In episode 201, we sit down with three Southwest Ohio candidates for the Ohio House, Laalitya Acharya (HD-56), Caleb Price (HD-30), and Jordan Haire (HD-47), to talk about why they're running and what they want to change in Columbus.
Laalitya Acharya is a biomedical engineer and candidate for State House District 56 (Mason, Lebanon & Deerfield Twp). She graduated at the top of her class from Mason High School) - and then received her Bachelors & Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University. Through both high school and college, she volunteered for local STEM education centers, organized to increase education access, and supported student worker’s rights. She was even honored with the Gold Congressional Youth Award for her advocacy work. After completing graduate school, she moved home to the district that raised her where she has continued to advocate for public education, affordability and success for all Ohioans.
Her goal is to create an Ohio that works for everyone. That means making sure our state legislature fully funds our schools without property tax hikes, pushing back on the data centers that are driving up our utility bills and ensuring every hardworking Ohioan has access to the healthcare that they need. All of this is possible and within the state government’s control – and that’s what she will fight for in the State House.
Caleb Price is running for Ohio House District 30, which includes the west side of Cincinnati all the way to the Indianan border. He is a Cincinnati native and Cincinnati Public Schools graduate (Walnut Hills High School, ‘20). He graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2023 and is finishing his master’s in Public Administration there online. Caleb has volunteered with the Special Olympics of Ohio & Kentucky and helped start H2O for Earth, a fundraiser for the Flint Water Crisis. He also worked with Cincinnati City Council to rename sections of Reading Road after President Barack Obama. A dues-paying member of IBEW Local 1220 from his time as a barista, he has worked jobs from busboy at Skyline Chili to cashier at Home Depot, and he says that experience shapes his focus on average workers and families. A member of Gen Z and a Green Township resident, Caleb says he brings fresh ideas and new life experiences to Columbus.
Jordan Haire is running for Ohio House District 47, which lies entirely within Butler County containing many communities including Hamilton, Fairfield Township and Oxford. Jordan grew up in the Hamilton area, earned a BA from Marian University and Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at NKU. Running in her hometown HD 47, Jordan is a mom, wife, mental health counselor, small business owner, and native Ohioan that is ready to listen, understand, and advocate for her community by putting people first.
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This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:
