Snollygoster

Mike Thompson

Snollygoster takes an in-depth look at politics in Ohio. Each week we dig into the top political stories in Columbus and Ohio and explore national stories that impact the state by talking with politicians, reporters and other news-makers. (In case you're wondering, a "snollygoster" is a shrewd and unprincipled politician.)Listen to Snollygoster on the WOSU Public Media mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Radio: WOSU 89.7 FM

Categories: Government & Organizations

Listen to the last episode:

The big issue of the 2026 campaign likely will be affordability: the affordability of groceries, the affordability of health care, and the affordability of housing. Candidates are falling all over themselves trying to tell us how they are going to help us make more money and help us save money.

A big piece of the housing affordability equation is property taxes. Because of rapidly rising property values over the past ten years, and voters’ willingness to pass levies, property taxes have increased sharply.

The median Ohio property tax bill has jumped about 25 percent in recent years to stand at just more than three thousand dollars a year. Obviously, many homeowners pay a lot more than that, while others pay less.

The Tax Foundation says Ohio has the eighth-highest effective property tax rate in the country.

With each revaluation notice and with each new property tax bill, politicians hear from their angry constituents.

Some of those constituents say their lawmakers have not done enough to control property tax rates, so they want to go to the voters.

The group Citizens for Property Tax Reform is collecting signatures to put a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot. If it gets on the ballot and if it passes, it would eliminate property taxes in the state of Ohio.

State and local government officials say that would be devastating to local schools and services. Right now, property taxes generate twenty-four billion dollars a year, which is more than is collected through the state’s income and sales taxes combined.

Joining us this week on Snollygoster is one of the leaders of the group, Beth Blackmarr.

Snollygoster of the week

President JD Vance and Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy, in a move that statehouse insiders have noted, are involved in the GOP primary fight for state auditor. JD Vance has endorsed former state Rep. Jay Edwards, and Vivek Ramaswamy has endorsed state Senator Kristina Roegner. The insiders smell the first skirmish in a budding rivalry between two potential candidates for president in 2028.