BOARDMAN, Ohio – Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat running for Ohio governor, traces her roots back to Youngstown and a grandfather who came to the country from Europe and worked in the steel mills.
“My grandfather was so proud to be a steelworker. He was a proud union member,” Acton said Wednesday during a stop in Boardman.
Acton said she and her brother were living in a tent on the city’s North Side before moving into an apartment. She worked her way through medical school at what is now Northeast Ohio Medical University. She said she became a doctor and then a public servant because she wanted to help people.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life. I’m not afraid to fight,” Acton said. “I’ve stood up for us before here in Ohio, and I’ll do it again. I keep saying I’m a scrappy kid from Youngstown, and that about says it all.”
Acton was speaking before a crowd at the apprentice training center of Structural Iron Workers Local 207, where she received the endorsement of the Western Reserve Building Trades from its president, Marty Loney.
Though the statewide chapter of the Affiliated Construction Trades endorsed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton’s opponent in the Nov. 3 election, the Western Reserve Building Trades became the fourth regional organization under that umbrella to break from the ACT, according to Acton’s campaign.
“It wasn’t hard,” Loney said of the decision to back Acton. “I feel that [Ramaswamy is] a billionaire that is out of touch with working men and women. You heard the story that Dr. Acton has, that’s most like a lot of our membership – pull yourself up.”
Loney shared his own story with the crowd, talking about his struggles as a youngster and how an apprenticeship program changed his life.
“People like me that fight and grind and do it everyday, that’s what we do and make it better for somebody else down the line,” Loney said, adding that is how it should be.
Both Loney and Rick Green, apprenticeship coordinator at Iron Workers Local 207, touted Acton as someone who understands Youngstown families, especially union members. Green said she is committed to protecting unions, apprenticeships and community colleges that support apprenticeships, as well as rebuild and revitalize cities around Youngstown.
“Dr. Acton wants to make living affordable again for these things,” Green said. “As someone grounded in faith, I believe compassion and service matter. It’s important now more than ever to work together toward practical solutions that improve people’s lives.”
During her speech, followed by a press conference, Acton ran down her agenda, which includes prioritizing everyday Ohioans dealing with a rising cost of living by constructing a state budget that focuses on helping working people.
“Every single thing we propose can be funded; it’s just that we aren’t going to eliminate income taxes, which would be reckless at this point,” Acton said, pointing to Ramaswamy’s plans to phase out Ohio’s income tax. “It would not bring more business, and businesses themselves know this. Businesses can’t come here when there aren’t great housing opportunities, great educational opportunities, great, incredible outdoor opportunities for a lifestyle. These are the things that attract people to come here, and that’s the things that we’re going to be focused on.”
Acton said people want taxes to be fair.
“They want to pay their fair share,” she said. “They do want to have public safety. They do want their kid to have a good school. They want disability services and mental health services, but they don’t want people getting breaks at a million plus, while we’re all paying taxes. That certainly isn’t fair, and that’s what we have in the Statehouse.”
Acton said she believes Youngstown voters backed Obama twice and then Trump because they were looking for something better and not seeing it.
“People are looking for actions that actually change their everyday life,” she said, adding that based on the primary turnout, “I think people are in that mode again.”
Pictured at top: Dr. Amy Acton speaks during her stop in Boardman.