Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland returned Saturday to tout another Democrat — county auditor candidate Kathy Hecht.
Two years after stumping a handful of times in Athens for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland returned Saturday to tout another Democrat — county auditor candidate Kathy Hecht
Strickland offered a glowing endorsement of Hecht — and the Athens County Democratic Party as a whole — at the rally Saturday night held in the Athens American Legion hall, 520 W. Union St.
“When (I was asked) to say a few words on her behalf, it wasn’t a hard sell,” Strickland said.
About 50 people attended the event, which gave Hecht the chance to raise funds and rally support in the final leg of her campaign. Attendees could choose between $50, $250 and $500 donations, according to the event’s Facebook page.
Hecht is pitted against Republican incumbent Jill Thompson. If Hecht wins, she will be the first Democrat in decades to hold the position.
Strickland spoke about Athens’ history as a Democratic stronghold in Ohio and how he felt indebted to the county for its role in helping him win his 1992 bid for U.S. Congress, when, he said, he was down in the polls until the last moment.
“We knew we were going to win because the votes for Athens County hadn’t been counted yet,” he said. “I never want to come here without expressing gratitude for that vote and for the many other votes that were to come.”
He also expressed his disapproval of what has become of the Republican Party, which he said “was bad enough” before what he called radical factions of the party overtook it.
“Our party is the hope for the future of the county,” he said. “I wish every place in Ohio was like Athens, Ohio.”
Local Democrats in attendance included several city council members, and for a short time, state representative Debbie Phillips, D-Albany. Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge Candidate Herman Carson and a couple members of Ohio University’s College Democrats also came out to see Strickland speak.
Hecht pointed to her experience in the role of Athens city auditor as evidence that a Democrat could hold the office just as easily as a Republican could.
“If you’re not the right person for the job, you shouldn’t be elected,” she said.
She also said that, as county auditor, she would try to do a better job of making sure county departments use state funds correctly in the first place, rather than covering up past mistakes.
“Our job is to make sure money gets spent right in the first place, not to point the finger afterward.”
Although she refused to get into specifics, she suggested that many of the problems involving Sheriff Pat Kelly’s alleged misuse of public funds could have been prevented if Thompson would have stepped in proactively.
“The idea that Jill is a watchdog just doesn’t cut it,” she said in her speech. “Our dog barks when a person is coming up to the door, not when they’re walking away.”
Athens County Democratic Party chair Alan Trout, who took over the position from Hecht, said his expectations are high for the party in the upcoming election.
“With candidates like Herman (Carson) and Kathy… I think we have a good shot at bringing more Democratic candidates to Athens County,” he said.
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