Diana Fessler
Candidate for Miami County
Commissioner
Dear Friends,
My name has been on the
ballot many times during the past fifteen years. But until this campaign I have
never been faced with such a unified
effort to damage my good name as the one being waged against me by one of
my opponents and the leadership of the county party.
Typically, negative
campaigning of this magnitude is waged in congressional and presidential races,
not in local races in the heart of Ohio.
But wherever it takes place, the goal of
negative campaigning is always the same: to win an election by attempting to
discredit someone else. In this race the incumbent and his allies seek to
sow seeds of doubt regarding some of my decisions. Many have asked that I
address these unfair attacks so that when others see or hear an inflammatory
accusation about me, everyone will be fully informed and armed with the truth.
- Fair sentencing: As a
result of a date rape, Rebecca Hopfer
conceived a child on her 16th birthday. She was tried as an adult for killing her baby,
convicted, and sentenced 15 years to life. If convicted as a juvenile, she would have received a
lesser or suspended sentence, become eligible for parole sooner, and
served time in a local facility. Over time, the trial judge and members of the jury spoke in favor of her release.
Dayton Right to Life, all the ladies of the House and Senate, and all members
of the Parole Board petitioned the governor to grant clemency, which
he did. Rebecca served eleven years. While I cannot fathom how a mother
can take the life of her own child, I did take a leadership role in
seeking fair sentencing. I am 100% pro-life, though my opponent seeks to
use this case to imply that I am not. He claims to be pro-life but also
supports a womans right-to-choose abortion.
- Soldiers and veterans:
When voting, I unintentionally pushed the wrong electronic button; once
pushed, the buttons automatically lock. I immediately announced the error
and spoke in support of the resolution. This is confirmed on general
assembly video. The House Journal reads: . . . By placing her intention
in the Journal, Representative
Fessler is on record as supporting S.C.R. No. 11. The notation did
not change the vote but clarified my
irrefutable support for WPAFB.
- Senior citizens:
Legislation to financially benefit
major credit bureaus was passed under
the guise of protecting the
elderly from identity theft. To
minimize the cost to seniors, I sought to amend the bill to exempt them
from a $45 fee to freeze their credit. In an effort to keep me off the
House floor and thus be unable to offer the amendment, I was detained by
the sergeant-at-arms. Both outraged by that maneuver and the content of
the bill, I voted No.
- Accountability: My
vote on a bill supposedly reforming the foster care system is also being
mischaracterized. The bill granted
foster caregivers qualified immunity, tax-supported legal defense, and the
ability to be held harmless for any monetary settlement or judgment
obtained because of certain acts, errors, or omissions. I believe that
those involved in the care of foster children should be held fully
accountable for what they do, or fail to do, therefore I voted against the
bill.
- Voting for your interests: My opponent cited a magazine article but
failed to accurately convey that it notes that I am a good and decent person and one of the three most principled
members of the General Assembly. Instead of attempting to
discredit my work on your behalf, he should be encouraging all
representatives to continue doing what is right even if not politically
expedient. Heres why: In Columbus,
legislators are deemed effective based on how much money they raise for
their party, and secondly, by the extent to which they vote with their
party. Members that do not oblige find their amendments rejected and their
bills stalled. Even so, to ask you for money to give to the Columbus-crowd
so they can fund campaigns for candidates that may not share our views and
values seems injudicious, and I vote for or against a bill not whether it
is based on my own best interests, but yours.
- Students first: While speaking on the
House floor, I quoted Dr. Eugene Boyce, professor of education
administration at the University of Georgia and author of The Coming Revolution in Education.
He wrote: In the Communist ideology, the function of universal education
is clear and easily understood . . . . Education is tied directly to jobs
-- control of the job being the
critical control point in an authoritarian state. No such direct,
controlled relationship between education and jobs exists in democratic
countries. That is a factual statement and not some weird linkage to a
communist plot as insinuated by my opponent.
- State Board of Education: In 94 and again in 98, voters elected
me to serve as a member of the State Board of Education. The incumbent seems eager to dismiss
the will of the voters and the fact that the board regulates public and private education. In addition,
when first elected to the board, not one member of the board had a child
enrolled in a public school. All parents should be encouraged to
participate in civic affairs regardless of the educational options they
choose for their children.
- School Finance: In terms of committee responsibility, the job of dealing with school finance rests with members of the Finance Committee, not
the Education Committee. I have
never been a member of the Finance Committee and that is what I was
referring to in 2004 when I said that school funding wasnt my job in the context that it wasnt
my committee assignment.
- Ethics report:
Four years ago, a preliminary inquiry was conducted by a legislative
committee regarding a lobbyist expenditure report. After reviewing the
facts, a bipartisan committee unanimously agreed that a related report
that I filed contained an error but one that was made in good faith and
without any wrongful intent. A front page headline of the Troy paper on Dec. 12, 2005, was Fessler cleared Error made in good
faith. Rather than accept the unanimous decision of the bi-partisan
legislative ethics committee, my opponent seeks to substitute his judgment
for theirs. No charge or complaint
was lodged, I was not sanctioned by the committee, and it is a lie to
imply otherwise.
- Taxes: In the 90s, my husband, and father of our
six children, was a sole proprietor of his company. As most couples do, we
file joint tax returns. Unfortunately, business challenges combined with
hospital bills created unusual financial pressures. Even so, all taxes, plus penalties and
interest, were paid in the 90s. I know firsthand the burden of
taxation on families and small businesses and, accordingly, remain
adamantly opposed to further tax increases.
Thankfully, my parents taught me the
values of family, personal responsibility, integrity, hard work, and service to
God and country. Because of that, you can be sure that on matters of principle I
will stand up and fight for you. I have the battle scars to prove it. If
elected to the County Commission, I pledge to: be accessible, spend our tax dollars
wisely, stay out of your wallet, respect county employees, value their
expertise, willingly respond to public records requests, listen, weigh the
facts, be your voice, and always remember that I work for you. Having presented the full
truth to you, I leave the matter in your capable hands. Your vote is a precious gift. I would be honored for you to cast it for
me, Diana Fessler.
Diana@fessler.com 845-8428
Friends of Fessler 7530 Ross Road, New Carlisle, OH 45344, Angela King, Treasurer
If you are a person of faith, your prayers will be
greatly appreciated. If you are
able to help defray the
cost of
this campaign, contributions via the address above or via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com to donate@electfessler.com will be
greatly appreciated.