Candidate Forum - Ohio House of Representatives District 19

CANDIDATE FORUM FOR OHIO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 19

The New Albany Chamber of Commerce is hosting an online Candidate Forum October 5, 2020 for the Ohio House of Representatives District 19 election. The forum will begin at 5:00pm and feature Ohio House Representative Mary Lightbody (D) and Republican Challenger Meredith Freedhoff. Ohio Statehouse News Journalist, Jo Ingles is the moderator.

The goal of this non-partisan candidate forum is for voters to gain an understanding of the candidates' views on business and economic policy. “As with the previous candidate forums, our goal is to foster critical dialogue, engage our community in the democratic process and provide a platform for citizens to make informed choices,” shared Pamela Siekman, Chair of the New Albany Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee.

Questions for the candidates can be submitted when registering for the event online or emailed to office@newalbanychamber.com; be sure to include your full name.

Ohio State Representative Mary Lightbody (D)
A former middle school science teacher, intervention specialist for gifted students, and college professor, Dr. Lightbody has long used her knowledge and life experiences in the service of others. She grew up in a large family in rural Pepper Pike, Ohio, studied abroad in Bangkok for a year during high school, and majored in Asian studies at Harvard. She has lived in Plain Township for 32 years and is the parent of three adult children who all graduated from Westerville North. Dr. Lightbody provided home hemodialysis care for her late husband for many years while raising their children, cementing her resolve to work for affordable healthcare for all Ohioans. Dr. Lightbody was elected to the Ohio Statehouse in 2018, and in her first term has introduced bills to prevent distracted driving, alleviate the burdens of student debt, preserve water quality, and bring STEM teachers into underserved schools.

Meredith Freedhoff (R)
Meredith Freedhoff is from Pickerington and graduated from Capital University with a marketing degree. She has held positions with companies such as CBS, Nippon Television Network, Sony, and Intuit Software. Meredith lives in New Albany with her two children and husband. She has lived the issues facing Ohio in her immediate family such as a drug addiction in her first marriage and a health crisis with her son with Type 1 Diabetes. Meredith has been an advocate and volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Compassion’s Way, Stowe Mission, and Out of Darkness. Meredith was a marketing and software executive and the daughter of a small business owner. She understands that when taxes go down and job creation is encouraged, opportunities are better for everyone. Meredith’s goal is to get Ohio back on track; insuring job creation and stability for businesses and their employees and getting our children and educators back to school safely.

A limited amount of media members will be allowed on-site in-person per safe meeting guidelines. Submit media requests for press credentials to cherie@newalbanychamber.com. This event is free and open to the public, but registration online is required.

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