Where Steve Stands
Issues & Positions
Steve's top three campaign priorities: regional cooperation, public safety, and affordability for all Erie County residents. Here is where he stands on the issues that matter most.
Priority 1
Regional Cooperation
Bringing Erie County's cities, villages, and townships to the table together.
Priority 2
Justice & Public Safety
Sustained investment in the agencies that protect our communities.
Priority 3
Affordability
Reducing the property tax burden on Erie County residents and families.
Responsible County Spending
Erie County is in a unique position of having very strong sales tax collections, with increases year over year occurring since the pandemic. The spending for the county must reflect its yearly revenue collections, but because we have been fortunate in those collections, the county can spend down some of our surpluses each year for one-time, strategic investments on projects that do not grow the size of our operations.
Economic Development
Erie County has the ability to market our region of the state as a marquee destination for either new projects or relocating businesses. We continue to reduce the burden government places on development. We are streamlining and refining various permitting procedures that make us more business-friendly. We must also partner with our cities, townships, villages, and the state in order to make sure we "as a region" stand out and above other areas in the state in regards to site selection options. We already have the natural resources part of site selection in hand - no one else has the bay, the lake, the islands - now we have to work together with our partners to continue pushing our narrative to the top of everyone's site selection criteria.
Jobs & Workforce Development
We must make sure that our educational opportunities continue to grow, innovate, and offer the best services in the state for all age ranges - including EHOVE, BGSU Firelands, our high schools, and career centers. We must also attract businesses that understand we already have a pipeline in place to provide future workers that can meet their needs.
Public Safety
Public safety is a top priority. We have and must continue to invest in our Sheriff's Office and in turn any other safety service agency in the county that partners with our sheriff's office - which is nearly all of them. Investments must be made in equipment and personnel in a responsible and deliberate manner.
Roads, Sewer, Water & Infrastructure
Erie County maintains a strong position on keeping roads in top physical condition. The commissioners have a very good working relationship with the county engineer's office, which is ultimately responsible for roads and drainage issues. The county's Department of Environmental Services (DOES) provides day-to-day operations for water and sewer services. The commissioners remain committed to providing the resources needed to keep our operations and the physical needs of both systems in good working order. We are also planning on ways to responsibly grow those systems as needed to accommodate new development opportunities as they come along.
Housing, Growth & Land Use
Addressing Erie County's housing shortage - across all types of housing - is among our most pressing challenges. The county's regional planning office works closely with commissioners and all political subdivisions to make sure the county and the region as a whole are working on the same page. There is no one-size-fits-all plan, but by having relationships and conversations about individual projects, regardless of where they may be located, we can help make Erie County a leader in securing new growth, including housing, in areas that can be zoned and transformed into the appropriate land use designation. The land adjacent to the NASA Armstrong Test Facility represents a significant development opportunity and we have been engaged with NASA leadership regarding that process and what we would like to see happen there.
Affordability & Support for Families
Commissioners have taken the issue of affordability very seriously. We have suspended the collection of the county's share of inside property tax millage for the past two years - $8 million per year kept in the hands of property owners – both residential and business properties. We will continue to examine that opportunity each year moving forward, with any collections that do occur in the future to be set aside for specific reasons or benefits that can help reduce the burden of day-to-day living. The commissioners have also made improvements to our foster care system in the county - making a difference to those most vulnerable in our communities.
Senior Services
Senior services in Erie County are coordinated through the Serving Our Seniors (SOS) organization - a levy-funded agency. Steve fully supports the organization and its programming efforts. We must be aware of the county's changing demographics, which show us as one of the "oldest" counties in the state, with our senior population expected to grow significantly during the next decade. We must work with as many partners as possible to handle that growing segment of our population so that housing needs and basic living requirements can be met and exceeded for as many seniors as possible.
Veterans
Commissioners fully support our local Veterans Service Commission (VSC), but we must do all we can to make sure the VSC has all of the resources necessary to provide their services, while also working collaboratively with any group that can help provide additional or needed services to Erie County veterans.
Small Business
The county can work with a number of our partners - the Greater Sandusky Partnership, Erie County Economic Development Corporation, and other political subdivisions - to make sure the economic development environment does not hinder local small businesses. Frequent and open discussions between all of the players involved remains a critical part of keeping our small business community fully engaged and successful in our communities.
Lake Erie & Natural Resources
Keeping Lake Erie and the Sandusky Bay healthy is critical to the county's overall operations, in part because our drinking water supply comes directly from the lake and the Sandusky Bay. We work with our state and federal environmental partners to make sure water quality issues remain a top priority. And if anything out of the ordinary does occur, we have plans and procedures in place to deal with a wide range of scenarios.
Open Communication
County government works best when residents, business leaders, township officials, city leaders, and village leaders have direct and frequent access to their commissioners. Steve's background - 32 years as a local news director - shaped his approach: listen first, ask questions, and stay accessible. "Let's Continue the Conversation" is not just a slogan. It is how Steve approaches the job every day.
"Let's Continue the Conversation"
Steve wants to hear from you. Contact him directly, volunteer, or request a yard sign.