League of Women Voters of Ohio
Hamilton County, OH November 4, 2003 Election
	Michael A. "Mike" Howell Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; Township of Symmes

The questions were prepared by the LWV Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. How would you implement your top priority?

Start by implementing stricter zoning codes with regard to new development, commercial and residential. This would bring more control into the areas that are the root cause of flooding. Next would be to work with the state and our neighbors to see what help we can receive. If these fail to resolve our problem then we would need to look into moving this water away from these creeks and channeling it somewhere else.

2. Numerous important issues including transportation, land use planning, housing and economic development for the Greater Hamilton County regions are being deliberated by OKI's Land Use Commission and Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission and Planning Partnership COMPASS; how engaged should local government be in these planning activities? If elected, how would you participate in these planning activities?

Symmes should take a very active roll in all of these mattes. We already know how zoning and development affects traffic, storm water, sewers, water needs and other basic public services.

3. Ohio Department of Natural Resources in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Recycling Coalition conducted a state-specific study and found recycling businesses in Ohio generated $650.6 million dollars in state government revenue. If elected how would you promote recycling and support recycling programs currently in place in your community to reduce solid waste generation?

I don't know that on a township level we would have the power to enact such programs.