Ohio House 19th: Harris (D) Endorsed by Celeste; Hackett to Help Raise Funds

Governor Richard F. Celeste has endorsed grandmother of six, former state official, and long-time activist Marian Harris in her race for the 19th House District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. Celeste said:

I have known Marian Harris for almost thirty years. Together we worked to make Ohio a better place. She is one of those individuals who believes that when you work for a political candidate you have a right, even an obligation, to expect the very best public service from him or her. And she worked hard to insure that the Celeste administration served all the citizens of Ohio—regardless of party or status.

Now Marian is putting her personal convictions on the line for her constituents. What a wonderful opportunity—to elect someone who knows how state government works and who is dedicated to making it work right after the recent record of abuses. I urge you to support Marian Harris for State Representative.

Harris responded, "I am proud to have the endorsement of a great Governor of this state. I hope to serve the people of my District and the people of Ohio as well as Governor Celeste did." Harris served in several capacities in the Celeste administration. As Chief of the Office of Family Support Services for the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Harris implemented a respite program for parents who chose to keep their youngsters with MRDD at home. As Harris said:

The relief parents experienced at being able to keep their child at home and have a night off or a weekend away was heart warming – and from a practical point of view, it saved the state money by not institutionalizing these youngsters.

In the mid 1980’s, she coordinated Governor Celeste’s “Capital for a Day,” a program that brought state government to 34 different Ohio cities. In each city, the Governor and his Cabinet spent 24 hours meeting Ohio citizens and hearing first hand their concerns.

The Harris campaign also announced today that Paul Hackett will appear at a fundraiser for Harris on Saturday, July 22, in the late afternoon - details to be worked out. Harris has raised over $17,000 to date from more than 170 contributors.

Contribute to the Harris campaign here, and sign up to work as a volunteer here.