August 22, 2005
Behind Every Candidate...
The Eby campaign: The view from "the Lou"
By Pat A. Eby
Guest Columnist
John Eby, my brother, is running for one of nine seats on the Cincinnati City Council. I am a veteran volunteer of political campaigns, so I should be able to help brother, right?
It’s not that easy. I’m a Democrat from a Democratic family with strong ties to unions. Our grandfather, Duke Sinnard, was an old-style Republican. John takes after him.
I would vote for John, even though I am a Democrat, if I could. But I live in The Lou, formerly known as St. Louis before Nelly catapulted the city to hip-hop cool. I’m looking at his campaign from a philosophical and geographical distance. He has no official staff. No campaign headquarters. He’s fundraising with the help of family and friends.
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He has a simple message. Make every Cincinnati neighborhood a safe neighborhood. Educate every child. Be accountable to the voters for keeping the city in good shape. I spoke with some of his campaign volunteers. Here’s what they had to say.
Ellen Baumann volunteers for John’s campaign at festivals and community events. Sometimes she stands at busy intersections waving to passing motorists, holding a sign for John. When she casts her first-ever vote, this eighteen-year old student at the University of Akron will be voting for John because she likes his no-nonsense approach. “I think he’s on the right track,” she said. “He served on the Citizens Complaint Authority. I think it takes a pretty big person to listen to people criticize. He’s a normal guy who knows what people think because he listens.”
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John’s neighbor, Westwood resident Treva Lambing, calls herself a ‘sounding board’ for his campaign. “Last fall when our kids were on the track team, John and I would walk the track for an hour and talk ideas. We wouldn’t always agree, but we respect each other,” she said. “He’ll call me up and say, ‘I’ve got this idea, what do you think?’ I’m a liberal. I’m not a Republican. I bring John a sense of what the other side thinks.”
Like my brother, Treva and her husband value the diversity of their Westwood community. “My husband and I want our kids exposed to differences--cultural, economic and racial. We wouldn’t live anywhere else.” Yet, like other Cincinnati city residents, Lambing is concerned about safety and crime in the city. She supports John’s commitment to community oriented problem solving. She appreciates his service to the city on the Citizens’ Complaint Authority.
Despite party differences, Treva is voting for John, no question. Why? “I see how John has helped Westwood, before he ran for council, without any other agenda. I know what he’s accomplished,” Lambing said. “He organized the Ryan Commons park project. That meeting, I saw all different kinds of people so passionate about this neighborhood. He pushed us to dream. He engaged everyone. Not nearly enough has been written about how he steered this project.”
Campaign worker and brother Dave Eby is a Cincinnati educator who brings real world teaching experience to education discussions in the campaign. “John and I talk about the need to have council seriously engage to improve our public schools,” Dave Eby said. “John doesn’t accept the poor performance of our schools. He’ll work to upgrade our schools. If we don’t work on schools now, future generations will hold us accountable for unemployment, poverty and a rise in crime.”
Why did John put education on his platform when City Council has no direct influence over the school board? “Because we need to have the conversation,” he said. “How can we not talk about education in Cincinnati? It’s unacceptable when 51 percent of our African American students are not graduating from high school. We must create better outcomes for all children.”
So here’s the deal. You should vote for my brother John. Don’t think Republican, Democrat, or Charterite. Vote for the person. John’s a husband and a daddy who is home nights for dinner with his family, even when if it means missing a campaign opportunity. Sometimes he cooks. He’s an engineer, a community activist and a former Ohio National Guardsman. He loves the city and all its people. He has a bedrock commitment to justice party politics can’t shake.
But don’t take my word for it. Treva Lambing said, “If you ask 100 people who know John, I don’t think you’ll hear a negative comment. He’s passionate. You can trust him. He doesn’t change his beliefs based on who he’s around.”
At a recent campaign appearance, a woman approached John and said, “I can’t vote for you because you’re a Republican.” True to form, John answered, “Well, if you’re happy with the way things are in the city, keep voting the way you’ve always voted. You’ll get more of the same.” That’s the John Eby I’ve known all his life.
Copyright © John Eby 2005
"The Podium" is Queen City Forum Magazine's opinion page. Guest writers and staff writers offer their take on social, political and life issues. "The Podium" will feature a new "Behind Every Candidate" each week on Sunday going to the election on November 8th, 2005. The Mayoral Primary will be held on September 13th.
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