Residents in Ohio House District 9, which includes Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, University Heights and a small portion of Cleveland, have a good representative in the Statehouse in Barbara Boyd. As she completes her second two-year term, we believe Boyd warrants a third term in office.
The Cleveland Heights Democrat is well aware of the critical challenges facing the state, most notably the $8 billion budget hole that must be filled next year. In previous budgets, the state has cut human services funding to help balance the budget, to the point that funding is quite scarce for an agency upon which a large number of people statewide rely. Boyd has been an advocate for human services workers who have bore the brunt of state funding cuts and is determined to make sure they are not pinched any more.
Boyd chaired the House Health Committee this term and is hoping that federal health care reform can help spur job creation in the state and especially in her district, which includes the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. She also supports the governor’s push to place slot machines in Ohio’s race tracks as a means of boosting the economy, even though she opposes gambling.
Her opponent, University Heights Republican Charles Perkel, offers few substantive ideas. He is critical of Boyd for not having a district office and not providing adequate representation, but those who live in the 9th District know they can meet with Boyd anytime in her living room and she will listen to their concerns. Boyd is an effective legislator and she deserves the chance to continue serving her district in Columbus.