Brooke Dillon

Brooke Dillon was born in Medina, Ohio. She graduated from Buckeye High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 2014.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a blue-collar factory worker with a degree. My degree is in Animal Sciences with a minor in meat sciences. I have worked in an aftermarket parts distribution center for an access lift company, I have made livestock feed for 9 years, and I now inspect industrial tarp material. I am not independently wealthy nor backed by major donors. I am a concerned citizen who wants to make a difference. I have been working on citizen-led ballot initiatives for the past 3 years, passionately trying to get citizens heard at the statehouse. I have done volunteer work in my community never looking for recognition. I picked up the side of the roads, because it was the right thing to do and I did not want to see it on my drive to work every day. I have helped with the food drives for community food pantries, and help my elderly neighbors shovel snow and mow their lawns. I will bring these experiences and values with me if I am elected.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want to find solutions to affordability, healthcare, and housing. Ohio can do more to reduce healthcare costs and encourage more affordable housing. The state minimum wage isn't keeping up, and working-class families are bearing the brunt. Property taxes are too high, pushing people out of their homes that have been bought and paid for for decades. Renting at this point, is often way more expensive than purchasing a home, in a housing market that most people can not afford to purchase the median priced home. To add insult to injury, accessing affordable healthcare, whether that is through your job, the ACA and what you get from it is almost not worth what is being taken out of your paycheck.I'd like to focus on farm and agricultural support. The costs of running a farm have skyrocketed. Tariffs have hit Ohio farmers hard and everyone who depends on our state's agriculture. Bailouts are not always the best solution. Farms that are already doing well spend more money on land, equipment, and fertilizer, which in turn increases the costs for the farmers who were already struggling. We need to find solutions to protect the farmers in our State.Elected officials need to respect the will of the voters. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, and erosion of the rule of law need to be fixed. In August of 2023, in a low-turnout special election, the state legislature proposed a referendum that would have made our State Constitutional right to propose legislation as citizens more difficult to access. They did this because they did not like one of the citizen-led ballot initiatives that was being circulated at the time. The state legislature has been overstepping ever since that was voted down. They've rewritten ballot language to confuse voters, ignored Ohio Supreme Court rulings on district maps, and restricted the new marijuana law passed by Ohioans.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I would also like to find solutions to help Ohioans in their month-to-month struggles. For example, I would like to find a pathway to enable individuals to pay down their loans by providing easy access to pay additional principal to their lender without jumping through hoops, allowing them to pay off their loans faster. I also want to limit data centers. Data Centers pose a risk to our energy grid, water table, as well as other parts of the environment. Most of these new hyperscale data centers would not be needed if we had better consumer protections. Protecting Ohio consumers is one of my biggest goals.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The TV show The Newsroom was released in 2012 and was written by Aaron Sorkin for HBO.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, and respect for the voters. These are the principles by which our republic ought to function.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Diligence in understanding the issues and reading the legislation before voting. It is also important to stay fully engaged with the people in your district, as people's priorities are ever-changing.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. I was in 5th grade.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

busser/waitress at the local diner back home from 14-21 So about 7 years.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Solving the property tax issue. We have townships that rely on property taxes for anywhere from 80-99% of their operating budget. Our schools are underfunded, our first responders are underfunded and crowd-source funds. At the same time, Ohioans have proposed a citizen-led ballot initiative to abolish property taxes. This is a complicated problem with no easy solutions and will take a long time to fix.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Ohio Federation of Teachers

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I fully expect to be held accountable not only by the State of Ohio but also by the voters, and I think that every other public servant should be as well. The voters deserve to know who is backing a candidate or elected official.