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The Sojourner’s Truth Endorses These Local Candidates …
State Senator Edna Brown, State Rep. Michael Ashford and
State Rep Teresa Fedor,
all Democrats, for re-election.
Sen. Brown is completing her first
term as a senator from District 11; prior to that she spent
10 years in the state House. Rep. Ashford serves House
District 44 and Rep. Fedor represents District 45.
Brown recently started the ball
rolling on a bill that would limit the use of fertilizers
that have contributed to the high levels of algae toxicity
in Lake Erie. She has also been a staunch advocate for such
causes as limiting the death penalty, healthcare and the
wellbeing of children, worker’ rights and criminal justice
reform. She is the Senate’s minority whip.
Fedor has been in the General Assembly
since 2002. A former educator, she has led successful
efforts in her advocacy against human trafficking and
cyberbullying of schoolchildren.
Ashford, who is the minority whip in
his chamber, is competing his second term in the House. He
had served on Toledo City Council since 2002 during which
time he was elected president by his colleagues.
Ashford has hit the ground running in
Columbus, landing a seat on the very important House Finance
Committee and getting elected to a leadership position.
These three experienced,
well-connected Democrats have served this area well for
years and deserve to be re-elected.
Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez
For the past eight years, Democrat
Anita Lopez has been the Lucas County Auditor, after having
served as Recorder and on the Toledo Board of Education.
During her tenure, she has
successfully created a new department of Education and
Outreach to serve as the public’s initial point of contact
for personal assistance and information; adjusted thousands
of real estate parcels to more accurately reflect trends in
Lucas County and to save home owners millions of dollars in
taxes; greatly reduced staffing and costs in her office;
increased the number of minority employees in her department
and is set to unveil the next generation of AREIS, the
online application that allows citizens to research their
property information via the Internet.
Lopez deserves to remain in office in
order to continue the outstanding service she has rendered
to Lucas County citizens.
Lucas County Commissioner Carol Contrada
Democrat Carol Contrada is running for
re-election. Currently the president of the Board of
Commissioners, Contrada has been an advocate for economic
development and job growth in the area, particularly through
working with the entire northwest Ohio region cooperatively.
She has proven to be a reliable
partner to her fellow commissioners, Pete Gerken and Tina
Skeldon Wozniak, after years of turmoil within the board.
Jay Feldstein and Ian English for Judgeships
Not too many voters pay particular
attention to the judges’ races. Often, in fact, there is no
race – incumbents are often not challenged in their
re-election efforts.
This year, two seats on the bench are
open: Common Pleas Judge Domestic Relations Division and
Common Pleas Judge General Trial Division. For the first
seat we recommend that voters elect Jay Feldstein and
for the second, Ian English.
Feldstein, who has a diverse
litigation practice, has a wide range of experience in
federal, state and appellate courts. His rating from the
Toledo Bar Association is a total of 91 percent in the
highly recommended and recommended ratings by his fellow
attorneys. Lisa McGowan, his opponent, has a combined
recommended rating of 82 percent from her colleagues.
English has been a Lucas County
Prosecutor since 2001 and has served as an adjunct professor
at The University of Toledo. He has prosecuted hundreds of
cases involving every type of crime during his tenure as an
assistant prosecutor. His colleagues at the Toledo Bar
Association have recognized his abilities with a 88 percent
highly recommend and recommend total rating. His opponent is
the perennial candidate Mark Davis whose “not recommend”
rating from fellow attorneys is a whopping 85 percent.
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