for the schools.

He also believes it is the right of individual school districts to determine if teachers or administrators should be allowed to bring guns into the building.

The state should do its part to make sure the school districts have enough funding to provide students with a 21st century education to meet the demands of the jobs available.

He has worked with schools and businesses to strengthen the county’s workforce, he noted, and provide training and career experiences for students in the area they will need to compete for jobs after graduation.

Cross also supports the DARE program which educates middle school students about the dangers of drug abuse.

Working with the communities on a ways to deal with the opiate crisis is also a top propriety for Cross once he reaches the statehouse, he said. While finding ways to provide assistance for those facing addiction, he said, it is also important to make counseling available to families and address how the crisis is impacting the state’s workforce.

“I have branded myself as a business candidate, but I also provide balanced leadership in other areas,” he said.

The state’s aging infrastructure, for example, needs attention, said Cross. He points to the Kenton downtown revitalization project of an example of the need for investments in this area.

“We have a 100-year-old infrastructure,” said Cross. “If we don’t fix that, we can’t expect to prosper and every city is dealing with this issue. But there is only so much money the state has available. We have to spend our dollars wisely.”

Cross also supports the recent development of renewable energy projects in the county, but said the changes in the community need to be supported by both side of the issue.

“The government shouldn’t tell people what they can do with their land,” he said.

If elected, Cross vowed to continue to stay in touch with the constituents of his district through town hall meetings. He will take the issues he hears discussed at those sessions back with him to Columbus, said Cross.

“I am the hardest working candidate in this race. I have shown how hungry I am to serve,” said Cross. “I want to go to Columbus and fight like heck to get what you want done. That is why I am the stronger candidate.”

By DAN ROBINSON
Times staff writer