After the results from last week’s local and state elections in Ohio were reported, as a progressive, I was disappointed in the outcomes.
In the days following the election, I have been contemplating the meaning of the term “public servant.” People often use it to describe politicians, which in some cases can be true, but only when those politicians serve the entire public, not just those with whom they agree. As a social worker and professor, the various jobs I’ve held during my career included working with people with varying political beliefs. However, I’ve never allowed my own opinions to get in the way of respecting others and working toward a common goal.
Through her partisan Twitter posts (sigh), State Senator Theresa Gavarone consistently demonstrates that she does not share this view. Most recently, State Senator Gavarone chimed in on the outcome of the Presidential Election by refusing to accept the obvious defeat of President Trump, someone who does not deserve to be called a “public servant,” by stating:
“Joe Biden may very well end up being the President—and if he does we will certainly fight his radical agenda every day. But neither Joe Biden or the national media gets to decide if claims of voter fraud or voting irregularities are valid. That is for our courts to determine.”
My experiences working as a social worker in some of the most impoverished and disenfranchised communities in America have resulted in developing beliefs consistent with what State Senator Gavarone refers to as the “radical left. ” In fact, I’m not alone. The majority of Americans support a national universal healthcare system, major government investments to address climate change, living wages for all workers, and a whole host of other humane policies that would reduce the vast level of inequality and poverty in our country.
While I did not vote for State Senator Gavarone, she still represents me in the state senate. As such, I expect civility and decency from my representatives. It’s what I and many other social worker public servants on the “radical left” do every single day. Serving others, not belittling them, is what a true public servant does.
Jordan Wilfong
Bowling Green
