State senate candidates spar

SANDUSKY — State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and her Democratic opponent, Paloma De La Fuente, don't agree on whether arming teachers is a good idea. They also aren't aligned on private school vouchers. The two are on the ballot in the Ohio Senate's Second District race in a district that includes much of northern Ohio, including Sandusky and Port Clinton. The debate, taking place before students Friday afternoon at Sandusky High School, lasted for an hour and is available for demand viewing at the Register's YouTube channel and on the newspaper's website, sanduskyregister.com. As part of the Register's and Reflector's in-schools debate series, this contest was sponsored by the Greater Sandusky Partnership, which offers local candidates seeking political offices an opportunity to express their opinions on many topics. The debate included a discussion about school shootings and guns in schools. De La Fuente, who said she experienced a lockdown while in high school in Perrysburg, criticized a recent state law allowing teachers to carry guns. There's no reason for any school employee to have a gun, De La Fuente said. Gavarone responded that the state law leaves the decision of whether to allow teachers to be armed up to local school boards. A mother of three, Gavarone said that if her child was at school, and if there was a shooter, "I'd want my child in a class with a teacher who has a gun. Who wants to sit there and be a sitting duck?" De La Fuente denounced Ohio's expansion of private school vouchers. "Public money belongs in public schools," she said. Giving money to "rich, private school kids" only helps the rich, she said. Gavarone replied that "not every child learns the same way" and said vouchers help ensure families without a lot of money can put a student in a private school. While the Ohio General Assembly has funded public schools well, adopting recommendations from a fair school funding group, adding funding for school vouchers is a way "to help every student, not just rich students, get the education that best serves their needs." De La Fuente, 19, is a prelaw student at the University of Toledo. She referred to her age during the debate, noting that she wasn't much older than the students listening to her. Gavarone, 58, an attorney and businesswoman, has been in the Ohio Senate since 2019, serving before then in the Ohio House and on Bowling Green's city council. They also offered a contrast in styles in the debate, which, apparently, was the first time the two had met. De La Fuente went on the attack, often criticizing Gavarone. For example, De La Fuente said school shootings in Ohio have continued because of inaction. "That kind of inaction is sitting right next to me," she said. Gavarone mostly did not respond to the attacks, choosing instead to focus on her record. She told the students she has a history of working with local officials and said she has brought $47 million back to the district, including funding for Sandusky's lakeside park project, The Landing, and money for the Erie County Fairgrounds. "It's important to have a leader who has a track record in getting things done," Gavarone said.