Jim Jordan

3-22-25

Dear Editor:

March 18th was an exciting day!

Senator Jim Jordan came to visit Kenton on his tour around Ohio checking on his constituents. He has been here 3 times now to speak with Mayor Lynn about Kenton’s concerns and opportunities. It is pretty incredible to see someone as dedicated as Jordan spend time in our small town. As a community we may see slow progress and inconvenience, but to Jordan and other state players, they see a community moving forward and full of potential.

            The meeting started out with a brief look into Jordan’s life and travels. He juggles his work in DC with keeping an eye on what’s going on in Ohio and helping to address the problems that his constituents face. He spoke about Trump’s first few months in office and the progress that has taken place already. They are working hard on the Reconciliation Package that will help implement the DOGE cuts and includes energy, regulation, and tax policy. He also spoke of the CR (Continuing Resolution) that added no new debt to the budget. These actions of the Legislature will help in moving America closer to a balanced budget, and position us for a hope- full 4% growth. This is achieved by encouraging economic development through reduced regulations, cutting budgetary waste, and reducing tax and inflation.

            It is important for us to step back from our slow-paced-rural-America view point and see that influential people have taken notice of us. Chris Hughes from ODOT, Anne Vogler from Ohio EPA, Lydia Mahalik from DOD, Cindy Brooks from RCAP, to name a few. They believe in Kenton and have a long-term view of what can be. In the past, we may have been on their ‘improvements needed list’ but we are now, thanks to the persistence of our City Leaders, viewed as a location slated for development. Now, it’s not an easy sell for Kenton. During the meeting Holly Underwood talked about our unique location; 5 state highways leading to larger manufacturing areas, a Rail spur, and land that is sized for small manufacturing. Ty Matthews is also advocating for small parts suppliers to be built in our area for the tank plant in Lima. We struggle with a steady labor force (for now), and infrastructure development (its being worked on), and land within the city limits (or able to be annexed in). President Trump is bringing industry back to America and when the right opportunity(s) come along these leaders advocating for us and our city will be ready.

            Some of the concerns that Mayor Lynn brought to Senator Jordan’s attention focused on the National Trucker company’s employees destroying our side roads and new infrastructure projects. This has become such an insurmountable problem to enforce partly due to the majority of the offenders possibly not be able to speak/ understand English.  A side note: This is a national issue and is being addressed across the nation as it is a violation of the CDL. Another Concern is the amount of HUD housing that we have in Kenton (6 major complexes). For a community of 8,000 this is a large percentage of our housing, and keeps our income supporting majority at 32%. The need for welfare reform will have a large impact on areas like Kenton.  Jordan mentioned the Reconciliation bill, Farm Bill, and the SNAP bill as being instrumental for addressing issues like these. Mayor Lynn brought up Big Pharma and the astronomical cost for insurance as another factor in the financial squeeze of rural America. This currently is in the hands of RFK jr. and is being addressed but not much information is available at this time [my paraphrasing].

County Commissioner Joe Sherman brought up the possibility of the regionalization of our water & sewer utilities. Regionalization would help to dilute the burden and provide better quality utilities to a larger service area. Senator Jordan spoke on deregulation and how that helps bring industry and funding to our area to make infrastructure projects like this possible.

            Jon Cross asked about the energy sector in Ohio and that we are down to just 2 coal plants. Jordan is hopeful in Trump’s agenda to ‘Drill Baby Drill’, and in the possibility of smaller more nibble nuclear plants. He went on to talk about how energy independence is the catalyst to stable economic growth and confidence.

            Commissioner Tim Striker asked if he thought the High-Speed Rail was going to make it to Ohio. The short answer- no. It has been effective in high density areas, but not something that he feels is a large priority for Ohio.

            Department of Education, another area of concern was brought up. Senator Jordan lamented over the fact that many of the administration in the school systems are making $144,000/year and our teachers are not making nearly that much and are vital to the education of our students. He is following the developments of our education reforms as President Trump has called for the closure of the Federal Department of Education. He is unsure how the federal monies will come down to the local school system upon the closure, but would like to see it pushed to local first and moved through the state if needed.

            Overall, as a citizen, I was encouraged to see the unity of our city leaders advocating for our economic development and seeking remedies for the harder things that plague us. Thank you to Jim Jordan and Kirby for stopping by our neck of the woods and allowing us to weigh in on Our American Dream. Thank you to Mayor Lynn for moving our city (even if somewhat painfully) into a better position for progress and for fostering these relationships that allow us to get the grants and funding needed (less $ from our pockets). To my fellow citizens, Thank you for having hope, Thank you for dealing with the growing pains, and Thank you for making Kenton and Hardin County a great place to call home.

Sincerely,

Michelle Laubis