Republican Congressman Pat Tiberi, who is running for re-election on Tuesday for Ohio’s 12th District, stopped in to Brumby’s Coffeehouse & Pizzeria in Bellville on Saturday, Nov. 1. The café was filled with citizens armed with questions to big issues.
Topics discussed included supposed corruption in Washington D.C., immigration, the EPA’s role in local municipalities, voting integrity and general questions on Tiberi’s plans if he is re-elected. In attendance were mayors Marilyn John, Shelby; Darrell Banks, Bellville; and Eugene Parkinson, Lexington.
Before Tiberi fielded community questions, he encouraged those in attendance to remember to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
“This is an important race. I want to encourage you all to vote on Tuesday, tell your friends to vote, tell your family to vote. Anyone that you know, tell them to vote,” said Tiberi.
Also in attendance were judges Craig Baldwin and Brent Robinson, who are also up for re-election on Tuesday. John Murray from Bellville, who was in attendance with his wife, wanted to hear Tiberi’s explanation of Washington, D.C.’s “dysfunction.”
“I want him to explain the dysfunction in D.C. You know, if the Repulicans pass a bill and it goes to Senate, the Democrats don’t even want to look at it. And that goes on on both sides, really,” said Murray.
Tiberi responded candidly. “You know, I think we’re going to take the Senate. It’s not a fantasy. But it’s not like, ‘Oh! We took the Senate, now we can do just whatever we want.’ We cannot do whatever we want. Is it better to have a Senate than to not have the Senate for judicial appointments? Absolutely. Now at least you have some balance,” said Tiberi.
He continued, “But does it mean that the day after we take the Senate, Obamacare’s going to be gone? No. No it’s not. We still have Obama in the White House. He’s not going to sign a bill to repeal Obamacare.”
He went on to explain the challenges he and the Republican party has because of the fact that President Obama’s term last for two more years. However, he said he still hopes for bi-partisanship and will fight for issues that matter to the people, especially the ones raised during the question and answer session.
If there was one thing Tiberi would like to leave as an encouragement for Richland County, he said it would be this, “My job has two sides, one is in D.C., which is an important one. But the other is in communities like this to help people solve problems. And if there is a way to help bring these two sides together to help fix a problem, that’s what I’m here to do. That’s what a representative is supposed to do.”
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. For more on ballot issues and political positions, visit Richland Source’s Election Coverage page.
