Our good friend Peggy Lehner, who was gracious enough to sit in and guest host an episode of the cable access show that Mark and I did back in '04, has
won the endorsement of the Dayton Daily News in her race for the 37th District of the Ohio House:
Peggy Lehner's qualifications are exceptional. Being about as well-known to her district as its needs are known to her, she is a natural choice to represent it in Columbus.
She could be the strongest of the new crop of Republicans to emerge from the suburbs this year and the most likely pick for the Senate.
The set-up is fantastic as editors run through Peggy's distinguished resume:
the Republican candidate is Kettering City Councilwoman Peggy Lehner. She's held that position for a decade. She has worked on projects beyond municipal lines, including as founder and president of the First Suburbs Consortion of Dayton. That organization is a good idea, wherein older — or first-tier — suburbs come together to confront some of the same issues that central cities confront.
She's also worked on county task forces and otherwise been a presence in local affairs. She founded the Frail Elderly Task Force.
And she's been chairman of the Ohio Ethics Commission, which oversees politicians on ethics issues.
She first came to public attention in the 1980s, when she was president of Ohio Right to Life. That has put some people on guard over the years. But she has forged a reputation as a pragmatic, moderate person. Symbolically, in 2006, she was a state co-chair for the relatively moderate Jim Petro for governor, not the fire-breathing conservative Ken Blackwell.
She focuses her presentation of herself on such down-to-earth issues as predatory lending, health care, transportation and economic growth, not the old hot-button social issues. She represents the brand of Republicanism that seems to offer the most hope for that party in Montgomery County.
The conclusion about Peggy's Democratic opponent is right on target:
The Democratic candidate is political newcomer Andi Eveslage.
...
Her qualifications don't measure up to her opponent's.
Peggy is a top-notch candidate and deserves the support she will get in this election.
