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It’s a bit of an uphill
battle considering the relatively low turnout of Democratic
voters in the primary compared to those of the GOP; the good
news for Richardson, however, is the fact that his
organization is doing a great job of fundraising. By the
beginning of August, Richardson had $1.08 million on hand
compared to Sprague’s $362,317 and out raised his opponent
in July $468,222 to $109,475.
Richardson’s stated
mission, once he is elected, is to use the power of the
Treasurer’s office to effect sweeping change in a number of
areas, thereby doing what he can, he said, to save the
democracy from the enormous harm that is being done to it in
the current political climate.
“I plan to hold the
powers-that-be accountable as the chief financial officer of
the State of Ohio,” said Richardson during a recent
conversation with The Truth, “using the powers that haven’t
gotten used.”
To be sure, Richardson
does follow the politician’s script in his campaign
literature about how he will approach the duties of the
office – “respect the duties of the office… bring efficiency
and fiscal responsibility …conduct fiscal impact analyses …”
- but those boilerplate promises only scratch the surface of
Richardson’s intentions as Treasurer.
This aspiring Treasurer
has bold, innovative plans for the office, hoping to use his
powers to effect social change on matters of importance to
thousand of Ohioans.
“We have the fourth
largest prison population in the United States because of
our policies,” said Richardson of one of his key
initiatives. “I want to use the powers of divestment - it’s
a fiscal and moral imperative.”
He would first divest
for-profit prison companies. He said it is immoral to have a
prison system that is more interested in making profits than
keeping people safe and rehabilitating offenders. He
mentioned the troubling images of CoreCivic, a huge
for-profit prison corporation, locking up migrant children.
He would also conduct a
fiscal impact analysis on the criminal justice system and
analyze the practices of other states. “If we make changes
like other states, how much will we save?’ he asked. “This
is a choice, an opportunity for someone to make money and
I’m going to fight it no matter who is the governor.”
Also on Richardson’s list
is the issue of student loan debt. “Ohio is number one for
student loan debt in the nation,” he noted. He wants to make
sure that Ohio “invests more in low-interest student loans
because students need relief.” His plan is to help refinance
such loans and “help keep students in the state.”
And, of course, as
Treasurer, Richardson sees an opportunity to foster economic
development through the powers of his office. He suggests,
for example, that it is difficult for Ohio-based businesses
to be competitive without the advantage of high-speed
broadband internet, in which Ohio is woefully behind the
curve. His office, he promised “will be expanding the access
to opportunities” for businesses.
Richardson said he is
intent on remembering who he is and how he got to his
position in life. “Being fortunate has led me to hope others
would be so fortunate.” In fact, he is fortunate in
overcoming his doubts that good fortune was his lot in life.
His learning disabilities, as an elementary and middle
school student, prompted his teachers to inform him of his
limitations, assuring him that college was not in his
future. His mother, however, would not allow him to become
discouraged. “You define yourself,” she advised him.
Indeed, he overcame his
difficulties to go on to college at The University of
Cincinnati where he established the first collegiate chapter
of the NAACP in the tri-state area and ultimately became the
student body president. He went on to law school and, after
graduation, was appointed to the board of trustees of UC,
and was elected board chairman in 2016.
During his time as
chairman, he established the UC Scholars Academy, a
leadership development and academic preparedness program for
students in Cincinnati Public Schools. He also raised
hundreds of thousands of dollars for student scholarships,
including the largest corporate diversity scholarship at UC,
helped establish the university’s 1819 innovation hub and
led the first Next Lives Here Innovation Summit.
Next up for the Democratic
candidate is the opportunity to bring his passion for change
to the state through the office he attains in November.
“I look at the Treasurer’s
office not just as something that focuses on numbers, but
really as something that can be used to empower people and
create systemic reform,” he said. “I’m going to use the
power of the office – the power of the purse – to hold the
powerful accountable.” |
