Why Are You Called to Public Service?

My son is a rare disease patient. I always share that Akron Children’s Hospital helped us raise him because he’s had medical challenges his entire life. I wasn’t able to work while he was undergoing treatment, so I started volunteering at the hospital to give back, and that led me to engage with the Ohio Department of Health. During the 2016 election, health care became a political issue. I wanted to run for office so that health care would be talked about from the patient perspective. I also didn’t think I would win, but I did. I served in the state legislature for a couple of years and now serve on the board of elections while also working full time in the health care policy nonprofit space. 

My call to public service really starts at an early age. Everyone in my family has served in the military. I’m an Army veteran myself, and my faith also grounds me in service to the community. The passing of my grandmother, who was a community grandma to everyone, inspired me to get further involved. We had a seat come open in July of 2020. I was having a hard time navigating the special ed space and was frustrated, and there was no one on the board that looked like me, my kids or kids like mine, so I decided to run.

My grandparents helped raise me in a community with roughly 600 residents. My grandpa was a hardworking man and instilled the values of faith, love and hard work into my everyday life. He lived in the village for a long time, and he cared a lot about the village. We were sitting on the porch one day and saw a village worker pass by the house, and it made me curious what they did and about everyone else’s jobs within the village. He had told me about the other positions and we got on the topic of mayor, and I mentioned that I thought I would like to be mayor one day. He said I would be an amazing mayor one day. In 2019 he had unfortunately passed away, and in 2020 there was an opening for village council, so I decided to join. I was appointed and then ran for my seat. Once I got in, I saw more vividly what some elected officials were using their positions to do. This called me to keep going and to run for mayor, sooner than I had expected. There are times when people fall into complacency and don’t do what they’re supposed to do for the community. I want everyone to be in their position for a good reason and to do the best they can for our people. 

I spent 20 years in the field of education as a teacher and principal. Unfortunately, I lost my brother, who was my inspiration to enter education, so the work became very heavy for me, but I wanted to continue serving my community. I decided to shift my gears and move into local government. I was in a very crowded, six-way race with a 24-year incumbent. I prevailed, which was amazing and unexpected. Now, I am a leader that believes in thinking about all community decisions from the bottom up: How will our decisions affect community members downstream? I bring those downstream experiences up the ladder to impact my community. 

You have to be passionate about the place you serve. I first became involved with local government at the township level. After serving as a trustee and enjoying that form of public service, I noticed a few commissioners were talking about retirement. I took the opportunity to run for commissioner because I believe in my township just like I believe in my county. I love my county, and I love our community. I believe in this kind of public service, where you’re truly passionate about where you’re from and you want your community to thrive. That is why I’m called to be here, and it’s the best kind of public service. 

Public service is in my DNA. My mom is a serial servant leader. She’s served in several capacities — from every level of the United Methodist Church to various civic organizations. I’ve always been involved in public service, from serving as the team mom or leading community cleanup initiatives and more. I was asked to run for office in 2019 and I gave every excuse about why I was the wrong person, but I leaned into the conversation when my political mentor shared I was already doing the work. I finally said “Yes,” and now I do what I do best, which is to put my head down and work for my community.   

I grew up in a family of strong faith. My dad was a missionary kid in Brazil, and I’m half-Brazilian. Seeing my family come to the United States with a dollar in their pocket and making it happen for themselves here in the state of Ohio inspired me. A verse that sticks out to me is, “To whom much is given, much is required.” I found public service through the military; I’m still in the National Guard and now serve as a state representative.    

In 2015, I was asked to run by an existing school board member who wasn’t running again. I lost. Then I got involved in the Business Advisory Council. But it was really the death of my mother and mother-in-law during COVID that inspired me. I had a lot of time to think about their legacies: They were people who served their community selflessly. I am now trying to more intentionally model myself after my two mothers. So in 2023, when there was an opening again on the school board, I ran again. I serve the community because that’s what we’re made to do: to serve one another in community.   

I was recruited into public service. I’m a local businessman and a student of politics. I thought I could leverage my business experience and education to help our city through a major period of growth. I felt that we needed some business and development sense in our city and that my construction, leadership and personal background could help our city grow. Growth provides a lot of opportunity. Our kids may return from college and live by us because there are opportunities here. I did not have these opportunities where I grew up and had to move away for advancement. There are, however, a lot of challenges with growth and development and often resistance to it as well. Helping my city navigate those challenges is why I ran, along with building a more transparent government that strives to bring continuity and openness to our community. 

I’m fiercely proud to be a working-class person. My journey began with volunteering at our local library, and, after graduating from high school, I worked for Ohio Bell for over 30 years. I was an active union member of CWA 4319, which gave me a firsthand experience of the vital role of advocating for workers’ rights. Throughout my career, I have passionately fought for improvements that benefit not only workers but our entire community. When I was encouraged to run for office, I recognized it as a tremendous opportunity to further serve and amplify the voices of those I would represent. As a community mobilizer, this felt like a natural fit. I don’t see myself as an elected official; I see myself as a community mobilizer — continuing to actively engage my community to build, collaborate and act toward transformative solutions.