I just spent about a half hour on the phone with OH-18 candidate Jeanette Moll and a few members of her campaign team. First impression: She is very likable and pleasant. She comes across as very friendly and easy to talk to, which has to be an asset when you are campaigning in a district as large as OH-18. She impressed me with a few things that we talked about and I want to share those with you.Before I do that, I need to warn you, gentle readers, that when I am on a conference call, I try to focus on the call and the conversation; so I don't take detailed notes and therefore what you are about to read represent my recollections. Which means that what you read here is what "stuck" with me the most and not necessarily an exhaustive listing of each and every topic and/or detail covered in the call.
As she was talking about the district, she demonstrated a working knowledge of the constituents and the issues that matter most to the average citizen. I have never had a candidate mention infrastructure on a conference call before, and Jeanette took time to address something that may not be as sexy as military hardware or as cliche as taxes. It shows that Jeanette has a pretty impressive understanding of what the district needs. While Zack Space is talking about broadband access, Jeanette Moll is talking about making sure that there is water in Hocking County, where tourism is the draw. I did not know this, but Jeanette did: 70% of America flows through a corridor (the I-77 / I-70 interchange) in the 18th District every year and that has got to take a toll on the roads in that area; but the funding for transportation projects is based on population, not usage.
Clearly, the biggest issue facing the district is jobs. Jeanette is of the opinion that no one answer will fit the entire district. Government jobs aren't the answer and telecommunications jobs are not necessarily a match with the district's workforce. Two areas that the district thrives on is tourism and transportation and it is those two areas that Jeanette sees as the backbone of the district.
Let's cover the basics in lightning round style:
Taxes: Jeanette is a supporter of the Fair Tax.
Social Issues: Jeanette is pro-life and pro-family.
Iraq: Jeanette believes that the troops should be fully funded and they should come home when the commanders are satisfied that the mission has been completed.
Healthcare: Jeanette suggested that real tort reform is among the best ways to reduce the cost of healthcare. She thinks that moving these medical cases from juries to panels of judges would do much to lower the costs associated with healthcare.
And most interestingly, imminent domain came up as an issue that seperates her from her opponents, but that is topic for another post.
I close this post with a press release touting the endorsement from Lori Viars...
Columbus, OH 1/29/07 - Family First, a political action committee (PAC) dedicated to supporting candidates who are pro-life, pro-marriage, and pro-family, today endorsed Jeanette Moll, conservative Republican candidate
for Congress in Ohio's 18th Congressional District.
Moll has always been a stanch supporter of pro-life and pro-family ideals. Moll is herself a wife and biological mother of two daughters. After observing firsthand the impact of broken homes from her place on the bench as a Magistrate in Guernsey County, Moll knew there was more that could be - and had to be - done. Today, Jeanette and her husband Gary are the adoptive parents of three children.
"I want to represent the 18th Congressional District in a way that is consistent with the values and ideas of the citizens of eastern and southeastern Ohio," Moll said. "I'm well-prepared to represent them because I share their values and I'm ready to go fight for our conservative values, lower spending, lower taxes and job creation."
Moll has traveled throughout eastern and southeastern Ohio sharing her vision with the people of the district. Her dedication, combined with her views, made the decision easy for the Family First PAC.
"Jeanette doesn't just talk pro-life and pro-family, she lives it every day," Family First PAC Executive Director Lori Viars said. "She's shown her passion and eagerness to take solid values and apply them in Washington on behalf of the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio."
Jeanette Moll is a practicing attorney and former Magistrate in Guernsey County. She helped organize the efforts of Ducks Unlimited in our nation's capital before moving back to Ohio to attend law school and raise her family. Wife and mother of two daughters and adoptive mother of three children adopted through Muskingum County Children's Services, Moll has focused much of her life on family, faith and community.
