The candidate for Ohio lieutenant governor spoke about her decision to run and the importance of education funding during her speech during the Athens County Democratic Party Spring Dinner last night.
About 125 people attended last night's dinner to hear Yvette McGee-Brown speak, and to raise money for Gov. Ted Strickland's campaign. Strickland and McGee-Brown are running for governor and lieutenant governor against Republicans John Kasich and Mary Taylor. Tickets for the dinner were $25.
About eight Ohio University College Democrats helped set up for the dinner, served food and ran a fundraising auction.
I think it's a really good opportunity to interact on a more professional level with people we work for
said junior Kellie Galan, vice president of College Democrats.
McGee-Brown began her speech by addressing the students.
I was not always a perfect student but it was four of the best years of my life McGee-Brown said.
McGee-Brown said she thought her time in the public sector was over until she received a phone call from Strickland's office in January. McGee-Brown served as a Franklin County Common Pleas judge and founded the Center for Child and Family Advocacy. She is also on several boards including OU's Board of Trustees.
(Strickland and I) have achieved because we had one very strong parent in our lives
she said.
She was raised by her grandmother and teenage mother in Columbus. McGee-Brown said her grandmother always told her, You go to school and learn everything they teach you
because once they've taught you
they can never take it back.
McGee-Brown emphasized the need for increased school funding, mentioning the three-year college tuition freeze and a 5.5 percent increase in education allocations during Strickland's time as governor.
This governor knows that education is the opportunity out for so many of us
she said. That's why I am running with Ted Strickland.
She ended her speech by asking attendees to help get people to the polls, support other democratic candidates throughout Ohio, and vote for Issue 1. If Issue 1 passes May 4, Ohio will invest $700 million in technological research and commercialization during the next 10 years.
Following the speech, Alan Trout announced that he will run for Democratic Party Chairman against current chairman, Bill Bias.
Trout is the Alexander West district's only candidate for the Democratic Central Committee. He is also a barber at Carsey's Barber Shop on Court Street.
I don't think that Bill Bias is the best chair this party has to offer
Trout said, adding that he wanted to serve one term so he could reunite the party's two factions.
We (the Democratic party) are getting weak. People are losing faith
he said.
Bias said Democrats will have to wait and see what happens.
This article was modified from its original version.
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