Ohio House 92nd: Phillips (D) Fundraiser in Columbus This Sunday

The campaign of City Council member and state representative candidate Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) sent me an email about an ice cream social fundraiser they will be hosting this Sunday, July 30, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at 2211 Cheltenham Road in Columbus. Francis Strickland, spouse of gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon), will speak. The suggested donation is $25 or $92.

Phillips is a solid candidate and this is definitely a race worth watching. The 92nd House District has the highest proportion of Democrats of any district now held by a Republican. It includes the university town of Athens (as well as the rest of Athens County), Meigs County, Morgan County, and a portion of Washington County. The incumbent is Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens).

Phillips is the Executive Director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, formed in 2003 to work toward a real solution to Ohio’s school funding crisis and advocate for high quality education opportunities. Previously she worked as Project Coordinator for the Community and School Connection, part of Rural Action, which involved helping citizens participate in planning for state- funded building projects, community use of old school buildings, and school funding issues. Phillips is an experienced mediator, formerly on the Board of the Athens Area Mediation Service, who has served as a volunteer mediator in domestic relations and small claims cases and has provided training to area school children in conflict management and peer mediation.

Phillips defeated teacher Michael Struble in the May primary by 70% to 30% of the vote, while Stewart was unopposed. House minority leader Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) has said that the 92nd House District race will be one of the most important to the Democratic party this election year, due to the high proportion of Democratic voters in the district and the presence of a local Democratic favorite (Strickland) at the top of the ticket.