Joel Newby, Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, met Athens voters Friday near the Athens City Pool to discuss policing, his Republican opponent and other issues facing the district.
Newby identified internet access as one issue in the district.
Newby said rural internet needs to be more accessible and affordable for people in the region. He pointed to more students doing remote and online work for the school year as a reason.
Newby also spent a portion of the night discussing how Rep. Steve Stivers has been silent on the issues concerning the district, thus coining the name “Silent Stivers.”
“Steve Stivers is a partisan hack,” Newby said. “(He) sure as hell doesn’t have American values.”
Stivers has only passed five bills in his 10 years in office, Newby said.
Newby also discussed how social justice reform would be a core issue he would address while in Congress.
“It needs to happen at the Ohio state level but needs help from the national level,” he said.
Newby believes police reform needs to be part of that equation as well. He said police departments should no longer be allowed to purchase military equipment that they don’t need.
Newby has also faced the new reality of campaigning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of his campaigning has resorted to an online format.
Though the online campaigning has its challenges, Newby knows it’s reached potential voters in Athens County.
“He’s not Steve Stivers,” Marsha Egleston, an Athens resident, said. “We need a younger generation in Congress.”
Newby hopes to reach more voters like Egleston through online and in-person campaigning while following social distancing guidelines. He plans on meeting outside the Athens City Pool every Friday at 5 p.m.
