Liz Anderson
Personal
Contact
Liz Anderson (independent) ran for election to the Ohio House of Representatives to represent District 29. She did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 5, 2024.
Anderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Liz Anderson was born in Hamilton, Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in 1983 and a graduate degree from Kent State University in 2010. Her career experience includes working as a librarian.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Anderson in this election.
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Liz Anderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Anderson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a concerned citizen who has been tracking Ohio legislation the past few years which causes me to feel compelled to get more involved. I do not want to engage in party conflicts, I only want to ensure future laws are good for all of Ohio's residents and natural resources. My professional background is as a librarian, musician, teacher, and even park ranger. I am semi-retired and trying to focus my labor on improving our community. There is much criticism of our public schools, so I took a job as an intervention assistant at my neighborhood grade school (PRE). This experience, combined with 5 years as a private school librarian, has really opened my eyes to facts not apparent to most voters.
- Our state legislators have access to a lot of money that is not their own. We all know power corrupts, but most often that power is motivated by money. We need high expectations and accountability of our legislators. The General Assembly's "business as usual" should not include corruption and bribery. I will act as an ad hoc auditor of where the money goes to make sure funds are going to serve the people equally, and not to pad the personal finances or the special interest groups of the legislators.
- Ohio General Assembly needs to do the hard work of guaranteeing an equal and high quality public education for all our children. As determined in multiple court cases, Ohio must come up with fair funding of public schools, ideally separate from property taxes. I worry that the recent executive takeover of the Department of Education and transitioning it to the Department of Education and Workforce is priming our youth to be automatons of capitalist employers instead of enriching their minds. I want education to empower citizens to think for themselves, evaluate, analyze, and research multiple points of views. I want our high school graduates to have the skills to interact with courtesy and civility.
- Ohio's General Assembly enacts some laws that surrender protection of our natural resources to the use of the fossil fuel industry. Public lands should NOT be leased for extraction. In fact, I'd like to see fracking ended completely, if it cannot be done with safe recirculation of water and without injecting harmful toxins into the land. The current methods include removing millions of gallons of water from the ecosystem forever. Life on this planet cannot survive without water. We must preserve and protect our water.
I am passionate about removing barriers to affordable and safe housing. We need much more affordable and sustainable housing that can resist the effects of climate change.
I am also passionate about public multi-use trails. We have many good miles of path in Ohio which encourage citizens to enjoy the outdoors with physical activity. I'd like to see these paths continue to connect communities and even include more camping sites along the way for those of us who enjoy going the distance. There would be much economic opportunity for small businesses and food trucks along the way. It would be wonderful to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee along the Great Miami River.
I look up to Marion Spencer who responded to her children's desire to visit Coney Island, leading to civic leadership and dismantling some of racism's barriers. The Spencer home was designed and constructed to foster community engagement. Mrs. Spencer experienced shocking examples of prejudice as a college student, yet she focused her energy on making Cincinnati a better place for all.
I also look up to William Howard Taft who was called on to do things that had never been done before, such as creating a government in the Philippines. I've discovered many fine examples of his advocacy and his willingness to learn the cultures of others, building relationships based on trust.
Hanna-Attisha, Mona. What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. United States, Random House Publishing Group, 2019.
Harris, Malcolm. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. United States, Little, Brown, 2023.
Lewis, Michael. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World. Italy, W. W. Norton, 2011.
MacLean, Nancy. Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America. United States, Penguin Publishing Group, 2018.
McCullough, David. The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West. India, Simon & Schuster, 2019.
McGhee, Heather. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. United States, Random House Publishing Group, 2021.
Elected officials who are open- minded, well-read, willing to research using authoritative sources, and committed to only speaking the truth are the best-suited for serving the public.
The best skill I offer is my ability to research across disciplines. I will thoroughly investigate claims and proposals to make sure they are authentic and offer the best outcome for all of Ohio. I am honest and willing to apologize when I'm wrong. I respect the law and will work to change laws that are harmful.
The core responsibilities of state representatives are to protect and preserve the state's residents and resources, to provide an excellent public education for all Ohio children, and sufficient opportunities for affordable housing and healthcare.
If my leadership could contribute to all Ohioans having a livable wage, affordable housing, a broad education, and access to good food and healthcare, I would be well satisfied.
The Avondale Riot of 1967 is the first significant historical event I remember. I was a five year old crouching on the floor of my grandmother's station wagon as she bravely drove my siblings and me out of town to safety.
My very first job was as "paper boy" for the Buffalo Evening News, ages 10-12. As a teen who graduated early from high school, I worked full time as a retail associate at the Family Tree in a gap year, returning to that job on holiday and summer breaks from college. As an adult, I have worked the longest as a church music director (1982 - 2011) and a librarian (2006 - 2022). In my semi-retirement I've worked two seasons in national parks; scoring standardized tests for grades 9-12; and most recently at my local public grade school as an intervention assistant.
"The Trouble with Normal" by Bruce Cockburn
The governor and legislature are partners in governing. Since bills require the governor’s signature to become law, it falls on the governor to present the approved laws to the people, and/or to explain to voters the reasons why the governor may choose to veto a bill. As we have seen in Ohio, Governor DeWine is able to communicate politely in press releases regarding bills with which he disagrees. That skill is desirable in creating a civil atmosphere and positive impression of the state government.
For the past three decades, Ohio has postponed the challenge of creating fair funding for public schools, separating funding from property taxes. With the 2024 reveal of increased property value and taxes in Hamilton County, citizens are united in frustration, with some incurring 100% increases. No homeowner should experience surprise and financial crisis upon receiving the annual tax bill. Property value increases need to be tempered to remain affordable to the owners.
To expand Homestead exemption, all primary residence owners could be shielded from the amount equal to 25% of median home price in their county. Senior citizens could have their tax liability on their primary residence frozen at the amount that occurred the year they turned 65. There needs to be caps on percentage of value increase and percentage of tax liability. Property taxes need to be reformed and simplified.
Ohio’s natural resources are at risk and measures need to be taken to preserve them. The East Palestine train derailment demonstrates how fragile the environment is. HB 507, the “poultry bill”, exposed public lands to tragic disruption by fracking. It requires each state agency to lease agency-owned or controlled oil and gas resources for development! This law must be reversed.
I believe it will be beneficial for me to gain experience in government, but it may not be an attribute for all experienced in politics. When the Larry Householder trial defense stipulated that corruption was “business as usual”, that demonstrates the experience some acquire is how to work the system for their personal gain. In that case, we would be better off with legislators from different walks of life and a variety of professional backgrounds. If a good number of new legislators come from outside the system, we have a better chance of standing up to political pressure from heavy handed leaders.
Absolutely! Legislators need to view each other as human beings with dignity and value. Discovering things in common outside the statehouse helps them respect each other inside the statehouse. I am disheartened when watching video of house proceedings and see representatives acting disrespectfully, nay rudely, when members are making presentations. Courtesy should be the first behavioral expectation.
I am inspired by the model of current freshman representative, Rachel Baker, District 27. She shares regular informative videos with timely updates which I find more valuable than the branded monthly newsletters from representatives that reflect their greatest hits. Rep. Baker responds quickly and specifically to email questions.
I am only interested in making Ohio a better place to live. That mission alone can keep me busy as a representative. I have no intention of running for any other office.
Most stories residents are telling right now are dissatisfaction with public schools and outrage at property taxes. But I am inspired by Ohioans such as James Obergefell and Nathan DeRolph were willing to put their personal lives aside to stand up for the rights of others, resulting in some positive change and increased awareness of issues in marriage rights and school equity.
I believe the General Assembly should respect the Governor’s use of emergency powers. The governor’s team of advisors are specialists in the fields that might lead to the need for emergency powers. We need to trust their expertise in an emergency, at least for a period of time such as 90 days. It is more disruptive when the legislature overthrows the Governor’s emergency powers, adding to mistrust of the government. Senate Bill 22, passed in 2021, allows the General Assembly to bully the Governor and the departments entrusted to oversee our safety.
I would introduce a bill matching legislator salary with the most recent median income in the state. Legislators are overpaid considering how much time is required and that they often fail to meet their primary responsibilities to the citizens such as school funding and fair voting districts. Since 25% of district candidates ran unopposed in 2022, there is a lack of competition which can lead to lesser accountability. I would like to see the annual salary be tied to the annual median income for the State determined before an election. Currently, that would be about $31,000, which is less than half what representatives currently receive. Lower salary would save taxpayers money, and minimize incentive to take the job just for the retirement plan. Salary tied to median income will help legislators understand the challenges of underpaid workers and guide them to measures that ease the financial burdens placed on low income families. While one party says they want “less government”, those same party members are sponsoring scores of bills that create more government and enshrine privileges to certain groups and interests. If the General Assembly continues at that level of law-making productivity, then I would also introduce a limit in pay for CEOs and presidents (of companies and universities) that cannot exceed 25 times the pay of the lowest FTE paid worker. Ohio will be a better place when the income gap is narrowed.
Energy and Natural Resources; Public Utilities; Primary and Secondary Education; Agriculture; Civil Justice.
Transparency is essential in financial responsibility and accountability. Our state budget bill is over 6,000 pages long. Nearly every proposed bill changes scores of details in the Ohio Revised Code. Taxation is exceedingly complicated and mysterious - citizens give up on research when the trail is so muddied.
Financial transparency can begin with campaign finance. When candidates raise so much money, you have to assume there is more at stake than getting a seat in the house. What compels wealthy donors? Ohio could place a much lower limit on fundraising. Elections should not be won by who has the most money. TV, radio, and print news outlets should be incentivized to provide extensive across-the-board coverage of candidates and issues.
Accountability can get a head start by limiting how many bills each legislator may propose. This would help reduce the incomprehensible volume of content. Legislators also must be compelled to follow current protocol about single subject bills, adequate time and opportunity for public response, including a procedure to verify comments by the public. Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 24, 2024
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Jason Stephens
Majority Leader:Marilyn John
Minority Leader:Dani Isaacsohn
Representatives
Republican Party (65)
Democratic Party (33)
Vacancies (1)