Lower Cost Of Living, School Choice, Cut Waste

For decades, many local tax increases made east side of Cuyahoga County an expensive place to live compared to nearby areas.  For example, 30 minutes east of the district one can find apartments under $700.  Also, 30 minutes away, for the proverbial dollar one can get more house, more land, lower sales tax, lower income tax, lower property tax, lower crime, better schools, better roads, lower water and sewer bills, lower government fees, lower licensing costs, lower assessments, lower and easier permits, etc.,  This massive difference can't be blamed on Trump, Biden, or Obama.  The state government needs to reign in the local taxation, effectively putting limits on the cost of living.

Hard limits on tax rates, income tax
Mikhail Alterman is advocating for very hard limits on income, property, and sales taxes.  Also, hard limits on local government fees.  It's expensive here, for example:
- near 5% property tax in Shaker (legendary high tax - just to keep the house!). 
- 3% income tax in Bedford for non-residents, 2.85% in Euclid, etc. These are much higher rates than even the state income tax.
- Many cities are not giving tax credit for income tax already withheld in another city.  East Cleveland, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Warrensville Heights, University Heights, etc.  This hidden tax is never voter approved. 

Local rule failure, sales tax
This is the United States of America, not united city councils or united school districts.  Many of the tax increases were voted in; but for decades the citizens were promised better results if we only voted in one more small tax increase.  The results are disastrous: the east side of Cuyahoga County is over taxed.  The 8% sales tax is too high, the county government is swimming in cash.  The state government can and should override the county and cut taxes and put limits on increases.

Obstruct new taxes
Mikhail Alterman is advocating to make it harder to raise taxes: limit when tax increases can start and put the higher percentage of votes to pass levies.

Too many taxing authorities
Cut the number of institutions asking to raise taxes.  There is no reason why, for example, Regional Transit Authority, RTA, has ability to independently push to raise taxes.

Gas taxes

Ohio is charging much more than the federal government.  The gas tax needs dramatic lowering, not just a gas tax holiday.  Mikhail Alterman is for full reversal of the recent DeWine gas tax hike and cut out unnecessary road "repairs."

Water and Sewer
We have very much fresh water in North East Ohio.  However, we pay much more for water and sewer than more than desert areas. For a typical household using about 5,000 gallons per month, a Cleveland Water + North East Ohio Sewer District, NEORSD customer in Cuyahoga County is roughly about twice the combined water-and-sewer cost of comparable Phoenix or Tucson estimates!

Since 2009, Mikhail Alterman has advocated against North East Ohio Sewer District, NEORSD, its extreme taxation and its illogical tunnel projects.  Even Obama's EPA said the tunnel projects were not needed.  Years later, the tunnels are done but the extreme taxation is still here. 
We need to put water and sewer under the public utility commission.  The same regulated monopoly rules as gas and electricity, including opening to privatization, supplier choice, account ownership and collections.
We need to have state law obstructing NEORSD from taxing parking lots by square footage. Most people aren't aware: the sewer district started to tax anything that has raindrops falling on it.
 

Maximum school choice. Most dollars are directed by parents and follow the kids. Arizona and other states passed wider school choice than Ohio and are doing better.

Per student spending on the east side of Cuyahoga County is high and the results are dismal.  Beachwood collapsed in just a short time from number one in the state to 70+.  Cleveland Heights has 11% math (simple algebra 1) proficiency (8th grade state testing, a year ago).  $100 million dollar 

The Ohio government is spending over $100 billion every year.  Twenty years ago it was $47 billion.  More than 50% increase in spending over twenty years while the population grew only 3%.  No shortage of areas to cut waste and send the dollars back to  people.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/issues/accountability/article_30393557-1f30-46f3-a840-a9629c290344.html

https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_a35d8d77-4425-4983-9b00-44af803ea92e.html

https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_4a4eb850-03d5-4c1b-9a1c-9c80bc209cfe.html

https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-millionaire-welfare-kings-behind-a-quality-medicaid-empire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-ohios-home-health-empire-7-buildings-288-medicaid-companies-250-million

https://www.theohiopressnetwork.com/news/ohio/former-powell-couple-indicted-in-9-3m-ohio-medicaid-fraud-now-believed-to-be-in/article_db25214b-5268-43e2-9d52-c86725dc56d2.html 

https://www.theohiopressnetwork.com/news/us/state-finds-1m-in-taxpayer-funded-childcare-overpayments/article_88a35ae7-f1a7-5599-ad9d-abf5a8ce6e9b.html

https://thepostmillennial.com/revealed-massive-fraud-in-taxpayer-funded-ohio-home-health-aide-industry?utm_campaign=64466 

https://x.com/lukerosiak/status/2051763820549308752 

https://x.com/mikedovilla/status/2053863346856771688

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cChmdNe11Y&t=238s

https://youtu.be/5jkNMPttxio?t=26

It’s not just Somali Medicaid fraud, Ohio spends per person much more than Florida.  The roads, schools, and services in Florida aren’t worse than Ohio; and Florida has lower sales tax and no local or state income tax.


For example, why is the Ohio state government sending hundreds of millions per year to Ohio State University?  After 150 years of investment, this powerhouse institution should be sending money back to the state treasury, not subsidized.


Sources: https://archives.obm.ohio.gov/Files/State_Accounting/Financial_Reporting/Comprehensive_Annual_Financial_Report/2015/cafr-stats_2015.pdf

https://archives.obm.ohio.gov/Files/State_Accounting/Financial_Reporting/Comprehensive_Annual_Financial_Report/2024/Statistical%20Section.pdf

https://busfin.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/quarterly_update_2025_12.pdf

https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_41d00a5c-8ca0-4f53-a2b7-adba62501fe3.html
https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_e1a39ea2-735a-4b3a-a0cb-17b7c3325e00.html

"Ohio was recently ranked by CNBC as the top state in the nation for doing businessm."  But the east side of Cuyahoga County has seen little of it.

Mikhail Alterman solutions: The three topics above 'Lower Cost Of Living', 'School Choice', 'Cut Waste', plus voting against the Democratic party candidates.  The east side has been represented in Columbus by the Democrats for more decades than most people can remember. There is no possibility of change if people vote for the Democrat and their votes are taken for granted.

Casinos, cannabis, Ohio Lottery, and other gimmicks didn't result in better economic conditions on the east side of Cuyhoga County.  They also didn't solve financing issues with schools, healthcare, and other government spending.  Voting for change has a strong chance of bringing tthe east side of Cuyhoga County up to at least the booming levels of other Ohio areas.

Imagine how much healthcare can be delivered if tens of billons of fraud are cut?  See "Cut Waste" section.  If we can't agree to stop billions in criminal billing then we can't improve covering those that need and lowering healthcare costs.

Cutting hundreds of thousands of fake people off Medicaid and off Obamacare is not denying healthcare to people: https://www.theohiopressnetwork.com/news/ohio/federal-report-ohios-obamacare-enrollment-drop-driven-by-removal-of-improper-and-phantom-sign-ups/article_dec85778-b8f1-4938-8dd5-2c6f120c301e.html

There is a disagreement with the Democrats in Ohio about tens of billions in healthcare fraud and hundreds of thousands of "fake people" signed up to plans and assistance.  If we can't agree on such massive problems then we can't start the next conversations about true healthcare coverage and costs.