2024 Candidate Questionnaire – Shane Wilkin

Candidate Questionnaire – Senator Shane Wilkin

United States House of Representatives – 2nd District

Biography:

Shane Wilkin was a Highland County Commissioner for just under 10 years before he was elected into Ohio’s House of Representatives in 2018 representing the 91st district. He is now the State Senator for Ohio’s 17th Senate District. He is married to Kristy Wilkin who is a 4th District Court of Appeals Judge and they live in Hillsboro where they raise two girls Piper and Parker Wilkin. Aside from Shane’s legislative experience he also works in real estate and is a small business owner.

What are your three most important policy priorities? What do you hope will be the impact of implementing these policies?

Serving in Congress is a difficult job. The most effective leaders have character, relevant work and life experience, and a strong work ethic founded on doing what’s right. I’m the only candidate in this race with business experience and a proven conservative record, and I’ll always put real results over empty rhetoric.

If elected, my top three priorities would be:

1) Secure the Border: Border security is national security. While the Biden Administration tries to force Texas and other states to remove the critical border protections they need to keep their citizens safe, I’ll fight to ensure we finish the wall President Trump started and put the necessary security measures in place to stop the massive flow of illegal immigrants, criminals, and drugs into our country.

2) Balance the Budget and Get America Working Again: Bidenomics is devastating America’s middle class. The national debt and looming budget issues will not be solved quickly, but we must take real steps now to right the ship. Big government spending kills jobs and causes inflation to skyrocket. As we get spending under control, we must also champion pro-growth policies like tax cuts to generate real economic growth by encouraging private sector investment and job creation.

3) Fight for Energy Independence: The Biden Administration has choked off our domestic energy supply while conflicts abroad greatly expose our country’s dangerous reliance on the members of OPEC that actively fund terrorist activities against our country. We must utilize the natural resources within our own borders to achieve energy independence from bad actors around the globe, while also supporting good-paying jobs here at home.

If elected, what will be your approach to engage with constituents and businesses to gather input on legislative/policy decisions?

For constituents, I would assemble the best possible team to know and understand the issues where I can provide help and support. I would hold scheduled constituent days and office hours in counties around the district, doing everything possible to ensure transportation limitations would never prevent a constituent from connecting with me or my office.

For businesses, I would immediately get to work on creating regional business roundtables, which would meet regularly to share issues of concern and discuss possible solutions. Through these roundtables, I would develop a plan of action to guide my priorities in Congress.

In your opinion, what are the two most important challenges facing our county and how do you propose to address them?  

As I’ve served several parts of the Second District as a state senator, and during my time traveling around the district, I’ve heard directly from law enforcement officials that we must secure our border and address the immigration crisis. Our country’s weakness at the southern border weakens our ability to combat growing challenges here in Ohio, including the ongoing opioid epidemic and rising violent crime in our communities. Until we control the border, there will continue to be an endless flow of illegal immigrants, criminals, and drugs coming into our country. I’ll fight to ensure we finish the wall President Trump started and put the necessary security measures in place to stop the massive flow of illegal immigrants, criminals and drugs into our country. In the meantime, we must support Texas and other states’ ability to protect their citizens.

We must have the strength to tackle the national debt and looming budget issues that will devastate future generations if we keep kicking the can down the road. Importantly, Communist China has spent decades building up America’s reliance on their resources, and it holds more of our debt than nearly every other country in the world. We cannot balance the budget or reign in the national debt overnight, but we must take real steps now to right the ship.

How do you plan to address regulatory challenges that local businesses face? Are there specific regulations or policies you would advocate in order to streamline business operations?

No one knows regulatory issues better than those who deal with them on a regular basis, and as a small business owner myself, I know we must make it easier for businesses to invest, grow and create good-paying jobs. As a legislator, I’ve championed bills to help businesses thrive, and I’ve helped constituents cut through red tape that hinders growth. For example, I sponsored and was proud to have signed into law the Business Fairness Act (HB 215, 134th GA) to promote competitive fairness among big and small businesses. I’ve also supported more than $3 billion in income tax cuts, which directly benefit small businesses across Ohio. Continuing this work in Congress starts with listening, not dividing. If elected, I would develop regional business roundtables to discuss the issues impacting business and then develop an action plan to eliminate red tape and get regulations out of the way as quickly as possible.

How do you plan to address infrastructure needs in our region, such as transportation, broadband, and utilities, to support business growth?

Public-private partnerships can be the key to improving our state’s infrastructure, and I’m the only candidate in this race who has both private business experience and public sector experience. Understanding issues from both sides, private and public, is incredibly important in order to advance the policies necessary to help Southern Ohio thrive.

As a state lawmaker, I’ve voted for legislation to enable public-private partnerships to help get broadband connectivity to more unserved households and small businesses in Southern Ohio (House Bill 2, 134th GA). Additionally, as past chairman of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Coalition, I have extensive experience working with the federal Appalachian Regional Commission and would use that knowledge to help secure continued funding for necessary infrastructure projects throughout Ohio’s Second Congressional District.

What strategies do you propose to enhance workforce development and address any skills gaps in our community?

As I have in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, I will continue to strongly support our career technical schools and our community colleges. These institutions allow our kids to get the education, certifications, and skills they need to be successful without having to leave Southern Ohio.

As previously mentioned, the regional business roundtables I will create would play a key role in identifying real skills gaps and training needed for current and future workforce so we can do everything possible to create job opportunities across Southern Ohio.

What measures do you propose to attract new businesses and encourage entrepreneurship locally?

Eliminating government red tape and lowering taxes is the key to spurring economic growth and investment. Nothing encourages business growth like a tax and regulatory environment that empowers businesses and entrepreneurs to determine their own outcomes and achieve success.

Business owners should be able to focus on their work, not waste time and energy filling needless government forms and complying with the useless regulations. I have a record of cutting red tape and cutting taxes for my constituents, and I’ll continue that fight in Congress.

As a member of an elected body, how would you work with your colleagues to build relationships and build consensus for your ideas?

We need leaders focused on getting results, not just spewing a bunch of empty rhetoric. This is my advantage over my opponents in this race. I will draw on my experience a state lawmaker and former county commissioner to building strong coalitions with other members of Congress.

It is imperative that we understand this is the legislative branch, and at least 217 other people must agree in order to move ideas forward. I have a solid, steady drive to move the country in the right direction with an unwavering commitment to conservative ideals. That means never giving up and always focusing on moving the ball forward.