By Krystal Smalley
Ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Janet Garrett may have retired from teaching last June, but you would never know it by the way she is tackling her campaign tour.
Garrett, who is running on the Democratic ticket for the U.S House of Representatives, Ohio’s Fourth Congressional District, toured Crawford County Friday. She started her trip at Affinity HealthWorks, met with the Crawford County Economic and Education Development Partnership and BORN, before stopping at Cooper’s Mill for lunch. After that, it was a meeting with law enforcement representatives from across the county then one with school superintendents. To cap off her tour, she made stops for meets and greats in Galion and Crestline before ending once again in Bucyrus at Dillinger’s Event Center.
“I find that I love campaigning,” Garrett said. “I get to meet some of the most wonderful, compassionate people I would have never known.”
Garrett taught for 35 years, served on the executive council for her teacher’s union for 20 years, and volunteered for the Peace Corp volunteer. Now that she is retired and her daughters are grown, Garrett is taking her lifetime dedication to being a political activist to a new level.
“I’m calling this a listening tour because I want to know what the issues are on the ground in each one of the counties,” Garrett said.
There was a recurring theme, she added. Though she started her tour on Tuesday, Garrett has already noted that one of the biggest problems was the drug epidemic. The other side of the coin were the businesses that have been leaving the counties and taking numerous jobs with them.
“I’m planning on winning this race. When I get to Washington, I want to be the best possible Representative that I can possibly be. I want to be knowledgeable so I know what people need,” said the retired teacher.
“This is a continuation of what I’ve always done,” Garrett said, “which is being on the frontlines of helping.”
That point was no clearer than when Garrett attended a Quaker Friends service last Sunday, something that she had never been a part of before. As she sat in a circle of parishioners and looked within herself, she had an epiphany.
“I’ve been so busy with this campaign that I really haven’t taken the time to do that. When I sat there and looked within, I realized that I’m bursting with all of the children that I taught for all those years. I’m so worried because I see our economic situation as being so dire,” Garrett said.
“I didn’t work with those children for all those years for them to be in poverty. I didn’t work with them to be virtual slaves to the oligarchs,” she added. “I view this as a continuation of what I’ve always done, which is to try to do right by my students.”
Garrett, who has been a longtime political activist and participated in a women’s caucus, encouraged young women to get involved by connecting with their local party leaders.
“We definitely need women to step up,” said Garrett, who believed women had an advantage in communicating and caring. “That’s what we need in government . . . Women can stand up.”
Garrett is running against Norbert Dennerll, Jr. of Elyria and Daniel Johnson of Plain City for the Democrats. The winner of the race will face off against incumbent Jim Jordan in the General Election later this year.