I submitted an opinion piece to this newspaper in April endorsing the candidacy of Dan Milleson for the Ohio House of Representatives for the 95th District. That piece was premised upon my positive experiences with Milleson through nearly 20 years of friendship, and my steadfast confidence in Milleson’s work ethic and abilities.

Since then, Milleson has not disappointed. His campaign efforts have surpassed even those April expectations. Beginning the first week of June, Milleson embarked on his Community Tour – a marathon district-wide circuit in which Milleson visited 70 towns over 36 days and met with local leaders, community organizations, and every day voters. From Malvern to Marietta and Cadiz to Caldwell, Milleson canvassed this district learning of the unique concerns of his would-be constituents. This experience undoubtedly provided Milleson with a framework through which he will work to address these concerns as member of the Ohio House.

Milleson is currently in the midst of his Beyond the Lights Tour – another district-wide trek in which Milleson attends local high school football games to meet with fans, students, and school leaders over the course of 10 weeks. The focus of these outings is education, and Milleson discusses inadequacy and inequality of school funding as well as the general lack of educational resources in the 95th District. When education suffers the economy suffers, and Milleson hopes to impact this issue if elected. Students of the 95th District have suffered for too long.

I offer these two district tours as illustrations of the energy Milleson has committed to this campaign. Milleson’s campaign schedule has also been chock-full of visits to local festivals, community events, and constituent meetings. The past six months of the campaign has offered voters a glimpse into the sort of industrious advocacy you can expect from Milleson in Columbus.

Early voting began on Oct. 9 and election day is slated for Nov. 6. I urge you all to visit your local polling location or request an absentee ballot from your county board of elections and cast a vote for one of the hardest working political candidates in the state.

Mike Thomas

Cleveland