cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/3418227
He's running as an Independent against a Democrat who has been in office since 2012. There is no Republican candidate; Athens County has always been a blue spot amongst the rural red in the southeastern part of Ohio, and it isn't uncommon for Democrats to run for local office unopposed in the primary, general, or both.
My (extremely inexpert) analysis is that this is because the local business elite realized decades ago that it was easier to run Democrats in college towns, and it is difficult for anyone outside this entrenched group to run for office. The number of landlords in local government is too damn high.
The students in the City of Athens and the scattered rural lefties keep the county voting blue, but there's a huge base of support for Trump – his signs and flags have been everywhere since the 2016 campaign.
I think that will work in Jon's favor, because I suspect many Trump supporters are low-information voters who won't know anything about Jon except that he doesn't have (D) next to his name but the other guy does. While I believe that having Jon in government will be a material improvement for everyone, he has flamboyant fashion that is likely turn off the chuds. Introducing the students and rural lefties to Jon looks to my (again, inexpert) eyes like the key, but I don't know how to do that with so little money.
He's trying to get the money together for yard signs. Chipping in $11 will buy 2 signs, but commenting with tips, thoughts, questions, advice, encouragement, and support is also helpful.
He would be great at the job. From the post link:
Athens County is beautiful, but it’s becoming harder and harder to afford to live here. The taxes and rent prices are absurdly high. Even the gasoline prices are 20-40 cents higher per gallon here than they are in the neighboring counties. How can Athens still be the poorest county in Ohio? When I am elected I will comb through every dime spent by the county to ensure that the citizens’ money is being spent wisely and reinvested in our community. Athens County residents deserve to know how OUR money is being spent. There is a lot of revenue coming in to the county. Where is it all going? I plan on total transparency when it comes to spending.
Child hunger and poverty in Athens County are real and tragic issues. Sixty-eight percent of children in the Trimble Township area are below the poverty line. How have we allowed that to happen?! Joe Burrow, just a boy from Southeast Ohio, did more to help hungry kids in Athens County than the commissioners ever have.
If you’re going to represent Athens County, which is the poorest county in the state of Ohio, you should at least understand what it means to struggle. We need somebody in that office with current and first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to try to raise a family in this economic environment. I have a unique perspective because my low wages were set solely by the commissioners’ office. They seem to think it’s okay for first responders to live at or below the federal poverty line, while also risking their safety and well-being in the line of duty. I was a paramedic with Athens County EMS for six years. When I first started, we made $12.50 per hour. When I stepped down two years ago, we were making $15.50 per hour. The only reason we got up to that hourly wage was because we formed a union and fought for a raise. One of the biggest opponents to us forming a union was my opponent, Charlie Adkins. During our first contract negotiation, the vice president for the Ohio Association of Paramedics and Firefighters stated that this was by far the most difficult contract he has ever had to negotiate because the commissioners were fighting tooth and nail to keep our wages low.
I have lived in Athens County for the past 20 years and have had the pleasure of living in Athens, Glouster, Millfield, New Marshfield, and Nelsonville. I have met many of the outstanding people that call these places home. I vow to bring the same amount of attention to the small communities that the current commissioners only seem to give to the city of Athens and Ohio University. Athens County is supposed to be the county of inclusivity, yet we’re excluding the poorest among us.
There’s a cycle of poverty in Athens County, and we need to break it.
We need to attract new businesses and higher-paying jobs to the area, and we also need jobs that offer in-house training.
Once we get new jobs in the area, the people in the outskirts of the county need to be able to get to them. I live in Glouster, and on my way into Athens, I pass several individuals on bicycles making a 15+ mile commute. Athens does have a transit system but it only goes as far as Chauncey. This means the hard-working individuals who live in Amesville, Coolville, Guysville, Jacksonville, Millfield, Trimble, and Glouster are unable to get out of their small towns. If they can’t get to a job, how can we expect them to afford a vehicle, registration, insurance, and gasoline?
We need to encourage and support entrepreneurs and local small businesses. As a small business owner myself, I know how hard it is to build something from the ground up.
With the right support system in place, we could make Athens county a hub for innovation and growth.
We need more recreational activities. There aren’t many things to do in Athens County that don’t involve drinking or biking. My family often travels to Columbus in search of fun and adventure that could very well be offered here. We especially need indoor activities for the cooler months. A multi-sport complex that would bring sports teams to the area and encourage teamwork and sportsmanship, an indoor skate park, an inflatable park, a bowling alley...the possibilities are endless. Our kids and teens are isolated, bored, and addicted to screens. They don’t have places to hang out anymore. We can offer them community and excitement outside of social media. This is why I opened Bigfoot Hollow Paintball, Airsoft, and Laser Tag Park in Glouster.
We need to, as a community, figure out a way to curb the bullying that takes place. I have witnessed firsthand, as a paramedic, the devastating consequences of child and teenage bullying. And even as adults, we are not immune to this. Introducing programs and support systems in schools is vitally important to the mental health of our children.
Running for office is more difficult that it should be. As an Independent candidate, I did not have the help of a major party. I had to spend hours pouring over campaign handbooks, deciphering fundraising laws, creating my own committee, appointing my own treasurer, ensuring all my petitions were correct, and completing countless other tasks, figuring it all out along the way. I want to encourage more people to run for public office, and I will use my newfound knowledge to help the next generation of public servants navigate the land mines of running for public office. We need new blood, new ideas, and new enthusiasm in Athens County.
As Athens County Commissioner, I will make the office more accessible to everyone. I will ask people what they need and want from the county, actually listen to what they have to say, and work to make that happen.
