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August-September 2008
A Role Model in Changing Lives
 Jennifer Garrison
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“Having a wonderful educational opportunity changes people’s lives. People can get a good job and provide for their family. Having good available education elevates people out of poverty.” This is one of Jennifer Garrison’s key beliefs. Representative Garrison is the Democratic State Representative for Noble, Monroe, Guernsey and parts of Muskingum and Washington counties in Ohio.
State Representative Garrison is originally from Northern Kentucky, five miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. As the daughter of a union plumber, she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Xavier University. She then received her law degree from Catholic University Law School in Washington, D.C. “During that time, I worked for the State of Ohio Governor’s office on Transportation and Natural Resource issues. She met and married her husband who is employed by Dupont and moved to the Mid Ohio Valley in 1990. “When I went to law school I developed a keen interest in public policy. I believe that you do your best when you follow your heart,” she explained. After moving to Marietta, she joined the law firm of McCauley, Webster & Emrick, where she became a partner in 1993. Three years later, she opened her own private law practice where she concentrated on family mediation. She ran the Washington County Visitation Mediation Project for seven years, providing free mediation to parents working out their custody and visitation conflicts.
“In 2004, I ran for the first time for State Representative of Ohio. I was totally committed to providing good educational opportunities for the children where I lived. I believed I could make a difference by participating to make a fair school funding system in Ohio which for some years had left out the rural districts in Ohio,” she explained.
“One of the things I am most proud of is the role I played in passing Ohio’s energy bill which passed out of the Ohio House this past April. I am the ranking Democrat on the Public Utilities and Energy Committee. This bill was a major piece of legislation that restructures the electric utility industry and addresses for the first time advanced energy and renewable energy standards that will make the state of Ohio less dependent on foreign sources of energy.” Garrison said.
“I have also been very active in school funding issues. I have been an advocate for fully funding all day kindergarten in Ohio. I have also been able to direct state funding into this local area including funding for the Colony Theater, the Armory, for the health science building at Washington State Community College and workforce development monies. In addition, I have worked diligently trying to relocate businesses to the state of Ohio. Part of this endeavor is the Jobs Bill, an economic stimulus package of $1.57 billion for the creation of 57,000 new jobs in Ohio which will concentrate on emerging areas such as biomedical and the advanced energy sector,” she continued.
State Representative Garrison is also a firm believer in government accountability and she practices what she preaches. She was one of the three co-authors of the Articles of Impeachment filed against Attorney General Marc Dann. “Ohio needed this action in light of disheartening discoveries within the Attorney General’s office. These Articles of Impeachment will become part of the history of Ohio,” she said. She led the charge to have the elected officials in the State of Ohio provide on the state’s website the official voting records of every elected official. “I want to elevate the level of confidence in government. People expect more of elected officials, not less,” she said.
Currently, she serves as Ranking Member of the Ohio House Public Utilities and Energy Committee, and she also sits on the Education Committee, and the Finance and Appropriations Committee and the Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. She is a former board member of the domestic violence shelter EVE and the Washington County Mental Health & Alcohol Addiction Board, and she is past Commissioner on the Marietta Civil Service Board. Representative Garrison also volunteered in the Marietta City Schools.
Jennifer and her husband are the parents of three children ages 16, 14 and 9. “I love my family and I love being able to help people everyday. These two things make my life worthwhile. I am a very spiritual person and I believe in serving God, and as part of that service, helping others along the way. I think my purpose is to provide the mechanism and the modeling of good public policy,” she acknowledged.
“We need more women in politics. Women may not necessarily define themselves as leaders, but they are leaders in their everyday lives. Women should believe in themselves and do the very best job they can do. Both women and men can influence the political process. As an elected officer, I care about what people in my district need and want and as such I listen. I also believe that it is my job, as an elected official, to serve as a voice for the people I represent. And, as I said before, I must be accountable for my actions and my voting record. That is why I write a column every week identifying what is going on in the legislature and how I have voted on issues,” she added.
State Representative Jennifer Garrison (D-93rd District) is serving her second term on behalf of her constituents in Guernsey, Monroe and Noble Counties, and parts of Washington and Muskingum Counties. The Representative can be reached at 614 644 8728 at her office in Columbus or 740 373 2414 at her office in Marietta, Ohio.
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