Below is a summary of some of the issues facing Butler County and the rest of Ohio. 

• K-12 Public School Funding.  We need to support our public schools and make sure they provide quality education for all students.  The current funding system is not meeting the needs of the Lakota, Monroe, and Middletown Schools.  Tony Klimek will work to make some short-term fixes and then with Governor Strickland and others to develop and implement a long-term solution to address the inequities in the system and the over reliance on the property tax.

• College and Post-Secondary Education.  Ohio needs a well-educated work force to compete in a global economy.  College costs have soared from 1996 until 2006; Governor Strickland froze college tuition in 2007.  Tony Klimek will work to develop ways to control costs and make college and other post secondary education available and affordable for all citizens of Ohio.  We should look at co-op programs and partnerships with industry.  We should develop innovative ideas such as providing scholarships to students that commit to work in Ohio in the fields that need quality professionals such as nurses, math and science teachers, and engineers.
• Home Foreclosures.  Unregulated and unscrupulous banks and lending institutions created a mess that is affecting communities throughout the 55^th District.  Tony Klimek will support measures to deal with this crisis such as HB-138. Please see column on web page.
• Energy.  We need to develop energy resources in Ohio including clean coal and renewable sources.  We should also encourage conservation methods and community development that makes better use of our resources including bike paths and mass transit.  We should not depend on our military to ensure an oil supply from the Mid-East. 
• Infrastructure.  As an engineer, Tony Klimek understands the importance of infrastructure.   People take it for granted until it does not work.  We need to develop and maintain infrastructure to provide a basis on which to grow and prosper.  Planning should be done to reduce suburban sprawl and make communities more livable with sidewalks and bike trails.  We need to encourage development that does not rely on individual cars.
• Brownfield Redevelopment.  Brownfield redevelopment must be encouraged.  Engineers and scientists should have a bigger impact on solving environmental issues.  Companies now find it easier to move onto clean areas than to build on previously disturbed and potentially contaminated brownfield sites.  We need to encourage brownfield development through common sense laws and technical expertise that defines contamination and addresses the issues.  Too many lawyers that bill by the hour and provide no technical value to environmental projects are draining common sense and money from the system.

More details on these and other issues will be added to the web site in coming months.  Please contact Tony Klimek through the “Contact Us” button if you have comments on these issues, would like to discuss an issue in further detail, or would like to discuss another issue that you feel is important for Butler County and the rest of Ohio.