Local voters react to Ohio politicians seeking pay raise

Local voters are not too thrilled about Ohio lawmakers voting to give themselves a pay raise.

A provision for a legislative pay increase passed the Ohio House and Senate on Thursday.

The pay plan includes a 4 percent increase for 2020 and smaller increases for each following year through 2028. It also increases the pay of most county elected officials, including judges, sheriffs, prosecutors, commissioners and township trustees.

James Roberts, a Trotwood veteran who worked at Delphi for decades, said he is upset about lawmakers approving their own pay raise. “You can’t be happy about something like that. That is called rippin’ off the people. That’s what they do,” Roberts said.

Similar comments came into the Oho Politics Facebook page, which features details on the pay raise bill. Barbara Brown said, “The citizens should be able to vote on this. After all, they are supposed to be working for us.”

Another negative comment came from Miles Clark, who said “No pay raise until Ohio’s problems are fixed.” And Nancy Hayes added a question for lawmakers, “What have you done for us to earn your pay?”

RELATED: Ohio lawmakers debate pay raise for themselves

The pay raise bill was inserted into another bill that provides expanded benefits to family members of firefighters and police officers who died in the line of duty.

Some lawmakers said they were offended by the maneuver to place the controversial pay bill in a proposal that dealt with benefits to the families of fallen first responders.

The only Miami Valley lawmaker to voice opposition to the bill on the House floor was Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg. He said lawmakers should not have been approving a pay raise bill, but instead should have been passing a tax cut for Ohioans.

“They’re going to see that this House did not work on their (taxpayers’) raise. We worked on our own, and for that Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill,” Antani said.

In response, the sponsor of the pay raise, Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, said it was needed to attract good talent to public service. “It falls on us to make these adjustments that are necessary to continue the best and brightest at every level of elected service throughout the state,” Seitz said.

The bill went to the Gov. John Kasich’s desk Friday afternoon. Kasich has been critical of the bill but has not said whether he will veto it.