COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN) – Just two weeks away from the one-year anniversary of Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s 2015 State of the State address, WKBN First News went through Kasich’s speech to determine what promises he kept last year.
“We are better today than we were, and we are rising,” was one of the sentiments made during Kasich’s address last February in Wilmington, Ohio.
Kasich said the state was doing well but added that there was room for improvement. One of his proposed improvements was to lower income tax rates.
“I’m proposing to cut the income tax rates by 23 percent. We’ve already cut Ohio’s tax rates from 5.9 to 5.3 percent, and our budget will take it down to 4.1 percent over the next two years,” he said.
When Kasich signed the state’s budget last June, it included a personal income tax cut of 6.3 percent — a net tax cut of nearly $1.9 billion.
Last spring, Kasich also wanted to lower the income threshold for Medicaid by $7,000. He thought only women making less than $16,000 a year should get assistance.
However, Kasich ended up expanding Medicaid.
The governor spoke passionately while discussing the topic of improving police and community relations.
“We want to turn those voices into action now and turn the best ideas for community and police partnerships into action plans that any community in the state can put in place right away,” he said.
Right now, the state is offering grants to help police departments and communities build stronger relationships. The deadline for the $30,000 grant is March.
On Wednesday, the Republican presidential hopeful held a town hall meeting in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. During the meeting, Kasich said his record in Congress and as governor serves as evidence that he can deliver on his promises.
