John Zappala (R): Candidate For Ohio House District 13

1. Please tell us your name, age, where you live, and your current job.

John Zappala, 53, Lakewood, General Contractor

2. Why do you want to serve in the Ohio General Assembly

I am running to put another candidate with traditional American values on the ballot and in the General Assembly.  I believe that government works best when it gets out of the way and lets the individual succeed.  The state government needs to create a favorable climate to business and then let the entrepreneurs invest and create jobs.  We need to put health care laws in place that encourage competition and the let the providers compete for patients business by providing the best care for the lowest price.  I also want to see an education system that benefits the students first, not the teacher's unions.  If students are failing to be proficient in reading and math, and failing to graduate, we need to better hold their schools accountable.  I will go the General Assembly to fight for you and your ability to provide for your family.  My opponent spends her time in this office concerned more about needle exchange programs and women's issues rather than jobs.  Women's issues are important, but to me the most important women's issue is that they have a job and financial independence.  That goes for all people, men and women.

3. What do you bring to this position that makes you the most qualified?

I am the people that I will represent.  I am a lifelong Lakewood resident, graduate of Lakewood High, and I work mostly in Lakewood.  I am a small business man, a person who goes to work every day, a neighbor to foreclosed homes, and a father.  My kids went through the Lakewood Schools and now I am putting them through college to achieve their dreams.  I'm just like you, and you can know that I bring all of these experiences with me when I go to serve you.

4. How, specifically, will we know that you are doing a good job?

Just as you know a tree by its fruit, you will know if I am doing a good job by what comes of my time in office.  If you can see the job growth that we have had in the last two years in Ohio continue to outpace the nation’s like it has, then I am doing a good job.  The same goes for health care and energy prices; if you see them going down then the work that is being done in Ohio is helping.  What happens on the federal level has a big impact, but the past two years job growth has shown Ohio can be a leader in the country for growth with changes we make at home.  In the recent news my opponent has talked about her few achievements of her time in office.  You can know how I am doing by what importing things I get done.  Representative Antiono is proud of her needle exchange bill, making it easier for cities to implement these programs, but this is neither a good idea nor more important than the major problems we face right now.  Heroin is the second most addictive drug, and has a growing rate of use in Lakewood.  We should not encourage its use in any way.