To the Editor,
Much remains to be done to improve our schools, to ensure that our community grows stronger, to enhance the business climate, and to get people in our neighborhoods back to work. I believe Representative Debbie Phillips works hard to help Southeastern Ohio achieve these results.
As a graduate of Ohio University, State Representative Phillips built a career fighting for educational opportunities for Ohio’s children. She was the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, where she promoted quality public education. She then continued to strengthen educational opportunities for students on Athens City Council and in the Ohio House of Representatives.
If re-elected, Representative Phillips can serve as part of the solution to the unconstitutional public school funding policy in Ohio. She will work to ensure college students receive fair financial aid packages and have job opportunities in our area after graduation. If we send her back to Columbus this November, she can fight against the gruesome standardized testing imposed on our youth.
As President of College Democrats of Ohio, I admired Representative Phillips’ comments about the suppression of college voters at the Tuesday, October 14th candidate debate in Athens. I know she will ferociously attempt to protect the rights of college students and other threatened populations if re-elected this November.
The city of Marietta split the Marietta College campus into two city council wards and forced students to vote at two different precincts. I worked with college officials, board of elections personnel, and many of my peers to work around this issue, and prepare and educate students on how to vote. Representative Phillips listened to my concerns and helped produce some of the strategies we elected to use to increase voter turnout on the Marietta College campus.
Rather than hiding behind national political rhetoric designed to scare voters, Representative Phillips produces her own thoughts and opinions on the local and state issues that matter most. She is well educated, a talented listener, and is gifted enough to explain complex legislation in a quick, simple, and easy-to-understand way.
We need Debbie Phillips to continue to be our State Representative. Jobs, education, and agriculture matter to our area, and she is the most qualified candidate in this election to protect and improve these essential components of our community.
Taylor C. Myers is the student body president at Marietta College.
