ST. MARYS — Democrats from Auglaize and Mercer Counties braved the heat Saturday for a Summer Potluck Picnic along Grand Lake St. Marys.
It gave several candidates running for office a chance to meet potential voters and discuss their platforms.
Janet Garrett is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 4th District, a seat currently occupied by Republican Jim Jordan.
Garrett is a retired public school teacher, and it’s her third run for this particular office.
“We were gerrymandered into the 4th district in 2012, and up until that point, we had Marcy Kaptur, and Marcy Kaptur, in my opinion, was a very good, competent, caring representative, and then when we were gerrymandered into Jim Jordan’s district, I looked at his record and I saw that he has no legislative successes, no initiatives in the district. When people like myself and others write to him with their concerns, he either doesn’t respond or, if he does respond, it’s to explain why he’s not going to take their concerns into account. So I stepped up. It was at Marcy Kaptur’s insistence that I run; she twisted my arm very hard to run. I think we can do better. I think Jim Jordan’s been in office for 11 years, he hasn’t done anything to help the district and we need some representation because there are needs in this district,” Garrett said.
Joe Monbeck is running for the Ohio House in the 84th District, facing Republican Susan Manchester. The incumbent, Keith Faber, is leaving the seat to run for Ohio Auditor.
“The biggest thing that sets me apart is we know that there has been a culture of corruption being sent to Columbus from our district for the past two decades, and I am here to end that. I am here to represent people, not special interests, not campaign donors. I’m here to represent everybody in the 84th District.”
Monbeck says although Manchester is a “nice woman,” there’s little they have in common.
“We don’t agree on much. She says she supports the president 100 percent. I have a problem with that because the president, mainly affecting this area, is starting a trade war with the rest of the world. One in two rows of soybeans grown in Ohio is sent to China, so all of those tariffs and the trade was is going to greatly affect everybody in this neighborhood, and I don’t support that,” said Monbeck.
Michael P. Donnelly is running for Ohio Supreme Court. He’s a Common Pleas Court judge in Cuyahoga County. He faces Republican challenger Craig Baldwin in November. Baldwin sits on the Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals.
“I love being part of the process of bringing resolution to conflict in people’s lives, whether it’s a criminal case, whether it’s a civil case. Those 14 years went by in the blink of an eye, and I realize that I wanted to be part of and have more influence on judicial policy statewide to make our court system better. What I’ve been telling people — no matter what county I’ve visited — people of Auglaize County deserve nothing less than maximum efficiency, fairness, and transparency in their court,” said Donnelly.
Other candidates appearing at the picnic included Melody Stewart, who is running for Ohio Supreme Court, Aden Baker, who is running for the Ohio House, District 82 and Adam Papin, who is running for the Ohio State Senate in District 1.
