By Fletcher Word
The Truth Editor
“We’ve gone backwards in every single measure in this state,” said Dr. Amy Acton last week during a conversation at NHA’s Nexus with about 40 of Toledo’s most prominent citizens – elected officials, pastors, agency leaders – in attendance. “We have got to fight. I am definitely a fighter and we have got to fight to end the corruption.”
Dr. Acton, who is a Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio, will be on the ballot against Republican candidate Vivek Wamasawamy in November an effort to overturn the grasp that the GOP has had on Ohio’s state government over the last two decades or so.
“I need to hear from some of your thoughts,” she told the gathering. “It’s all about relationships and what we are going to do together.”
Dr. Acton was in Toledo for a day of events organized by state Senato Pasula Hicks-Hudson, who also served as the moderator for last week’s event at Nexus. Hicks-Hudson opened the event before the candidate’s appearance in order to impress the attendees the importance and necessity of reaching out to voters.
“These things are very dire … an abomination,” said Hicks-Hudson. “Public education has been chopped, health care is on the block. An assault is happening because we don’t vote.”
Hicks-Hudson informed the audience that Lucas County was the 87th out of 88 Ohio counties in voter turnout in the last election.
“We need to go to where our folks are – the beauty shops, the barber shops. When we vote, we win; when we show up, we can make a change,” she said. “We must decide that we are going to put together a plan to get the vote out.”
During the candidate’s speech, Dr. Acton explained why she is running, detailed her background and spoke about specific issues she will address once elected to office.
“I am running because people in this state are struggling,” she said. “There is no more breathing room in this state and it is time for a change.”
Dr. Acton spoke of the difficulty Ohioans have with rising health care costs, the difficulties presented by the impact of the Republican voucher program on public schools, rising costs brought on by Republican policies in Washington – including the war.
“We’ve had it bad up to now, but my opponent [will make it worse],” she said.
Amy Acton was born and reared in Youngstown, experiencing a very difficult childhood – neglect, abuse and homelessness – difficult enough that she recounted one winter sleeping in a tent. Fortunately, she was able to excel in high school and enter a medical program when she enrolled in college.
Most of her medical career has been in public service – a “lifelong public servant,” she said – working for five governors starting with Robert Taft.
She made quite a name for herself during the COVID pandemic crisis, working with Gov. Mike DeWine to establish a government response to the health crisis that was precedent setting – the first state in the nation to close schools, for example.
After Republican state legislators and then-Speaker of the House Larry Householder introduced bills she thought would violate her Hippocratic Oath, she resigned as director of the Department of Health.
For to her work as director, she received a “Profile in Courage Award” from Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg and was named by the New York Times as “The Leader We Wish We All Had.”
Dr. Acton is on the ballot for the May 5 primary but without an opponent. Ramaswamy has two opponents: Casey Putsch, a northwest Ohio business owner, and Heather Hill, a former school board president from southeast Ohio.
Ramaswamy is a heavy primary favorite due to his unlimited funding, his name recognition and the endorsement of Donald Trump.
In the November’s general election, Dr. Acton has a solid chance to break the Republican grip on state government. Recent polls have shown her with a lead. The worrisome state of the economy will favor the out-of-office party, both locally and nationally – as special elections have already demonstrated over and over again over the last year. In addition, Trump’s recent war with Iran along further blows to the economy will continue to make life difficult for Republican candidates around the nation.
Dr. Acton will make the case in the general election that her opponent’s money holds no advantage for ordinary Ohioans.
“We are going to tell you that you cannot buy this state,” she said of her election plans. “You cannot buy us.” She will also be making the point to voters of her opponent’s shortcomings.
“He’s not just out of touch, he’s completely dangerous.”