People kept coming into an Oxford, Ohio, backyard on the evening of Aug. 8. They stopped momentarily, surveying the chairs set up on the lawn. The gathering of 133 voters was to welcome Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor.
We were excited, ready for Ohio to be led by this "scrappy kid from Youngstown," as she called herself. Dr. Acton served as the director of Ohio’s Department of Public Health during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. For her staunch leadership, she received a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
During her daily updates in the early weeks of the pandemic, Dr. Acton delivered calm, specific directives I’m convinced saved the lives of thousands of Ohioans. She didn’t encourage
those infected to inject bleach into their bloodstreams or take Ivermectin used for ridding farm animals of parasitic worms, or gather in large groups when we knew that the infection was ravaging the lungs of people, especially those with compromised health.
I lost a high school friend from the 1960s. Two former high school students I’d taught 45 years earlier suffered permanent disabilities. Many of the Enquirer’s readers know of such suffering and tragic deaths.
As a medical doctor and scientist, Dr. Acton knew that wearing masks and social distancing would reduce the spread of the virus. She knew that frequently washing our hands and getting vaccinated when it became available would save lives.
Hope with a plan
"Hope," Dr. Acton told us, "is optimism with a plan."
Hope is what Dr. Acton offers us now: a plan to improve the health care of all Ohio residents, a plan to establish solid, equitable funding of public education, a plan to curb the Ohio legislature’s dangerous swerve to the radical right, a plan to bring folks out of crippling poverty, especially children who depend on adults to make wise decisions about education, health care, taxation and voting.
At one point in her talk, Dr. Acton noted that Ohio had never elected a woman governor. I couldn’t contain myself.
"We’ll fix that in November," I shouted.
Ohio is ready for Amy Acton
I believe we can. Consider the gubernatorial candidates’ public service experience. There’s no comparison. In addition to serving in the DeWine administration and guiding Ohioans through a treacherous pandemic, Dr. Acton served as a grant manager for the Columbus Foundation. Her professional life has been dedicated to service.
Gauge the substance of the candidates’ ideas and moral courage. Measure how their life experience influenced them. As a child, Dr. Acton struggled through neglect, poverty and class prejudice. Because many people looked away from her plight, she became determined to see everyone, not to look away from those who suffered. She strove to get an education, earn a medical degree and serve the citizens of Ohio.
Struggle can make us sensitive to the dire circumstances of others. Struggle can make us tenacious as we work to overcome obstacles. Struggle can make us aware of problems both large and small. Struggle, intelligence, empathy, and a pragmatic approach to governing make Dr. Amy Acton the best choice to be the next governor of Ohio.
Look closely at the two candidates. The vote in November shouldn’t even be close.
Tom Romano is a professor emeritus of Miami University whose most recent book is "A Boyhood at Red's: Growing up in My Dad's Neighborhood Bar."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Amy Acton didn't look away when Ohio needed her | Opinion
