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Thursday, 04 January 2007 |
 Rep. John Adams, R-Sidney, is sworn in as 78th District House representative Tuesday. (Photo provided)
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Assistant Managing Editor
Feeling like a college freshman roaming the floors of their new dorm, state Rep. John Adams says at times he cannot believe he is one of the newest members of the 127th Ohio General Assembly.
“I’m still pinching myself every day,” Adams told the Wapakoneta Daily News Wednesday on the first official day of his first legislative session. “I’m just walking around meeting people and talking with the Speaker of the House about committees.”
Adams, a Republican from Sidney, defeated Democrat Adam Ward for the 78th House District seat vacated by the retiring Derrick Seaver, a Minster Republican.
The Sidney resident and business owner said he is eager to get to work on the campaign promises he made to district residents in the fall.
“I am ready to get my feet wet and get the show on the road,” Adams said as he prepared for a joint session of the General Assembly. “The first day (Tuesday) was ceremonial and that’s understood, but I just want to get to work on the issues important to residents in the 78th House District.”
Before work can begin on the issues, Adams said he expects much of the first quarter of the year to be taken up by the state’s biennial budget. After Gov. Ted Strickland puts together the documents, the budget will go to members of the House for months of debates and rewrites.
“The budget is going to be the primary issue until June 30,” Adams said. “I think it will be dynamic and it will be interesting to see where his (Strickland’s) priorities are.”
Adams said increasing graduation rates at Ohio universities and retaining college graduates must be addressed in the budget. The Sidney legislator said failing to do so would be a strike against Strickland’s first budget proposal.
“We need to find ways to keep those students in Ohio and graduating,” Adams said. “That all comes back to the budget.”
Reining in state spending also is something Strickland must address, Adams said. With a budget growth cap of 3.5 percent, Adams said Strickland should be forced to trim unnecessary fat included in past budgets.
“We’ve had growth on the last budget cycle,” Adams said. “I am wondering if we will ever see a reduction in spending.”
Committee assignments are something Adams said he is awaiting with anticipation. The Republican said he would like to be involved in committees that address Ohio’s core needs as a state on the rise.
“Education is one I would like to be involved in,” Adams said. “I would also like to be on the public utilities and energy because I would like to see Ohio have some type of energy policy. When it comes to biofuels, I think Ohio can be a leader on that front with ethanol.”
While being a full-time legislator in Columbus can be time consuming, Adams said he plans to be back in the district as much as possible. Adams said he believes being visible in the district is just as important as voting on legislation in Columbus.
“It’s important you do the people’s business in Columbus then go home and be with the people,” Adams said. “I want to be at all the events and meet with the district residents.” |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 January 2007 )
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