Michael J. "Mike" Burba, Sr. Answers Questions

Candidate for
Trustee; Township of Green

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Hamilton County and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What are your views regarding the need for public transportation in your community to promote access to employment throughout the region?

Public transportation in Green Township would be useful; however, because of few concentrated population centers it is difficult to make it profitable at this time. In the big picture it would be a good idea to run the light rail system up the center of I-74 with a stop at the I-74 & I-275 interchange. Many people who work in the city and especially students at UC and Xavier could use this. The price of parking alone could cover the ticket prices. Of course you still have the problem of getting to the station from their widely scattered homes.

2. Would you be in favor of county-wide campaign finance regulations that would provide for public matching funds, limit campaign contributions and provide for more disclosure? State your opinions on these ideas; whether you would support or oppose them.

I will address each one separately:

Public matching funds - No. Limit campaign contributions - Yes. Government at all levels is being corrupted by the money influence and we need to start locally. But it will be difficult to restrict what people contribute. The courts have ruled that restricting the amount of money someone can give to influence politics is restricting that person's "free speech". This tells me that rich people can speak much more freely than poor people. Provide for more disclosure - No and Yes. If we limit contributions there would be no reason to disclose large donators. If we can't limit contributions then certainly this information must be made public.