MOUNT VERNON — Two men and one woman are vying Tuesday for the Republican nomination for the 18th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Fred Dailey, Paul Phillips and Jeanette Moll are all attempting to win the nomination and take on current representative Zack Space in the November election.
While all three come from different backgrounds and areas of the district, they all felt the need to throw their hat in the ring because of problems in Washington and in the 18th District.
“Congress has failed us,” said Dailey, the former state director of agriculture and a Knox County farmer. “They’re more concerned with winning elections. I’m very upset about the spending habit Congress has. They’ve put our kids and grandkids deeper and deeper in debt.”
“I’ve seen our district change since my time in the service,” said Phillips, an attorney from Chillicothe. “I’d like to make the district much more prosperous and the nation secure.”
“I’m running because we need someone who will work hard for change in Washington. Someone who will reflect the values of the district,” said Moll, a lawyer from New Concord.
Each candidate feels there are several key issues to this election and to the district.
“We need to maintain Bush’s tax cuts. We’ve got two presidential candidates, Clinton and Obama, who say they would do away with them. I think they are helpful to the economy,” Dailey said. “And, I think we need a second Declaration of Independence — from oil. We spend so much money buying oil from countries that don’t like us. It’s very dangerous to depend on them. ... I think it’s important to have an all-out effort to develop alternative energy sources.”
“Jobs are our biggest issue. We need to protect the jobs we have and work to better some business opportunities,” Phillips said. “The No. 2 issue is a smaller government. It’s important to lower taxes and have a more efficient government. And the No. 3 issue is national security.”
“Our first priority should be infrastructure,” Moll said. “We need a stable water supply, better highways to keep our economy stable and continue growth in the 18th district. With (interstates) 70 and 77, we have an asset to distribute our goods that you can’t find anywhere else. We need to take advantage of that.”
The candidates’ views on the U.S. Constitution are very similar.
“I think the constitution is set in stone, but some judges are trying to chisel away at it,” Dailey said. “The process to change it was established by our forefathers, so it can be done. But it should be a thoughtful process to go through.”
“I’m strictly constructionist on the constitution,” Phillips said. “You can make amendments to it, but you shouldn’t be whimsical about changing the constitution if it’s not critical.”
“I’m a strict constructionist,” said Moll. “We need legislators, like we need judges, to understand what the laws say and to uphold them. It’s served us well for 200 years. It’s a good line that needs followed.”
Each candidate brings an array of experience to the table.
Dailey was the director of agriculture in Ohio for 16 years and in Indiana for six years, served as a paratrooper in Vietnam, was a sky marshal and has been executive vice president of the Ohio Beef Council and executive secretary of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. He has three children and five grandchildren.
“I’ve spent much of my life protecting other people’s lives. That’s the most important part of government,” Dailey said. “I’ll take a lifetime of experiences to draw from if I’m elected.”
Phillips is a fourth-generation attorney, small business owner and a Lt. Colonel and B-1 bomber pilot in the U.S. Air Force, spending many years in other countries.
“My personal experience on the issues separate me from the incumbent and other candidates,” Phillips said. “Europe views us as uninformed and disinterested in their way of life. They believe that only someone who’s lived in another country can develop a true understanding of their position on world affairs. I can work to make a more positive relationship with others.”
Moll served an internship at the U.S. Department of Treasury, worked in the U.S. General Accounting Office and has been a magistrate judge and mediator on the Guernsey County Court of Common Pleas.
“I’ve worked at all three levels of government -- executive, legislative and judicial, so I understand the role of each branch and how it interacts with the others,” Moll said. “That experience makes me uniquely qualified to work in the legislature.”
