House District 9: Joe Miller’s uphill but promising battle
By Edwin Cook
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — “Being fiscally responsible is what this district needs.” These are the words of Republican candidate Joe Miller, who is running against incumbent Democrat Janine Boyd for Ohio’s House of Representatives in District 9.
As a resident of Cleveland Heights for 20 years, Miller believes he has what it takes to win the seat in a district that is primarily Democratic voters. “Having to reach voters in the opposite party will be the most difficult part of this election,” says Miller.
Miller believes that, if elected, he needs to change things in order to create jobs within the district. “Schools are eating up too much of the budget in the district and the money should be spread out.”
With teachers in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District nearly going on strike in August, Miller wants to improve the situation of the schools in his district—which would also include the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board—and use this as a model for the rest of Cleveland to follow.
He says he knew, when he began the campaign, that getting on the ballot was one thing, but actually winning the election was another. He is attempting to overcome voters’ previous allegiance to the Democrats.
“This district needs to be united. In order for change, we need the voters to step back and evaluate their options. At this point, the district needs someone willing to work for the people. Being Republican or Democrat doesn’t matter.”
Ohio House District 9 is composed of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, University Heights, Cleveland Ward’s 2 and 4. The district, according to Ballotpedia, is 54 percent African-American among residents of voting age. Miller ran unopposed in the primaries, and is now running against Boyd in the General Election.
Boyd won the seat in 2014, succeeding her mother, Barbara, who died that year. Barbara Boyd held the 9th District position from 1993–2000 and 2007–2014. Her mother’s success helped Boyd win voters within the district, but Miller says the younger Boyd has made questionable decisions since being elected to the seat in 2014.
Miller’s campaign website, explains how he wants to work for the people as their representative. In an interview, he said, “It is critical to be available for the people and their ideas. They are the people living in the district. I work for them.”
House District 9 has the third highest property tax in Ohio, Miller says, and his priority is to lower such expenses. “There is no reason for taxes to be that high, and the schools to perform that poorly.”
He believes that people should have the right to choose where their children go to school, and wants to introduce a “high-risk, high-reward system to education in the Cleveland area.” By introducing a voucher education system, he says, residents would have more options to choose schools in the area.
When it comes to school taxes, Miller believes people should not be taxed as much if they want to send their kids to a private school. He wants to use the voucher system to give residents who are already paying for private schools the opportunity to keep some money in their pockets, by not paying as much in taxes.
His website also highlights problems with water and sewer costs. He believes the district prices are flawed and that is because of poor leadership in Columbus, though these things are controlled by municipalities, not the state government.
“Strong leadership in the state’s capital is what this district has lacked for years, and the voters need to realize that. This district needs someone who is going to truly stand up for the people and take the position seriously.”
There are spaces within the district that Miller believes have been ignored, and local businesses are failing. Areas in Cleveland Heights such as Severance Center Mall, have been rapidly declining in value, and Miller is determined to change the cycle.
“These empty storefronts and low-income businesses are suffering in areas they shouldn’t be,” he said, adding that they are suffering due to a spike in property taxes in recent years.
“The higher the taxes, the less money people have. The less money people have, the less they will be spending at stores and malls.”
Momentum is critical in elections, and that is what Miller believes he can develop. He says his opponent’s mistakes make him a desirable candidate, and residents have taken notice of that. Voters who are up to date on the election, and have been paying attention since Boyd first took office, are not happy with her, he said.
This reporter visited a few grocery stores and public areas, speaking to residents who were familiar with the election.
Sheryl Fleming of Cleveland Heights explained that she was unsure how anyone can fix the problems in the area. “Given the area, and the continual spike in taxes, how can anyone make that big of an impact here? Does the Republican candidate really believe he will be able to change what Boyd hasn’t?”
Rick Hauser, a local electrician who is also a Cleveland Heights resident, said, “What is the point in redistributing money if nothing is going to change? Why put our schools’ funding somewhere else if the system is already flawed?”
Miller said he wants to use residents’ cynicism about the state legislature’s ability to change things as a driving force in his election.
With concern growing about the leadership provided by incumbent Boyd, and negativity from residents of the district, Miller believes he has good potential to win this election. Like any election, it will be decided by the traffic in the voting booths. Residents will need to decide if Boyd’s two years in office were enough, and go with an out-of-the-norm Republican candidate, or decide to continue with a Democratic representative with experience.
For Miller, he will need to work extra hard to turn heads in a new direction. He will find out whether he has on election-day, Nov. 8.
