To the editor: Weigh candidates’ support for rail transit

In Ohio, when voting for a state representative or senator, please consider how they stand on public transit. The only way public transportation receives funding through the Ohio biennial budget is if the governor deigns through his largesse to designate some financial crumbs out of the general fund. Ranking 45th in 2017 despite having the 14th largest ridership, Ohio has ranked near the bottom for state funding of public transit. From 2012 to 2020, public transit’s share of the total transportation budget was less than 2 percent. In 2021 and 2022, it surpassed 2 percent but fell below again in 2023–2025. In 2025, public transit received about $37 million from the General Revenue Fund and more funding from federal grants.