A pair of local women are vying for a seat in the State House of Representatives.
Incumbent Tracy Richardson, a Republican from Marysville, is being challenged by Democrat Tiffanie Roberts, who lives in Union County near Dublin, for the seat to represent Ohio’s 86th District which includes Union and Marion counties.
In 2018, Richardson was elected to replace Republican Dorothy Pelanda, who did not seek re-election.
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Richardson said she saw a need when Pelanda chose not to run.
“I can honestly say that I never planned or focused my efforts on running until I learned there was a need,” Richardson said.
Richardson is a graduate of West Point and was deployed in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, earning a Bronze Star Medal.
Richardson said service is “a source of joy and happiness for me.”
She is currently serving as a U.S. Army Reservist. Prior to being elected to the House, Richardson served nine years on Marysville City Council and worked for several years as a corporate human resources professional for a Fortune 500 company and as a leadership professor for ROTC at both Capital University and Ohio Wesleyan University.
She also volunteers her time on the Union County Drug Free Coalition and the Neighborhood Watch Safety Team. Richardson actively supports her local schools and is a dedicated member of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Richardson said she holds monthly meetings to hear from residents.
“It is my goal to listen to the people of our community and I’ve been dedicated to doing that for over a decade.”
She said that as a legislator she wants to “do my best to create policy that is meaningful and impactful.”
In her first term, Richardson has worked with the Children’s Caucus, the Military Interstate Compact to help military children transition schools and the Anti-Human Trafficking initiative.
She said she has focused on issues including ensuring fiscal accountability, promoting economic and workforce development, voting pro-life, protecting Second Amendment rights, supporting education and honoring veterans. She said recently much of her time has been spent addressing COVID-19, which she has called the “biggest issue” facing the district.
“We need to continue to safely open Ohio, get our children safely back into school and help our struggling economy recover,” Richardson said. “Sadly, we have many who are anxious and struggling with mental health issues due to the pandemic. Suicides, domestic violence and child abuse are on the rise. Addressing these concerns will take leadership and experience. COVID-19 has created numerous challenges and we need to push through them boldly and mindfully with hope and perseverance.”
She said she has taken, “many steps to help open Ohio.”
“My goal is to inspire residents to be respectful and to use common sense. We can and must keep moving Ohio forward,” Richardson said. “Protecting the rights and freedoms of Ohioans is also something I take seriously. I encourage the vulnerable to be extra cautious while we move forward.”
She also said the state, “will need to look closely at the budget since our projected revenues are down due to COVID-19.”
Richardson is asking for the opportunity to continue working on the things she has started.
“I care about our community and our residents,” Richardson said. “We need to keep Ohio moving forward by safely opening Ohio’s economy, protecting taxpayer dollars, getting people working again, addressing education funding and recovery from COVID and opposing the ‘Defund the Police’ movement to secure law and order.”
Richardson said she does not really know her opponent and is focused on her duties, not the election. Reluctantly she addressed the Larry Householder scandal.
“The 86th District and all of Ohio deserve legislators that are not caught up in scandals,” Richardson said. “That is why, as our State Representative, I have served and will continue to serve with honor and integrity.”
She said it is “simply wrong” to imply guilt by association.
“The inappropriate actions of one person does in no way make me corrupt nor define me,” Richardson said.
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Roberts said her purple ads, purple signs, purple website, purple theme is intentional.
“To me, it is the symbolism of bringing red and blue together,” Roberts said.
That’s her goal, she says, to bring red and blue, Republicans and Democrats, together.
“I am running to be a representative for everyone in the district, regardless of whether their philosophies and ideologies match mine or not,” Roberts said. “I have a lifetime of experience listening to people and finding solutions that work for everyone.”
Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Roberts graduated from the University of Arizona where she studied Sociology and Family Studies. She said she has, “always had a passion to care for child ren,” noting that through college she interned at Child Protective Services and after graduation worked at a shelter for teens on probation, then with special needs adoptions.
Roberts and her family moved to Dublin eight years ago.
“I feel I bring a well-rounded experience and a history of working across party lines to bring solutions for everybody, not just one party,” Roberts said.
Roberts said she would work to help small businesses, focus on health care and fight the opioid crisis.
She said that as a parent she cares about access to a quality education. She said the funding mechanism for schools was already broken and that was only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Quality education is one of the biggest predictors of life outcomes,” Roberts wrote in a statement. “Union and Marion County residents know the importance of investing in public education, and we cannot allow the state to undermine that investment.”
She said that in addition to working to address school funding, she would work to increase access to broadband internet in rural areas. She said the lack of internet access impacts businesses, farms, residents and most importantly, school children.
Roberts said that as schools have been forced into remote learning, access to high-speed internet, “has furthered the gap in education in different parts of our state.”
She added that helping schools rebound from COVID-19 funding cuts is “super, super high on my priority list.”
Roberts said she is working to complete a program at the Harvard Kennedy School, the public policy school of Harvard University.
“I am working to make sure that as soon as I am elected, I am the most effective, most efficient, best prepared leader I can be for the district,” Roberts said.
Roberts ran for county commissioner two years ago. Despite the loss, she said she continues to pay attention to politics.
“The more I was watching the legislature and not only what (current Representative) Tracy Richardson was voting for, but also what she was co-sponsoring, the more frustrated I was getting,” Roberts said, adding that Richardson’s agenda was “so extreme.”
Roberts said the district needs someone, “who won’t push for an extremist ideology but for the day to day issues that impact real people and real families.”
Additionally, she said the district needs someone, “who hasn’t taken a bunch of money from Speaker (Larry) Householder.”
While Roberts said she wants to bring people together, she can’t help but comment on Richardson’s role in the scandal. In July, Householder was arrested in a $60 million federal bribery case connected to a taxpayer-funded bailout of Ohio’s two nuclear power plants. Richardson was named as one of the Representatives Householder targeted for support. Roberts said she is “very interested” to learn about a thank you note from Richardson to Householder, specifically mentioned in FBI documents.
“We deserve better,” Roberts said.