ASHLAND — Candidates for both local and statewide offices pitched themselves and their policies at the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce Candidates and Issues event.
The gathering was organized like a forum, where every nominee, except for Ohio House candidates, had seven minutes to speak and two minutes to answer questions from the audience.
The candidates for Ohio House District 67, Democrat Drew Burge and Republican Melanie Miller, were allotted eight minutes to speak and three minutes to answer questions.
Matthew Esh, independent U.S. Senate candidate
The first to take the Ashland High School Mini Theatre stage was Matthew Esh, an independent write-in candidate for U.S. Senate.
Esh, a teacher from Columbus, believes the two-party system has failed the U.S., comparing Republicans and Democrats to “Coke versus Pepsi” and “Burger King versus McDonald’s.”
He criticized the Republican and Democrat candidates for Ohio’s senate seat, J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan, saying that they won’t be accountable to voters.
“They’re going to give their concession speech. And I hope one of them concedes. OK, and they will give some other pretty speech. They’ll shake some hands, go away with the cameras. OK, and they’re gone for six years,” he said.
Instead, he advocated for independent candidates, who he believes would be more accountable to voters.
Timothy Grady, independent Ohio Governor candidate
Next to speak was independent write-in candidate for governor Timothy Grady. An admitted “policy wonk,” Grady decided to run because he was concerned about increasing polarization and tolerance for political violence in the U.S.
According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, both parties have growing support for political violence.
“I think you should be able to discuss politics and have political views without ruining the Thanksgiving dinner. I’m running because I think we can do better,” Grady said.
Grady also noted his plans to create the Ohio Investment Bank, an “investment vehicle for the state of Ohio to provide venture and angel capital funding to new businesses in the state.”
Hillsdale Renewal Income Tax Levy
Next to the stage was Hillsdale Local Schools Superintendent Steve Dickerson, who is not a candidate for an elected office, but instead was advocating for his upcoming renewal income tax levy.
Since 2013, residents of the district have had a 1.25% income tax to help pay for Hillsdale Local School’s operating expenses. Now after almost 10 years, the levy has to be renewed.
When it was passed, Hillsdale wanted to not come back for more money afterwards, so they have made the funds from the levy work for the past nine years, Dickerson said.
Now that it’s time for renewal, it’s a good opportunity for the community to show their support of the schools, he added.
“We have been very financially responsible. And that’s the message that I think has to be clear. You entrusted us with the income tax nine years ago, and we are being financially responsible. We are adding resources, we are adding not only safety, but we’ve replaced all our curriculum and these types of things and not asking for more dollars,” he said.
Tore Maras, independent Ohio Secretary of State candidate
Next up was Tore Maras, an independent candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. Maras is a conservative podcaster known for frequent election denial and for her embrace of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
She spent most of her time claiming Americans have been “betrayed” by the government and the media, and that Ohio’s current voting system is used to control election outcomes.
Maras, who identified herself as a former independent contractor for the CIA, alluded to past work controlling elections she claimed to have done overseas during her career.
“No, I know exactly what weapons of mass destruction I have deployed. I have conducted 45 elections in other countries. When we take over our enemies we do not come guns blazing,” she said. “First we try overthrowing their governments, and Ambassador Bolton confirmed that on national TV. That was my job to help them embrace these weapons of mass destruction.”
In her question-and-answer segment, she also claimed every election in the U.S. since 2004 has been “rigged.”
Drew Burge, Democrat candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 67
The penultimate speaker at Tuesday’s event was Democrat Drew Burge, who is running to represent District 67 in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Burge, a business manager who lives in Brunswick, pointed to partisan infighting and polarization in Columbus and Washington, D.C. as his primary concerns. He said these problems prevent the region’s needs from being met and sometimes scare away potential northeast Ohio residents.
When asked by an audience member what he thinks the largest problem facing the region was, he pointed to polarization and the Republican party’s recent domination of Ohio politics.
“We’ve had one party control for the last 20 years, and Republicans have done good, positive things. But they’ve done things like the First Energy scandal where we’re still sending money out of state to a power plant in Indiana. That doesn’t help anyone in Ashland County, that doesn’t help anyone in Medina County,” he said.
Burge was referring to the Clifty Creek Power Plant in Madison, Indiana, that Ohio electric customers have paid millions to subsidize since the passage of House Bill 6.
Melanie Miller, Republican candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 67
The final speaker of the evening was Republican Melanie Miller, who is also running to represent District 67 in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Miller, the executive director of the Ashland Pregnancy Care Center and spouse of Ashland Mayor Matt Miller, said her inspiration for running for public office came from years of testifying before the statehouse in support of pro-life legislation.
“As I have been down there I think there have been seeds planted along the way. About ‘Melanie, I think you can do this’ or ‘Well, we need to see more women in public office’,” she said.
The issues most important to her are “family value issues” like “faith, family, and freedom.” She pointed to her pro-life stance for both the unborn and women and families and her support of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the second amendment as examples of her guiding principles.
Miller also touted the benefits of career tech education for high schoolers, which she took when she was a student.
Ballot issues
The night ended with chamber Director of Operations Amy Daubenspeck reading the ballot language for statewide Issue 1 and Issue 2.
Issue 1 would require courts to consider matters of public safety when setting bail, while Issue 2 would bar local governments from letting non-citizens vote in local elections.
Election day is on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voters can find their polling location here.
