Smith has worked extensively in Athens and Southeast Ohio.
With Ohio’s primary election day looming, it is important for readers to consider who they will cast their ballots in favor of. Many eyes are focused on the presidential and the U.S. Senate races, but voters should not overlook elections closer to home.
In this case, the Democratic primary for Ohio’s 94th District is between Eddie Smith, a man with deeply held principles and a duty to his constituents, and a person who has already hinted they will abandon their obligation to bring their district’s interests to Columbus.
I am therefore writing you to endorse Eddie Smith for the Democratic nomination to represent the Ohio’s 94th District. I believe that his character, his principles and his stances on issues are things that any voter from the 94th District can stand behind and be proud of.
I first met Eddie as a fellow representative in the Graduate Student Senate at Ohio University. I was immediately struck by the passion with which he carried out his duties as his department’s representative, especially when it came to challenging the then-current GSS administration and its ineptitude and intentional negligence. His first initiative was to push for a better deal on the graduate student healthcare plan, which at that time was up for renegotiation.
The GSS administration was perfectly willing to go along with any plan put forward by the university, but where they saw a “good deal,” Eddie saw waste and higher costs for those who could least afford it — his fellow graduate students. In the end, he successfully persuaded them to reconsider the terms of the contract, which led to better benefits at lower costs. These are the kinds of skills and the desire to not be a shill for moneyed interests that will help advance the interests of Ohio’s 94th District residents.
After taking on healthcare reform at the graduate student level, Eddie successfully campaigned to become the next president of GSS on the promise to put the needs of students above all else. And he didn’t waste time doing it. During the summer prior to his first scholastic term as president Eddie worked to win a grant to significantly expand public transportation beyond the Athens city limits. This was a tremendous boon not only for graduate students who reside outside city limits but for anyone who lives in say the Plains or Chauncey, not to mention the environmental and safety benefits of reducing traffic on and around campus.
Then, over the course of his two years as president of GSS, Eddie continuously positioned himself on the side of progress in defense of all students, both undergraduate and graduate. Time and again he railed against tuition and fee hikes, lobbied for increased graduate student pay (the average graduate student earns $9,000 per year at Ohio University with little recourse to bolster their income), and advocated for other progressive policy changes.
And, in addition to standing up for what was right on campus, Eddie worked tirelessly in the Athens community to promote environmentally conscious policies. At a time when engaging economic and environmental issues are tantamount to continued stability at the local, regional, national, and international levels, it is not a partisan issue to be in favor of policies that advocate for cleaner, safer alternatives to fossil fuels They’re a common-sense issue. So, too, are policies that help those struggling to pay for rent, healthcare, utilities, and groceries. Eddie has done and will continue to promote such policies.
In addition to his tremendous policy advocacy, Eddie’s conviction and sense of obligation to his constituents is unparalleled. He has been a student at Ohio University for close to eight years, and in this time he has become a valued and active member of the community. His close connection with the university, as well as his status as a current student is also a credit.
Because he has a foot in both worlds, it allows him the ability and the vision to understand the interplay of the issues that affect all residents of the 94th District. His personal history, as well as his stint as a low-wage graduate student, has instilled in him the lessons that which only living under poverty’s thumb can teach.
I have no doubt that Eddie will take these lessons and the interests of the 94th to Columbus to advocate for common sense policies that help all of us, not just those paid up with the right people. It is for these reasons, and many more, that I unequivocally and wholeheartedly support Eddie Smith for representative. Thank you for your consideration.
Mitchell Smith is a Ph.D student studying history at Ohio University.
