Political newcomer and 2019 Lakota East High School graduate Landon Meador is seeking his first public office. He has experience as a field organizer in Michigan for the Democrat Party and was a finance intern for two separate campaigns.
A full-time finance manager for three car dealerships, Meador is finishing an online degree from the University of Texas majoring in political science and public policy.
Credit: Submitted photo
Credit: Submitted photo
Gross is a 21-year Air Force veteran who retired in 2008 as a lieutenant colonel after serving in the Gulf War and Sarajevo.
Both want to make lives better for Ohioans, especially in the area of health care but have differing approaches.
“I would love to – in my first day in Columbus – propose a bill like they did in Texas that caps in-state medical students tuition costs to keep our health care workers in the state,’’ Meador said. “We need to double our health care workforce in Ohio. We have a crisis and a shortage of workers.”
He said there are ‘health care deserts’ in the state where there are too few providers and clinics, with patients having to drive long distances for care. To ease that, the state needs to invest in building additional clinics.
“We have to make sure we can close up these medical deserts and ensure health care is accessible and affordable across the board wherever you are,” Meador said.
A big proponent of improving mental health care and lowering suicide rates, Meador wants to shorten the time for individuals in crisis to see a therapist, citing unacceptable wait times sometimes as long two or three months.
Gross says in talking with her constituents the cost of health care has to come down and access must increase. In the last decade, she said the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – didn’t lower costs as promised.
“I was reading a recent survey that said 64% of people are not happy with their health care and they’re not happy with the prices they’re paying. We need to do some things (to change that).”
She proposes giving full practice authority to advanced practice nurses, which would open access to care, she said, and added that patients also want more price transparency.
“So when people go to the hospital or they go to the doctor, they don’t get surprise bills,’’ Gross said.
The two have differing views on abortion: Gross is anti-abortion, while Meador supports abortion rights.
Meador said Gross’ approach to abortion is too harsh and that she is working against the peoples’ vote last year that approved a constitutional amendment ensuring access to abortion and other forms of reproductive care.
“She’s worked for months now…trying to work against the people. I don’t know how you can be with ‘no exceptions’ across the board. You have to trust people to make decisions for their own body.”
Gross sees it differently.
“I swore to uphold the constitution and to protect your right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe my role as a legislator is to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In that vein I will continue to do all that I can to protect both mom and baby at every turn.”
Meador says Ohio’s funding for education is flawed, there needs to be more consistency in education and curriculum across districts, and changes need to be made to the school voucher system so that non-public and charter schools are held accountable.
“I’m a firm believer of school choice. I think students and families need to be where they’re most comfortable and successful,” Meador said. “(But) we’re investing into what I think is a flawed system. There’s a way to make vouchers work, we’re just not doing it. It’s working as a rebate for the wealthy instead of trying to help kids in low status…to be able to get a good education.”
One of Gross’ top priorities is inflation. “For my constituents, inflation is a major issue, and that involves rising property taxes” largely because of the recent, dramatic rise in property taxes, she said. Constituents are also concerned with the cost of food, she said.
“We have a tax commission in the House that hasn’t yet come up with a plan regarding the property taxes but we hope that we’re going to come up with some really solid solutions…for all homeowners in Ohio,” said, who also plans to look into the possibility of abolishing the state income tax.
She also wants to decrease energy costs by easing up on regulations.
“We need to allow the businesses to have an ability to create – especially the data centers because they draw a lot of kilowatts – their own energy sources,” Gross said.
“There are multiple avenues that we can take to ease up on regulations to allow these companies to be their own energy providers. When you have more energy, prices go down.”
Meador said he wants to get anticorruption laws on the books as well as have candidates and legislators file full financial disclosure reports..
He cited several scandals in recent years, including influencer money coming into the state from out-of-state individuals, shell corporations and others.
“No one is holding Columbus accountable, and it goes all the way up to (Gov.) Mike DeWine,’’ Meador said.
Gross recently took to social media to promote a conspiracy theory suggesting the government controls weather patterns and was impacting the trajectory of Hurricane Milton.
She shared an article quoting comments from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that the government “can control the weather,” and suggesting federal NEXRAD weather radars were holding Milton over the state of Florida.
“Best reporter. Great Read for naysayers. Worth your time,” Gross wrote in her X post sharing the article.
Meador says Gross’ comments “show she has no business legislating.”
“The sad part is that over two terms, Rep. Gross has ushered in unfounded, fictitious stories in an effort to grow her national profile through social media, while delivering a lackluster result on her legislative agenda,” Meador said. “It is time to elect a representative who is focused on real issues and real people, rather than one who is focused on ‘debunking hurricanes’, removing seat belts and banishing witchcraft.”
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