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Secretary of state candidate visits Athens
The Athens News
February 16, 2006
By Nick Claussen
Ohio secretary of state candidate Jennifer Brunner visited Athens Tuesday to take part in an Athens County Democratic Party event and spread the word about her campaign. On Tuesday, Brunner still was the only Democrat who had filed to run for secretary of state, and she vowed, if elected, to handle the job very differently than current Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. Brunner lives in Columbus and served as a Franklin County Common Pleas judge, before leaving her position in 2005 to run for Ohio secretary of state. She also worked for a time as the legislative counsel and deputy director for the Ohio secretary of state (when Democrat Sherrod Brown held that office) and as a member of the Franklin County Board of Elections. One change that she will bring to the office if elected is to be an impartial pubic official, she said. While Blackwell openly supported President George W. Bush in the 2004 election and has backed several statewide issues, including an amendment to the Ohio Constitution against same-sex marriages, Brunner said she will not use the office to campaign for issues or candidates. Elections in Ohio need to be fair and impartial, and the Ohio secretary of state also needs to be fair and impartial, Brunner said. She also pledged to use her position to work with the county board of elections offices much more effectively than Blackwell did. While Blackwell is running for governor now and Gov. Bob Taft also served as secretary of state before running for governor, Brunner said that she is not using the office as a springboard to other offices and positions.
