Small-business owners running for office

With backgrounds in small business, these candidates have unique perspectives to bring to the table.

Melinda Miller

Candidate for State Senate District 31

Town: Granville, Ohio

Briefly describe your background. I am a mom, homemaker, school volunteer and community organizer. I spent about twenty years working in the service industry, mostly in restaurants waiting tables and cooking. I had a small business teaching healthy cooking, including working with my local cancer center to teach people impacted by cancer about healthy diets and cooking. I also taught healthy cooking to people recovering from opiate addiction. Currently I help my husband run his small web services business.

What inspired you to run for office? I felt compelled to get more directly and actively involved in politics during the 2016 election cycle, and engaged with a group of local moms to find ways of helping our community and increasing our participation in politics. Part of my responsibility as a member of the leadership team of that group, Strong Voices Rising, was to keep an eye on local elections, so I knew that the seat I am running for was going to be an unopposed election. I decided to run in support of a healthy democracy that gives people real choices in every election. There are stark differences in values and ideas between myself and my opponent in this race, and I am so lucky to be part of a wonderful group of inspired, engaged, smart and strong women working together for a stronger, brighter future for our kids and grandkids. I want to see a future where equality, justice, truth and love thrive.

If elected, what are your top three priorities? Passing legislation that ensures all Ohioans have access to: a good job with a livable wage, affordable health care, an excellent and equitable education, a safe home with clean air, water and soil, and a community that values them.

In what ways does your background in small business make you qualified for elected office? I operate small businesses best by maintaining flexibility while staying organized in a clear structure, prioritizing relationships with open communication and collaboration, and keeping my focus on service. I believe that these key values and skills will serve me well in the State Senate and I look forward to putting them to good use there for the benefit of all Ohioans.

Dr. Vanessa Enoch

Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio’s 8th District

Town: West Chester, Ohio

Briefly describe your background: I have owned Cultural Impact, LLC — a business management and political consulting firm — for the past 20 years. My company provides consulting services for business executives and business managers in various industries and business sectors. I also served as a professor and a higher education administrator for many years. As a Department Chair, I oversaw multiple college departments and acted as Dean of Students for business and accounting departments at a local college. As an experienced senior level business and technology professional with over 16 years of corporate operations experience, I have held positions with corporations such as General Electric, and as a Paralegal Specialist with the US Small Business Administration. I have also held positions as a Senior IT Project Manager within the insurance industry. Early in my career, I also worked as a drug and alcohol counselor.

What inspired you to run for office? I was inspired to run for office after seeing an article, which read “Room Full of Men Decides the Fate of Women’s Healthcare.” In that meeting, they decided not to cover maternity care. It troubled me that Viagra, the performance enhancement drug for men, was still being covered. That incident helped me realize that we needed more women representatives in Congress. That prompted me to look for someone I could help get elected. When I looked around, and couldn’t find that someone, after much consideration and reluctance, I decided to run.

If elected, what are your top three priorities? My top three priorities were developed by citizens in the 8th congressional district. They are:

1. To reduce healthcare cost and advocate for a Medicare for All plan.
2. To save our public education system and promote access to affordable higher education.
3. To promote economic development & job creation through promoting jobs of the future.

What’s your campaign’s theme song? “Roar” by Katy Perry

In what ways does your background in small business make you qualified for elected office? As a small business owner and a consultant to other small businesses, I understand the challenges that businesses face and the obstacles to growth. My background in business also helps me understand how government regulation can either help or hinder business growth. I believe that being a business owner is one of many tools that equip me with an understanding of the importance of considering various perspectives in the legislative process.

Sharon Sweda

Candidate for State Senate, District 13

Town: Amherst, Ohio

Briefly describe your background: As the daughter of a UAW 425 worker, I learned my political lessons at the kitchen table, watching my father review union-endorsed candidates. In 1972, I started attending night classes to obtain my real estate license. After graduating, I entered the industry and soon began working with underserved groups after observing discriminatory practices in the field.

I married my husband, Richard, and together we pulled together what little resources we had to start a real estate brokerage and building company. Together, we were able to grow our small business into a seven-branch firm of nearly 150 agents prior to selling the business in 2004.

Currently, I run my own small business, American Patriot Title Agency, which is the only Lorain County title company to be owned and operated by a woman. In this position, I continue to work diligently with Ohio homeowners, providing pro bono short sales work for sellers in need.

What inspired you to run for office? I’ve lived in this district my entire life. I’ve seen the problems and the struggles of our communities grow continually worse — no one is working to help the middle class. Our workers deserve a better opportunity to earn a living, and over my career, I’ve worked on agreements that bring together members of both sides. We’ve all grown sick and tired of the corruption in Columbus, and I’m running to help change it.

If elected, what are your top three priorities?

1. We need to focus the state budget on the middle class instead of subsidizing Ohio’s perceived prosperity on our hardest workers.
2. We need to build a system that gives all Ohioans access to health insurance that doesn’t break the bank, increases preventative funding for opioid treatment and protects the Medicaid expansion.
3. We need to reduce the burden on students and teachers and shift our educational emphasis from testing to learning by working to reverse the damage done by House Bills 64 and 70.

What’s your campaign’s theme song? “Let’s Work Together” by Canned Heat

In what ways does your background in small business make you qualified for elected office? As a small-business owner, I’ve gained a set of skills that I believe will serve me well in Columbus. First, I’ve had to balance budgets. The current budgetary priorities in the statehouse do not serve our communities, and my goal is to help fix that. In addition, having survived two catastrophic recessions that hit my industries, I’m ready for any challenge — big or small. Second, because of my background, I’ve previously held office as the President of the Lorain County Association of Realtors, Chairman of the Board for the Cleveland Area Board of Realtors as well as the District Vice President for the Ohio Association of Realtors. Third, I’ve worked diligently with Ohio homeowners, providing pro bono short sales work for sellers who are in need. I’ve helped to develop our community, and I plan on continuing that work in Columbus.

Adam Rhodes

Candidate for Licking County Commissioner

Town: Granville, Ohio

Briefly describe your background: I’ve lived all over the country — I grew up in Washington, DC, attended college at Oberlin, moved to California, North Carolina and Massachusetts before settling in Ohio. I’ve worked on films, been a writer, a software developer and finally opened my own business, Homestead Beer Company — the largest microbrewery in Licking County.

What inspired you to run for office? For me, it’s a desire to help my community. Owning and running a business has been an incredibly rewarding experience but I didn’t feel like I was helping my community as much as I could. That desire to help everyone in the county led me to consider running for office.

If elected, what are your top three priorities?

1. We need to work with our economic development team to bring better jobs into our community. Our CIC is a marvel and has done an immense amount to improve the economic life of our county but with historically low unemployment, it’s time to pivot from more jobs to better jobs.
2. Hand in hand with that issue is improving our county’s public transportation system. We have a workforce that can’t connect with better opportunities because they don’t have access to transit. We also have elderly members of our community that are cut off from community support because they can’t move around the county.
3. Finally, we need to work our budget back into a balanced state. We are currently running a structural deficit that is projected to grow year after year until our entire county surplus is gone. And as a somewhat rural county, we are facing the same issues that so many counties in Ohio face — with addiction, recovery and mental health services all suffering. I want to work with our incredible service providers to find more ways to reach more people and help address as many of the underlying issues as we can.

What’s your campaign’s theme song? “Believe” by Benjamin Booker

In what ways does your background in small business make you qualified for elected office? As a small-business owner, I bring a lot of really valuable experiences to the table — I understand what it takes to create a thriving business from nothing, I’m experienced with wearing multiple hats, I have experience leading people and finding situations to allow them to thrive, but most importantly I understand how to say ‘no.’ Our county is currently running a structural deficit that is projected to empty our surplus over the next two years — we are going to have to make a lot of hard decisions to stay within our budget and it’s a role I’m deeply familiar with. On a personal level, I’ve seen how well government works for our business owners and I want to see it work that well for all of us — from transit to economic development to quality of life issues, I want our county government to refocus on our citizens and work to make all of our lives better.

Want to follow along with the songs Ohio Democrats are listening to?

Check out the Ohio Democratic Playlist on Spotify — we’ll be updating this playlist with more songs from our candidates.