DELPHOS — Matt Huffman briefly discussed three state issues that will be on the November ballot and also gave a brief update on his campaign to seek the 12th District Ohio Senate seat Thursday at the Delphos Kiwanis Club meeting held at Kosta’s Topp Chalet Restaurant.
Huffman recently served as a state representative in the Ohio legislature and is now chairman of the Fair Districts for Ohio campaign committee, which is seeking to put specific rules on legislative district drawing in an effort to curb gerrymandering. Huffman introduced the proposal last year while serving in the legislature. The General Assembly approved the proposal to put it up for a vote with the general public.
Districts are currently drawn for 10-year periods. Under the new legislation, the Ohio Redistricting Commission would be formed with at least two members of the minority party. Two votes from each party would be required to approve the new district lines.
“It forces them to work together,” Huffman said.
Huffman said he will support State Issue 1 and is encouraging others to support it as well.
With voters facing the questions of legalizing marijuana in the state of Ohio, Huffman said he is also supporting Issue 2 while discouraging voters from supporting Issue 3.
Issue 3 was put on the ballot after Responsible Ohio gathered enough signatures to call for legalized cultivation and sale in some instances in the state. The legislation would create an Ohio commission to oversee legislation. The law would allow for both medical and recreational use for citizens 21 years old or older. However, Huffman said the legislation would also create 10 approved cultivating sites across the state, giving a limited number of investors a monopoly.
In an effort to stop that monopoly, the General Assembly created Issue 2 on the ballot, which would prevent citizen initiatives that created economic monopolies and would trump Issue 3 if it allowed a monopoly.
“I do not support issue 3 because of my own personal reasons,” Huffman said. “However, whether you are for or against it, this is a bad way to go about it. Essentially, a legal cartel would be created.”
Huffman said his campaign has raised about $138,000 in the first three months and that things were going well. John Adams has also announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination but so far has kept a low profile.
“We have had terrific support in Allen County,” Huffman said. “We have walked in 12 parades and been to five of the seven county fairs in District 12 with two of them coming up next week. It has went much better than I expected.”
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