At this time, it appears that Paula Hicks-Hudson will be the State Representative for District 44. She defeated me in the Democratic Primary Election on May 8th, and her Republican opponent who was unopposed in his Republican Primary has dropped out of the race, citing lack of support from the Lucas County Republican Party.
While I congratulate Paula Hicks-Hudson on her victory, and fully accept the validity of her win, and of course wish her the best of luck in office, as we all should, for all of our sake, I am as concerned as I was before the election season, because this is exactly what I was running for: this seat again has no competition, which leads to a lack of accountability and productivity.
While I congratulate Paula Hicks-Hudson on her victory, and fully accept the validity of her win, and of course wish her the best of luck in office, as we all should, for all of our sake, I am as concerned as I was before the election season, because this is exactly what I was running for: this seat again has no competition, which leads to a lack of accountability and productivity.
CAMPAIGN for STATE REPRESENTATIVE
*** 44th District ***
*** 44th District ***
Throughout 2017 and now 2018 I will have been running as a DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE to Represent our district. I do hold Democratic principles in my heart, and I am a member of the Democratic Party myself. I am open to hearing the concerns of all citizens, not only Democrats, as is a central ideal of the Democratic Party. We are a Party of the People, and I intend to represent the People with the highest of standards. I am starkly progressive, I am fairly liberal, and I have proven my intelligence and work ethic throughout my school career and my actions in life.
I have been urged to run as an Independent. However, I agree with Senator Bernie Sanders in the spirit of the idea that we need to strengthen and improve the Democratic Party from within, instead of opposing the Democratic Party from the outside. Therefore, I will remain a Democrat, and be a Democratic candidate for this office to try to accomplish that goal, and to progress the Democratic Party further along the issues below.
The Issues
When we take a moment to think about political issues and realities, we see that there is nothing that is not intertwined with everything else in the larger picture that we call "life."
I will fight, every single day, for you. Now, when I am in Office, and always.
Continue Reading to view my stance and reasoning on the following issues:
- Bring Tax Money Back to our District
- Raise our Minimum Wage
- Reform our Broken Criminal Justice System
- Legalize the Private Use of Marijuana
- Save Lake Erie and the Planet
- Keep Toledo Informed and In the Loop
- Provide Affordable Healthcare
- Reinvest in Pre-K and K-12 Education
- Bravely Speak Out for Gender Justice
- Combat Voter Suppression Efforts
- Invest in Higher Education
- Strengthen Our Democracy
- Care for Military Veterans and Families
- Civic Education for K-12 and Public Universities
- Lower Prescription Drug Costs
- Pay Equity for Women
- Foster Alliances Between the Parties
- Combat and Remedy Addiction and Depression
- Obliterate Extreme Wealth Inequality
- Reform Property Seizure
- PAID Family Leave, PAID Medical Leave, PAID Personal Leave
- Reform Campaign Finance and Strengthen Grassroots Activism
- Gun Rights and Responsible Gun Reform Efforts to be Made
- Fight for Unions and Worker's Rights
- Shop Local and Spread the Word for Small Businesses
READ BELOW TO LEARN MORE
Bring Tax Money Back to our District
- I'm tired of hearing that we don't have any money because the State is holding it hostage. I want to do something about it, and go to Columbus and fight to get a significant amount flowing back where it belongs.
- In an effort to accomplish this difficult task, I would propose reserving a significant amount of tax dollars in the BSF, the so-called "rainy day fund," while allowing each Representative and Senator to disburse the remainder each year back into their respective districts how they see fit for their constituents.
- Each member of the General Assembly would have the chance to please the voters while remaining fiscally responsible and saving and reserving enough money for when we might need a lump sum.
- This is a potential of millions of dollars back in Toledo each year.
Raise our Minimum Wage
- Run the numbers yourself, and you will see that it is not possible to provide for a family on minimum wage as it currently stands. The State of Ohio is at $8.15/hr., or roughly $13,000/yr. BEFORE taxes. Anyone can tell you that $200/wk. is not enough, and it's still not enough with both parents working.
- I believe we need to get to the living wage of $15/hr. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Therefore, I would propose a minimum wage of $10/hr, with a $1 increase every year for 5 years.
- This way, we would be able to see the effects of the increase as time goes on, and adjust accordingly.
- Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Non-Partisan there are people struggling in every district, working long hours for wages that just don't work for them.
- Furthermore, I truly believe that raising the minimum wage will not only improve our local economies and the standard of living for all of us, but that it will also reduce crime and violence, and contribute to community building.
- Minimum wages increasing must also mean raising other wages. There is no longer room to debate the myth that anything but a living wage and up is acceptable and fair.
- The minimum wage is not the enemy of small business. Big business is the enemy of small business, and in order to provide for the sustainability of small businesses, the burden of wage increases must weigh on the big businesses heavier and more quickly than on small business.
Reform our Broken Criminal Justice System
- The proposal of the new Lucas County jail has been a wake-up call for hundreds of us in District 44. We've seen the conditions, we've heard the stories, we know what doesn't work, and we know it's all due to the way things have been run thus far.
- I would propose a serious change of direction in Ohio corrections which we are starting to see in the bud, including drastically reducing the number of incarcerated people, cutting costs by millions of dollars, focusing on rehabilitation and treatment programs, making common sense reductions to fines and sentences, cracking down on more serious crime, and ending any and all private profits directly related to the caging of human beings.
- If we start to see our criminal justice system as part of the bigger picture, we will realize that we are blaming way more than is deserved, and fearful of all the wrong reasons for crime. We have to remember that the people "inside" are still people, and they are "inside" because of the system of economic oppression in this country above all other reasons.
- I have grown to realize that what we are seeing is not "justice." The systemic destruction of Black and minority communities through discriminatory laws and police practices is not "justice." Harsher penalties and sentences for Blacks and minorities do not bring "justice." Allowing the few but existing bad cops in this country to get away with murder is not "justice." I believe in a better justice, I will fight to secure just that, and I call on the people, and the many, many good cops, and lawyers, and judges to do the same.
Legalize the Private Use of Marijuana
- We're living in 2018, and it's time to stop acting like marijuana is the root of all drug related evil. Although I do not partake, I have personally seen the effects of marijuana my whole life, and I now know that it is nowhere near as harmful as it is made out to be. I have seen marijuana ease both pain and the blues. I have seen many people phase in and out of the use of marijuana. I have seen success come to those who do or did use marijuana. A lot of the time, it comes with a stench, and it's not for everyone, but it's also hurting next to no one.
- I would propose the immediate legalization of the reasonable PRIVATE medicinal AND recreational use of marijuana, marijuana related products, and paraphernalia. I would not push the effects or any sensory annoyances onto those unwilling to join in, especially children and minors, so I would not push for public use, and would support harsher penalties for the subjection of youth to the substance.
- If tobacco and alcohol can STILL be around after all the harm for which we know their use is responsible, then we also need to listen to America saying that the use or marijuana is a freedom long overdue.
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions is completely in the wrong in his attempts to diminish State's Rights in the name of an archaic federal law upon which Congress refuses to act.
Save Lake Erie and the Planet
- I cannot believe that we continue to act like we are okay with the murky waters of Lake Erie, the Maumee River, the Ottawa River, and the creeks throughout Toledo. The Toledo Water Crisis of 2014 should have yielded many more positive reactions and results than we've seen. Good work is being done, but I do not buy that it is enough.
- I would propose an increase of not only funding for the reversal of the pollution and destruction of our waters, but also making water sources a higher priority in our State.
- I would also propose funding, information initiatives, and easily achievable guidelines for all activity in the State to become more environmentally conscious and friendly, and to get us all going more green.
- If you, or even members of the General Assembly, have not yet accepted that human activity is drastically damaging and threatening the health and life of the planet, it is time to get on board. The rest of us are waiting with open arms, because we all know what consequences will follow if we continue to fight each other on this issue. Nothing is more important than the preservation of our home, of our lives, of us, and everything around us.
Keep Toledo Informed and In the Loop
- There are way too many uninformed or under-informed neighbors in our city. This is not an accident. It is the design of politicians who would have the people either not care or not know enough to make real change.
- I would send regular updates by mail, email, and text messaging that would keep us all in the know. Further, I will always make time to respond to communications and requests to talk or meet with each other. I enjoy talking to large groups and would be glad to do so on a regular basis. I will make sure that the power of knowledge is in the hands of the people, and when I know something, you will know it as well.
- If we do not know who is representing us, or what is going on, there is no way we can change for the better. If we do not know of a problem, there is no way to admit to it to solve it. We have to care. We have to all be informed as best we can. I will help make that happen.
Provide Affordable Healthcare
- I know what it means to have to go to the emergency room and have to pay for that visit for months to come. I know what it means to feel the need to sacrifice proper personal healthcare because it's not in your personal budget. I know what it means to have to struggle with eyesight and have to wait to get new glasses. I know what it's like to have tooth pain because dental care isn't covered even if you have insurance.
- I know that our country has been lied to for years. We've heard that universal healthcare is not affordable or practical. Yet our ally countries have had national healthcare in place for decades, and it is working just fine. I thank Senator Bernie Sanders for opening my eyes on this issue along with many others.
- I will be starkly active in the ongoing national struggle for universal healthcare coverage for ALL, as a RIGHT of the people. I will work to introduce complementary legislation at the state level to fulfill this goal, and include dental, vision, hearing, and other necessary healthcare elements, either lowering out-of-pocket costs, or doing away with those costs altogether.
- It's time those of us who need it most - the majority of Americans - demand that the lies end, and that we are guaranteed healthcare by our government, which is the duty of any sane government, to guarantee the health and well-being of its citizens. It's time that we end the greed and sadistic healthcare system in which we live. The Affordable Care Act - "Obamacare" - was and is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue to go forward until anyone who needs proper healthcare can have what they need.
- To my Republican friends and family, who I know want to trust the free market, and with whom I respectfully disagree, I ask that you look at the bigger picture, remember who you are as a whole, and understand that we cannot claim to be a nation "under God," and we cannot claim to be "good Christians" if we let the suffering of our brothers and sisters continue under the rule of the "almighty dollar."
- Also to my Republican, Independent, and even some Democratic friends, I remind you that a Medicare for All Single-Payer system could cover all of your health care costs, and would cost you less that your current premiums and/or the penalty for not having healthcare under the individual mandate.
Reinvest in Pre-K and K-12 Education
- Most everyone knows by now that money in our state is not going where it should be. When the lottery was established, the revenue was meant to be invested in better public education. That was scrapped, and now our public school systems are in trouble. A recent report card has highlighted this negative effect on Toledo area school systems which received very low ratings.
- I would propose moving more and more money back into funding the costs of public schools until we get to a comfortable rate of revenue matched with a comfortable public school career for our young students, and a fair work environment for our teachers.
- Politicians make enough money, administrators make enough money, while parents struggle to pay for uniforms and school lunches and school supplies and Pre-K Child Care, arguably the most important time for a child's growth, and even teachers are left no choice but to spend their own hard-earned, needed income on purchasing school supplies to stock their classrooms which are left at the bare minimum. It's time to get back to a better classroom, so we can all benefit by teachers with higher morale, and students with exponentially more opportunities.
- Toledo's newly elected mayor, Wade Kapszukiewicz is in the process of adopting a universal pre-K system in Toledo, and I would love to bring money back to help with that.
Bravely Speak Out for Gender Justice
- For thousands of years we have forced people into two categories: man vs. woman. We have ignored the pleas of those who felt themselves somewhere else on that spectrum. We have largely ignored the voices of women who want their own rights, determined by their fellow woman, not written for all by the men in charge.
- I will do the best I can to encourage my fellow Democrats and Independents and Republicans alike to open their eyes to the reality that it is none of their business how others feel or what they do with their bodies. I will show them that there are people, some whom I've come to know, who will not bow to the social constructions that have led to the confinement of the human condition, in a gender vacuum. I will let them know that they have no business making personal decisions for those who face their own crises in making their own decisions for themselves.
- I will not cower to fear of the misunderstood. I will not accept social constraints on gender identity, or sexual orientation. I will not say, as a man, that it is up to me to decide whether or not a woman can go through with an abortion, because I know it's a hard choice for her to make. I will support those who want the freedom to be themselves. I will support women who have made a decision to have an abortion under the worst of circumstances. I will be brave, in honor of the multitudes of Americans who have chosen to be brave for themselves.
- I will point out any and all hypocrisy, such as when it is said that "gay people don't have to flaunt it." They flaunt it just as much or little as any straight person. Self awareness is more valuable than one might think.
- Take time. Meet others. Listen. Understand. Seek justice. If nothing else, be a fellow human being.
Invest in Higher Education
- Same as with K-12, there is not enough money being invested in Public Colleges and Universities. It is harder and harder to get a decent job without further skills or college degrees. Again, there is money enough to pay politicians and administrators hundreds of thousands of dollars, but everyone else is left to fend for themselves.
- I would propose freeing up more money at the state level to be invested in start-up colleges, commuter colleges, preparatory academies, vocational training, and tuition for public universities, so that anyone in this city or in the state of Ohio can go anywhere else they want, including their own hometown, to find a job where they are not only accepted, but where they would have the skills and opportunity to thrive.
- There is a national push for tuition-free public colleges and universities which I support. There are many state-wide initiatives throughout the country. And internationally, our counterparts in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France already have substantially lower costs for attending public schools of higher education.
Strengthen our Democracy
- One way that we are held down is by perceived "tacit consent." This means that since we don't actively fight against something, or vote against something, that we therefore "must be okay with it." This is why politicians who are ruining our city, state, and country stay in power. They are not only okay with low voter turnout, but they insist on suppressing the vote of the people further and further each year by cutting early voting and making stricter voter ID laws.
- I would propose easy-registration and non-strict voter ID laws for the entire state so that every citizen is afforded the opportunity to vote without having to take extra steps or spend extra money that they do not have. I would also push for Election Day Holidays at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Not finally, as I have already attempted throughout this year, I will also continue my own Get Out The Vote efforts. I welcome all new ways to try to solve these issue.
- Not only do we have to be informed, but we also have to actively cast our votes and do our duty as citizens to show support that counts for the issues that count. The time is over for letting politicians get away with their crimes against the public, and it will never be time to give up hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Care for Military Veterans and Families
- As someone with quite a few military family members, and now as a social member of a local VFW Post myself, I am dedicated to devoting resources to the care of service members and their families.
- I am committed to providing healthcare, additional and supplemental income for spouses with children while service members are abroad, accessible resources that are not out of the way, and budgeting to aid the federal government in this effort at the state level.
- As I have already begun with my local VFW Post, I will continue to reach out to whomever will have a conversation with me about what I can do to give back to those who give it all they've got for all of us.
Civic Education for K-12 and Public Universities
- Having 13 nieces and nephews, some of whom are around a lot, and being a "millennial" myself, I've noticed that there are certain thinking patterns and missing information in the coming-of-age generation of today. A heavy reliance on both the corporate media and social media has pushed many of us to one extreme or the other, and as a society, sometimes we take this information as it comes without ever even thinking through it.
- I propose that in the same effort of re-investing in public education, that we dedicate some of those resources to guaranteeing civic education that would teach young students, young adults, and life-long learners important political lessons, explain political talking points from every angle, establish an understanding of crucial laws, and develop critical thinking skills specifically tailored to the level of passion that can exist in our political process.
- Over the summer of 2016 I successfully organized and facilitated a group of Toledo Early College students through a program which we called SYLVR Toledo which focused on this sort of learning. We brought up issues that are rarely brought up and we talked and thought through them, together. There were disagreements, but the arguments quickly died down and became young and inspiring civil discourse.
- I hate seeing us divided along political lines, but what makes it worse is that we're divided and under-educated about the issues that drive the most passionate to the most trivial and petty disagreements. Arguing without a basis in facts is not debate, but is simply bickering. Bickering is not Democracy, it is the destruction of Democracy. We all will always have learning to do, so lets start early.
Lower Prescription Drug Costs
- My father is someone who has had the misfortune of being hit by a drunk driver's car, while he was on his motorcycle. This has led him, for the last 32 years, down a very long road of medical issues. In recent years, he was on 19 different prescription medications at one time. Each of these drugs had a cost, and over time, while sometimes myself paying for these medications, I saw the cost of these necessary medications increase dramatically. My mother, also being a senior citizen with my father, needs her own prescription medications, with their own costs. Costs are not going down, and in certain cases, the dire need for medicine is leading certain pharmaceutical companies to exploit the recipients of the life-saving treatments, and greedily raise prices to unreasonable, insane prices.
- In the midst of the fight for healthcare as a right, it makes sense that it must be a right of the people to be able to attain the medicine that could save their life or contribute to their health. Therefore, as I agree with the national agenda, I would support both state and federal government negotiations with drug companies to keep prices at reasonable levels for average Americans.
- Yes, there is a cost to manufacturing and producing medication, and yes, developers deserve compensation and reward for their hard work, but when extreme levels of greed enter the mix, and the right thing to do is held hostage to absolute profit, and people die unnecessarily, then companies are no longer worthy of the entitlement to get rich off of the backs of the already struggling victims now of price gouging.
Pay Equity for Women
- Women have been rightfully "granted" the right of citizenship, and the right to vote for damn near 100 years, yet in 2017 I'm still reading about how women aren't paid as much as their male counterparts in a given occupation. As a man, I can assure the doubters that women can be just as good or better than men in an area. Of course there are those who slack off, but I see countless men slacking off as well.
- I would like to try an usual, but previously implemented approach to this problem. I would like to dedicate a portion of my resources to helping the women of my district request a raise, and request a raise in a way that gets them that raise, when they have had their wages unfairly oppressed to levels under their male coworkers, who do the same or perhaps a worse job than them in the same line of work. This would include workshops and communications on what to say, what to write, what is fair, what has worked with success stories to increase motivation and morale, and if this approach sees gains, I would be more than willing to spearhead the efforts to provide this sort of assistance state-wide.
- Surprisingly, there are still those who haven't even heard about this particular disparity, so I hope we are all letting everyone know, every time there's a chance for it to be brought up in conversation. If you don't know yet, look it up. Spread the word. Join the fight for economic equality, where equal pay for women is a key issue.
PAID Family Leave, PAID Medical Leave, PAID Personal Leave
- Here is another issue in this country where we've heard lies our whole lives. We're told that employers simply can't afford to offer time off for the birth of a child, or for illness, or to take a day or a few to get back on track and get your life back together after working hard, what seems like all day, every day. Yet in the countries of our allies in the free world, varying levels of Paid Leave are offered and guaranteed to the people of those countries.
- I would propose that by law, starting with government jobs throughout the state, we start to offer ever-increasing minimal amounts of Paid Family Leave, Paid Medical Leave, and Paid Personal Leave, eventually getting to a decent amount over the next few years. As with the minimum wage, the incremental increases would allow us to see the effects as we go, and adjust accordingly. (A loss in a profit that is already substantially enormous is not a good enough reason to end the progress).
- We work hard, longer than the people of other countries in a given year, and still have little to show for it, and at the very least, we should have the ability to take time off when we need it, and not go into debt, or struggle financially because of it. We put in for the companies we work for, and they should have an obligation to not let us sink when they're steering the boat.
Foster Alliances Between the Parties
- To think that only the members of one Party are in the right is foolish. There are good people across the entire political spectrum, and most importantly, they are all people. We focus so much on the arguments that the media and those in power want us to think about so that we are divided, that we forget to think about the majority of the issues that affect us all, about which we all feel virtually the same.
- I would be a very sturdy bridge between Representatives and citizens of all political backgrounds. I would be able to talk to, listen to, and work for all. I would work to remind all that we are all in this, and struggling, and will go forward together. I will compromise where it is acceptable, and I will stand firm where it is not. I believe this will promote bipartisanship cooperation and help foster and pass meaningful legislation.
- Yes, I am a Democrat, but I will not be a hypocrite and abandon everyone else because they're not like me. It's time we we stop failing as a republic because we fight each other. It's time we fight together, and work the rest out cooperatively.
Combat and Remedy Addiction and Depression
- I have learned over the years that it takes a certain maturity to understand that Addiction and Depression are real. In high school, I didn't yet have a grasp on the reality and gravity of the two, but then I started to pay attention. I also started asking myself "if it's just something they can control, and if they're just like me, WHY would they not stop doing what they're doing?" The truth is that although we are equal, we are also all unique. What hurts one may not hurt another. What affects one in one way may affect another in an entirely different way, and not only on the conscious and emotional level, but also at the biological and psychological level.
- In 2014 I had a very deep, passionate, and personal conversation about the seriousness and effects of depression, and by the end of the conversation, I made a promise that I would be an advocate for awareness of depression and mental health issues, and I will continue to hold true to that promise. Recently, and in light of all of the over-doses in Toledo, I have begun to pay attention and understand that we need to help those with drug addiction, which has become so prominent in our city and country due to the economic state of the lives of so many, and I will continue to encourage others to take a deeper look at the issues rather than judging. I will support any legislation which educates others, which provides funding for resolving these issues, and which brings an end to all of the needless deaths every single day.
- How many neighbors do we have to see die because of the bigger picture? How many celebrities have to die before there is serious awareness brought to the issue of suicidal depression? It's time we all grow up and read the book instead of judging it by the cover.
Obliterate Extreme Wealth Inequality
- Do not say to me that the wealthiest people in the world are wealthy because they work hard. Do not say that 0.1%-1% of people having more wealth that 90%-99% of all people in the U.S. and the World, respectively, have that wealth because that 1% worked the hardest, and harder than the rest of the world's population. There is no more unjust truth than that the people on the bottom work the hardest while those at the top make the most money. Those at the top do not have the most stress or liability. Those at the top are not the most intelligent. Those at the top ARE the greediest and most deceptive in the history of both this country and the entire world.
- While I believe that Ohio's taxes are relatively fair to the poor and the wealthy alike, I will not say that we live in an informed, intelligent, or just climate of economics. I would spend time not just in Toledo, but in other districts throughout the state, to let people know that those of us fighting against wealth inequality are not angry at Ohioans who have even hundreds of thousands of dollars. I will go out and let them know that those Ohioans should be fighting along side us, so that those with MILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars relinquish their control that is halting ALL of us from getting ahead and realizing the American Dream, and ending the greed that prevents us from providing affordable healthcare and a quality and safe life for our families and ourselves.
- There are those with money who do the right thing and see that others do not struggle or die around them because they have nothing, but there are so many more instances where people take the wealth that they would never spend in multiple lifetimes and generations, who are glad to see others struggle and die, because they think that somehow it is the fault of those on the bottom, and that somehow it is the fault of children that they are hungry, and sick, and needy. If this nation is to last, and remain at the top of the world, and if this race of human beings plans on going anywhere in this universe, we must end the practices that wipe out our species.
Reform Property Seizure
- Automobiles, which are sometimes the biggest purchase or investment in an individual's entire life, are taken from them, impounded, and sold for less than their value at auction.
- In a time where it is already hard to make ends meet, we should not be making it even harder.
- It is a privilege to be allowed to drive a car, but it is a right to be secure in ownership of a car, and anything else for that matter.
- I aim to stop the seizure of personal property from Ohioans, including such items as automobiles, guns, and collectibles that have been acquired and maintained responsibly. If it comes to it, harsher penalties may be on the table for the unlawful use of such items, if they are left in the possession of the owner.
- Gun Rights and Responsible Gun Reform Efforts to be Made
- Gun Rights and Responsible Gun Reform Efforts to be Made
- As we continue to see senseless acts of violence all across our country, and across the entire world, there is little room to defend absolute gun rights. While I am a supporter of the Second Amendment, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, I am not in favor of the wrong people having guns - those with the strong likelihood to commit mass murder. I am in favor of responsible gun ownership and usage, but as we have all been made aware, this is not always the case.
- If you have a gun, and you're responsible with it, you have nothing to worry about with me.
- I would, however, propose gun accessibility restrictions based on personality, history, and background. I am not going to be an elected official who tolerates events like Sandy Hook, and Aurora, and Parkland becoming the future of "Toledo."
Combat Voter Suppression
- Ohio has a policy of voter purging that has been labeled "most aggressive."
- Voter suppression exists mainly as a Republican tool to limit the number of Democratic votes cast in an election. However, voter suppression is a threat even to Republican voters, in addition to every other voter. The less votes that are cast, or even able to be cast, then the weaker our democracy will be.
- I will make noise about each instance of voter suppression, so that every voter may hear me and protect their right to vote or not vote at their own discretion.
Reform Campaign Finance and Strengthen Grassroots Activism
- It is sickening to me that in 3 of the last 4 elections in this district, District 44, there have been a total of 3 candidates in all of the 3 election years, and campaign contributions have totaled almost a million dollars. There should not be that much money in politics, especially in a district that has had as little political competition as ours - NONE in over 20 years.
- I will be working hard to spend more time and energy on connecting with voters through grassroots activism and interpersonal relationships. In this Sate Representative campaign, in order to have a competitive chance, I will be accepting donations that I will not allow to reach unacceptable amounts. I will show that so much money is not needed to connect with citizens. I will show what hard work can accomplish. I will aim to set an example of how public servants should be elected, and how we get money out of politics.
- I do not like the idea of having to fund raise. I do not like the idea that without thousands of dollars I might lose simply by being outspent. I do not like this to the extent that if I win, I will reduce or redirect the fund-raising limit that I will accept for reelection, and I will rely on the work I do in Office to either be popular and respectable enough to be re-elected, or I will be out, as it should be.
Fight for Unions and Worker's Rights
- "Right to Work" is not about Worker's Rights.
- "Right to Work" is about the "right" that corporations and extreme capitalists believe they have to pay the lowest wages possible so that they alone may profit from the work of others.
- I have heard the arguments about "union workers being lazy." However, being a part of a Union, of a group of people willing to FIGHT for RIGHTS does not make someone lazy. Those who are lazy are those who make others do their work for them, while collecting the benefits.
- I've heard the arguments about the unfairness of union dues, and the greed of union administrations, and while I agree that there is way too much potential and evidence for administrative corruption, it is the dues that allow for the time, resources, and labor necessary to defend the status and progress thus far of union activism.
- I will not support any Right to Work legislation, because a job paying next to nothing is not worthy of anyone's time, and is a threat to any job that pays a decent wage or a living wage, now and in the future.
- Workers deserve dignity, respect, fairness, safety, time to be with their families, time to contribute to their community, wages high enough to support themselves and the ones they love, and the right to protest and bargain for these rights.
Shop Local and Spread the Word for Small Businesses
- As someone from a lower income, I am concerned with the level of support for small businesses in the lower-income areas of Toledo. It's not that lower income families don't want to help their local economy, because they do. Unfortunately, lower income families often don't have the means to shop local, or they are more or less cut out of the economy because the business community, and the local government meant to support them for the good of the public, often do not aim efforts at those with less money to help them support the local economy and inform shoppers of the existence of its many businesses.
- Downtown Toledo is doing very well, looking more and more modern, and more alive. However, much of the city can't contribute to or enjoy this trend, because they either don't have enough disposable income, or they simply don't know about the businesses downtown, or where to look to find them.
- With online shopping booming, the problem for the relationship between the local economy and lower income shoppers becomes even worse. With less money, you NEED the best deal, so if you can find something online for FAR cheaper, you are far more likely to shop online. While small businesses in Toledo may host their products online as well, the problem still exists, but if lower income shoppers are more used to knowing about and finding great deals in their local economy, I believe the Toledo Pride will begin to outweigh the convenience of big-name online shopping.
- Aside from raising the minimum wage, and all other wages, which I plan to help accomplish, there is more to be done.
- Instead of giving ridiculous, and sometimes unnecessary, tax breaks, that have uncertain consequences in the long term, to get businesses to come to Toledo, we should instead begin efforts to put that money, which may even be a smaller amount over time, into promoting small businesses and providing temporary maps across the city, in the neighborhoods, and in each business that would be willing to host such information to help the economy as a whole, as businesses should, for the good of the public which supports them.
Ohio House of Representatives 44th District

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