Sarah Grace, the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 94th District, said Wednesday afternoon she would continue the work of current Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Albany, if she were elected to the state legislature. That work will include injection well regulation and water supplies protection.
During the event, several Athens County elected officials lined up on the Athens County Courthouse steps to offer their endorsement of Grace, a small business owner with a background in real estate management.
“I’m pleased and honored … to be supporting Sarah Grace,” Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said.
In December, shortly after filing to run, Grace said Phillips had personally encouraged her to launch her campaign. Phillips was also present at Grace's campaign announcement, according to a previous Post article.
Grace said Wednesday she has spoken to Phillips about continuing some of the environmental work that is still in progress. In April, Phillips introduced a bill that would require that all fracking waste be disposed of in Class I wells, which are more closely monitored and designed for hazardous waste.
Athens County has seven injection wells.
According to a previous Post report, well operators injected 2,757,508 barrels of brine — wastewater resulting from hydraulic fracturing — into six of the county’s active injection wells in 2014.Grace is running against Republican candidate Jay Edwards, a Nelsonville realtor.
“I think there’s been fantastic support,” Grace said. “I’ve been very busy throughout the district speaking directly to voters.”
In addition to carrying out Phillips' environmental work, Grace cited education as a primary motivation behind her decision to run. She said she will be a voice for quality public schooling, charter school accountability and restructured school funding. Patterson commended her “passion” toward ensuring quality education for children.
Grace also said colleges and universities needed improvements, adding that less funding for higher education from the state has lead to tuition increases. Grace said as an Ohio University alumnus, she thinks there are many students who enjoy their time in Athens and wish to stay after graduation, and she hopes to create an economy that allows them that choice.
As a cancer survivor, she said she understood the need for adequate healthcare.
“We’re putting undue burdens on our residents by forcing them to drive long distance to get the care that they need,” Grace said.
Amesville Mayor Gary Goosman, one of the officials endorsing Grace, said local governments have lost the ability to govern themselves, especially with the diversion of local tax dollars to charter schools, and they face obstacles due to leaders in the state’s government who often tote their success in balancing the budget.
“They balance the budget on the back of communities like Amesville,” Goosman said.
With just a couple of months until the election, Grace said she would focus on direct interaction with voters by knocking on doors and speaking with voters. She added that students have more influence on the political process than they may realize.
“The students here at OU can swing an election, and they don’t always vote,” Grace said. “They need to know their votes matter.”
