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Four Democrats will appear on the May 2 ballot, seeking the party's nomination to run against Geoffrey C. Smith, Republican incumbent in the 24th Ohio House District, in the November general election.

James Agler, 35, is a resident of Hilliard. He attended Ohio University and works in customer service.

Agler said he is seeking election because "the current party in power has no idea or regard for the plight of the working and middle class in this state.

"It is time for new faces and ideas to come forward to lead this state out of the corruption and 20th-century thinking that has Ohio lagging so far behind the country in critical areas," he said. "Education, job creation and environmental concerns are simply not being addressed by the current leaders of our state."

Ted S. Celeste, 60, is a Columbus resident. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the College of Wooster and is a broker/owner of Celeste & Associates Real Estate. He served with the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer and teacher and worked for the Ohio Department of Public Welfare and the National Housing Corp.

Celeste said he decided to run "because it is time for thoughtful and reasoned change in the state.

"If Ohio is going to be competitive again in a global market, and if our kids are going to have a bright future, they need good jobs," he said. "Our children must start with a healthy and supportive preschool environment. They need a quality primary and secondary education and affordable and accessible colleges. We must develop retraining programs for those who have recently lost jobs in the businesses of yesterday so they are prepared for the companies of today."

Chris Courtney, 36, is also a Hilliard resident. He attended Ohio Dominican University and is employed as a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Worthington.

"As a firefighter, I understand what it means to be a public servant," Courtney said. "Our politicians no longer serve the public, but instead serve special interests and big business. Why should we have to fight our own government for things like health care, jobs, clean air and education for our children?

"Ohio's political landscape has become littered with corruption, incompetence and ideological extremism. There are solutions to Ohio's problems. As a state representative, I will use my leadership and determination to bring these solutions to the people."

Traci Johnson, 40, is a Hilliard resident. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science/pre-law from Ohio University. She lists in her employment background 20 years of community service, working with seniors, children, the blind and the homeless. She also lists 18 years of political campaign experience, and eight years in state government/law enforcement with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services and the Ohio Attorney General's office.

"When government fails, people suffer," Johnson said. "As the next state representative, I will restore confidence, dignity and integrity in government. I will work to create jobs and strengthen this economy, make educational reform a priority -- working to reduce class size, provide schools with the resources to succeed while improving and strengthening our educational system."

The candidates responded to the following questions from ThisWeek:

South Dakota has passed a ban on abortions, in anticipation of victory should the law be challenged in a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court. Would you support similar abortion-ban legislation in Ohio?

Agler: I feel that South Dakota's ban is dangerous and seriously lacking in compassion on many fronts. While there are exceptions for the health of the mother, I do not feel that they are being given anything more than political lip service. When choice is taken away from rape victims and children who were abused, it is obvious that the well-being of these women has been completely disregarded. As a state representative, I would never vote for such a law, and feel that access to the birth control and realistic sex education is the key to this issue.

Celeste: I support the law of the land as determined by Roe v. Wade. I do not believe that any additional legislation is necessary in Ohio, and that we need to address the more pressing issues of education funding, job creation and provision of adequate and accessible health care.

Courtney: I would not support any anti-abortion legislation in Ohio. I believe it is more important to prevent a woman from having to make the decision to have an abortion than it is to take away her right to make that decision. We need to provide open, honest information about contraception and sexual education.

Johnson: The South Dakota law bans all abortions and does not include exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother. It takes a direct aim at Roe vs. Wade. This is a frightening and devastating turn of events for women. With the new justices, Roberts and Alito, this fire could spread to Ohio. I will be there with my fire extinguisher -- protecting a women's right to choose.

School funding remains an issue in Ohio. In your opinion, what is the best way to fund Ohio's public schools?

Agler: School funding is the single most important issue facing our state. While three-word phrases and 10-second sound bites are the politicians' way to respond, it is simply not that simple. I believe in a three-tiered approach to bring Ohio into compliance with the DeRolph ruling. First is budget management and spending choices. We simply have to prioritize spending better. Second is replacing school levies with a reasonable increase in the state sales tax with exemptions for food, housing and medical costs. Lastly, innovative means of creating resources must be found.

Celeste: Ohio must meet its constitutional responsibility to provide a quality education to all of its eligible children. At this point, the Ohio Supreme Court has determined that we have not met that responsibility. The present school funding formula as it is constructed is not meeting our financing needs. We cannot continue to over-rely on the property tax as the source for educational funds. While local control is an important element to school management, using levies at the ballot box is not the best management tool. And property taxes put an undue burden on residents on fixed incomes. Any new funding formula needs to be equitable and progressive.

Courtney: I would first eliminate the loopholes and tax breaks for corporations that have shifted the tax burden to the taxpayer. The public is stretched to the breaking point by the high cost of things like health care and fuel. Asking the public to pay higher taxes such as property tax is both impossible and unfair. The second problem is charter schools. To attempt to privatize our public school system is wrong. The charter school experiment in Ohio has failed and close to half a billion dollars of taxpayer money is wasted every year. That money should go back to our schools.

Johnson: I will work to ensure quality public education while significantly lowering property taxes. The solution must be cost-effective, rely on state funds, cost-sharing and have accountability measurements. We must bring city officials, academic experts, parents and the community to the solutions table. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We must develop solutions to create a school-funding system that is student-focused, results-oriented, and the allocations of funds are used for the most substantial educational impact and improvements.

Anti-tax groups have suggested that Ohio's tax structure is causing an exodus of businesses and residents. Does the state structure need to be changed?

Agler: Ohio does need to change its tax structure, but not in the way anti-tax groups think. To suggest that companies will abandon millions of customers if they are forced to pay a fair tax rate is simply a lie. No company is going to leave because they know the competition will be happy to grab a market share and accept the taxes that go with it. I do think the cuts for the working and middle class must be kept and that the ones for the top 5 percent should be rescinded until Ohio is in better economic shape.

Celeste: In 1990, the state was fifth in the nation in new job creation. Now we are next to last. This erosion has a number of causes; tax structure is only one. More importantly, we have not provided adequate support to our education system ... Without high-paying jobs in the businesses of the 21st century, our young people are headed to other states for better opportunities. Many older businesses have moved or closed because of competition around the globe -- not Ohio's tax structure. In order to turn around Ohio, we need to address all of the issues -- education, new job creation, retraining for the new jobs, accessible and affordable colleges and universities, manageable health care costs for small businesses and providing meaningful tax reform that offers incentives for new business creation and development.

Courtney: Ohio's tax structure is not unfair to businesses. When compared to individuals, Ohio businesses are paying a much smaller share of state and local taxes than they did 30 years ago. Looking at totals from 1976: business tax has decreased by 9.3 percent, while individual tax has increased by 9.6 percent. There are several factors that businesses consider other than taxes when deciding where to go. That's why California and North Carolina keep their technology jobs while having the highest individual income tax rate in the country. If lower taxes equals more jobs, then why does Michigan, with its flat income tax rate, have a lower job creation rate than Ohio?

Johnson: The equality and relative burdens of the Ohio tax structure are extremely complex. To effectively resolve this problem you must analyze trend data and previous statistics to determine how the system impacts seniors, elderly, families, individuals and businesses. As your next state representative, I will examine all the extensive facets and forms to identify a system that fairly distributes and/or eliminates the tax burden structure currently used. Then we can begin to analyze if the burdens imposed are realistic to the taxpaying group now and the ever-changing climate of Ohio in the future.