Bell stresses education in effort to beat incumbent Smith
Armed with a degree in education, Democrat Rhonda Roush Bell agrees with District 59 incumbent Milo Smith on the importance of parental involvement in students’ development. But she finds a suggestion by the Republican Smith, that rewards parents for working with teachers with a tax credit, unnecessary.
“That’s their job to begin with,” Bell said. “If you decided to be a parent you need to be a parent.”
Instead, Bell said she believes teachers need to allowed more control of the classroom.
Smith’s suggestion comes from “thinking outside of the box,” when it comes to making the educational system more beneficial. He called education “the only key to a bright future.”
Smith said he spends time talking at local schools, telling the audience they need to encourage their peers to take their education seriously.
“Encourage your friends to get the best education that they can. Otherwise they have no shot at a bright future,” he said he tells students on a regular basis.
Bell’s husband Gary ran against Smith for the same seat in 2006.
Smith said a top issue for him is the findings of the Kernan-Shepard commission, which examined the efficiency of state and local government.
One of the components of the report was property taxes, last session’s hot button issue. The 2008 General Assembly ended with the passage of a bill that calls for permanent caps on property taxes. The second stage of the bill will have to be passed next session before it appears on the ballot for voters to approve.
Smith said he supports the bill as it was passed, while Bell doesn’t believe the current legislation won’t fix anything.
“I don’t think it is resolved and I see that it is probably going to get worse and more confusing before it gets resolved,” she said.
The candidates agreed on one issue of the property tax problems: Bills need to be delivered on time.
