ONU to host debate on Issue 2

Ohio Northern University will conduct a debate concerning Issue 2 (Senate Bill 5) on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the ONU Pettit College of Law Large Moot Court room (129). The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by ONU’s College Democrats, College Republicans, and Pi Sigma Alpha, ONU’s political science honor society.
 
Robert Sprague, Republican state representative from the 76th district, and Matt Huffman, Republican state representative from the 4th district and majority floor leader, will speak in favor of the passage of Issue 2. David Pepper, a former Hamilton County commissioner, and Fred Strahorn, a Board of Trustee member for Wright State University and former state legislator in the Ohio General Assembly, will speak in opposition to the passage of Issue 2.
 
Jeff Fitzgerald, news anchor for Your Hometown Lima Stations, will serve as moderator. The format will feature three rounds of questioning. The first two rounds will consist of questions from two area media members: Dan Robinson, reporter for the Kenton Times, and Ron Lerderman, editorial page editor for the Lima News. The third round will consist of questions from the audience followed by closing statements.
 
The Ohio Collective Bargaining Limit Repeal (Issue 2) will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot as a veto referendum. The measure would repeal legislation that limits collective bargaining for public employees in the state. Issue 2 will impact the state’s 400,000 public workers, restricting their ability to strike and collectively bargain. As it stands, the bill would only permit public employees to collectively bargain for wages, preventing them from collectively bargaining for health insurance and pensions. It would also prohibit all public employees from striking and could increase employee contributions for pensions and health care.