Editorial endorsement: For Congress: Rep. Joyce Beatty

With this year’s midterm elections as important as any in memory, Franklin County voters will help determine the balance of power in Washington D.C. when they vote for congressional representatives this fall. For reasons to follow, The Dispatch endorses re-election for Rep. Joyce Beatty.

Beatty, 68, a Democrat from Blacklick, is seeking her fourth term representing the 3rd District. Her opponent, Jim Burgess, 52, a Republican who lives in Westerville, is a political novice running for his first elective office, and he’s not running very hard.

Burgess did not respond to multiple requests to meet with the Dispatch editorial board; we can’t risk such a nonresponsive approach to Congress.

Beatty’s accomplishments include over $2.5 million in government funds recovered for constituents. She has also helped secure more than $317 million in federal grants for central Ohio work on smart transportation, infant mortality and affordable housing.
We commend Beatty also for creation of a congressional civility caucus earlier this year with Stivers. Beatty served five terms as a state representative.

This post has been abridged from the original article, published by The Columbus Dispatch on October 6, 2018. Read the whole article here.