The Clayton Sample Ballot
I’ve been quiet because in all honesty, life has sucked immensely the past few months. I have a history of biting off more than I can chew and that’s been the norm since the middle of August. It turns out, spreading yourself too thin is bad for your mental health. I’ve began prioritizing what is and isn’t really important to me, and politics has taken the backburner. That happens when you have a demanding job and the parent of twin six-year-olds. But you aren’t here to read about my miserable existence, you’re here to read my deranged political rants, so let’s get started.
State Issues
Issue 1: I’ve been dying to give the Catholic Church a humbling since I had to spend 12 years in their schools. I am obviously voting yes because if someone has an abortion, it actually is none of my business. I’ve been around plenty of women in my life and there are countless things that can go wrong during a pregnancy and abortions can save the mom’s life. Also, forcing someone to carry a child they don’t want would be insane behavior. I always found it creepy and weird the Catholic Church was so involved in people’s sex lives. I also find their ‘Protect the Children’ messaging quite hypocritical since the history surrounding their priests and children.
Issue 2: Again, whether someone smokes marijuana or not is none of my business. It’s 2023 and we are still debating marijuana legalization? The entire country of Canada legalized marijuana in 2018. The tax windfall will be large, and for that alone I would vote yes.
City Issues
I will just touch on the big ones, because I don’t really feel like writing about the zoo.
Issue 22: For the longest time, I was on the fence. However, the closer we get to election day the more I consider myself a “lean no” on this issue. I could probably be talked into voting yes, but I think Norfolk Southern is one of the evilest companies in America. Just look at what they did to East Palestine, Ohio. Doing them a favor by selling them this railroad gives me pause. Also, you know this must be an incredible deal for them because they’ve dropped $4 million in funding the “Yes on 22” campaign. That makes me think the City of Cincinnati is getting ripped off.
Issue 24: For those unfamiliar, Issue 24 is the affordable housing charter amendment. Essentially, a payroll tax will fund new affordable housing to be built for low-income residents. I’m going to vote yes on this one simply because the business community has put on a full court press in stopping Issue 24. That must mean it’s good for working people and bad for corporations. Do I think it passes? Probably not, but I’m always looking for ways to get back at the “Lords of 4th Street” as they’re called in political circles. You may also know them as the Cincinnati Business Committee.
City Candidates
I’m going to share a group of candidates that I will definitely be voting for. I could be convinced to vote for others and maybe I will. But the following are the one’s I am 100% voting for.
Mark Jeffreys: His commitment to improving infrastructure, pedestrian safety and public transit make him the most impressive councilmember. He’s been the best councilmember on this version of city council because he actually works on issues effecting regular people.
Jan Michele Lemon-Kearney: She genuinely is a good person and actually listens to the community. Similar to Jeffreys, she seems very connected to everyday Cincinnatians.
Jeff Cramerding: I’ve always had a wonderful relationship with Jeff and he lives a few blocks away from me. Jeff was very supportive of my campaign in 2018 when I ran for State Representative. I also think he has a good pulse on the issues effecting Cincinnati’s west side neighborhoods.
Anna Albi: She is one of the three underdogs in this field race. The final three seats will be some combination of Albi, Walsh and Keating. I will be voting for two of them and Albi needs all the votes she can get. I applaud her work with Moms Demand Action and although City Council can’t do anything regarding gun laws, it’s good to know she understands how ridiculous our gun laws are.
Liz Keating: I am certainly not one of those people who say “vote blue, no matter who!” Because that would be “group think” and I am vehemently against that. That was the main reason things when south between the Hamilton County Democratic Party and me. Despite her Republican status, she has always answered my emails and sought resolutions for any issue I emailed City Council about. She is very accessible and knows how to have a normal conversation with normal people. A city hall source also told me that all of the Dems elected in 2021 enjoy working with her and don’t really mind if she gets re-elected. She has several problematic ideas but I think she’s mostly reasonable. I almost feel bad for her having to cow-tow to all the chilling old white dudes present in the Hamilton County Republican Party. There’s no shortage of conspiracy theorist Republicans who probably think she’s too moderate. But I do have to appreciate a true moderate in the year 2023, because that would be a tough thing to do.
Meeka Owens: She was one of the only politicians to show up to an important fundraiser I was helping host that involved teachers a few years ago. I hope in her next term she embraces a more progressive attitude and will have the courage to go against the establishment.
For one reason or another, the rest of the candidates were left off. I can expand upon why if needed, but it’s probably pretty self-explanatory. Just know, I am not a huge fan of the Hamilton County Democratic Party machine.