Candidate for
United States Representative; District 1

At its best, our government works the way it was designed to work--of, for, and by the people. In order for our government to function at its best, however, two components are required: an informed electorate that votes in proportion to its numbers, and elected officials who understand that they work for the people who elected them, not for special interests. I believe in government because I believe in the people.

As the endorsed Democratic candidate for Congress in Ohio's First District, I promise a hard-fought campaign to bring democracy back to the people! I am running for Congress because I believe that Ohio's First District is in need of fresh leadership that will bring our region together to tackle our most serious problems. As Cincinnati's population dwindles, home ownership rates and neighborhood business districts are in decline. In our townships, developers are ruining hillsides, farmland, and the small town way of life. Under George W. Bush, the economy has produced one of the poorest job creation records of any President. Ohio, which has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs, has been particularly hard hit by the jobless recovery. Because of job losses, people in Ohio are actually losing their homes. A recent study by Policy Matters Ohio ranks Ohio as having the second highest home foreclosure rate in the nation, with 3,000 families having been forced out of their homes in Hamilton County last year. Enlightened public policy must be pursued to combat these problems. We must also have the courage to eliminate the systemic consequences of racial inequality, including concentrated poverty, unequal educational opportunity, and discriminatory lending practices. And local efforts, like the repeal of Article 12, that protect the equality of every citizen, must be supported.

Now, more than ever, we need a Congressman who is attentive to issues at home. When elected this November, I will be a relentless champion for economic opportunity, quality healthcare and childcare, a clean environment, strong public schools, and human rights both locally and globally. Working together, with new ideas and vision, we can create a thriving 21st century region.