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Oberlin Moved Out of Jim Jordan’s Congressional District Continued from page 1
Comparative American Studies. “And one pushback I’ve heard is that there are some districts that include Appalachian counties and others. They’re combining them with more urban areas and it’s hard to see commonalities there between them. So the ideal is when you have a representative who can represent a fairly coherent district.” There are already several lawsuits in response to the new map. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and the National Redistricting Action Fund are suing in the Ohio Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute have also filed a lawsuit saying the map violates the Ohio Issue 1 amendment that voters passed three years ago. “The Ohio Supreme Court is made up of five justices,” Garrett said. “One of them is the son of Mike DeWine. Some people have called for him to recuse himself, but of course, nobody can make him, so he’s not recusing himself. The chief justice is a Republican — however, she tends to not be in favor of these gerrymandering shenanigans. So there are some people who are saying there’s some hope out at the Supreme Court, but we’ll see.” The lawsuits come after conflicts over
proposed maps escalated over the last few months. After failing to pass a map in the Ohio Legislature with a supermajority by Sept. 30, responsibility for drawing the map was left to the bipartisan sevenmember Ohio Redistricting Commission, which also failed to meet its Oct. 31 deadline. After that, what had been a relatively slow process was then sped through the Ohio legislature along party lines in a matter of days before it was signed by DeWine at the end of November. This new map received an F grade from the nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project. The change means that Oberlin will now likely be represented by Republican Bob Latta, who has held the seat since 2007. While Latta is a conservative member of Congress, he is not nearly as extreme as Jordan. According to Garcia, Latta is considered more conservative than 52 percent of the GOP in Congress, while Jordan, who is more conservative than 91 percent of the GOP. For the City of Oberlin, the new map marks a significant shift from the last four years. Oberlin was previously represented by Jordan, who is known as one of the creators of the House Freedom Caucus. For the last several elections, many Oberlin students have worked on the campaigns
of Jordan’s opponents, including Garrett’s and Shannon Freshour’s. This election cycle, Jeffrey Sites, a veteran and warehouse manager who ran in the Democratic primary in 2020, is once again running against Jordan. Sites is running on a platform of singlepayer healthcare, returning the supply chain to the United States, and addressing what he calls “climate chaos.” Although he started his campaign in January, before the new districts were drawn, his city, Lima, is still in the Ohio 4th District, so he will still be eligible to run against Jordan. “It was an uphill battle before; it’s an extreme uphill battle now,” Sites said. “I would have preferred to keep the duck than what we have now. But again, I didn’t decide to run against Jim Jordan because I thought it would be easy. … We’ve planned and prepared for a district like this since the beginning. … It’s why we emphasized building a grassroots operation.” Besides congressional races, Ohio will have several other competitive races in the 2022 midterms. Governor DeWine is up for reelection but will first face several Republican challengers. Senator Rob Portman has also announced his retirement, which has opened his seat up for a competitive race. If the current map withstands the court
battles, the map will be redrawn for the 2026 elections. While Garrett and others are disappointed with the new map, she hopes that grassroots activism will ensure that the next map is fairer. “We have to keep the pressure on … because we’re in a very dangerous place in history right now,” Garrett said. “We’re in danger of losing our democracy, and it’s a lot easier to fight to keep it than it is to try to get it back once we’ve lost it.”
The new Ohio Congressional Map was signed into law at the end of November and moves Oberlin from the 4th Congressional District to the 5th. Courtesy of Columbus Dispatch
Local Resident Donates Winter Clothing to Oberlin City Schools
Staff from Oberlin City Schools sort through a recent donation of goods with an estimated value of over $12,000. Photo Courtesy Of Oberlin City Schools Shannon Schulz Inspired by stories of need in local communities, Elyria Realtor Tammy Koleski donated over $12,000 worth of brand-new clothes, hats, shoes, and gloves to Oberlin City Schools last Monday. Koleski has been donating to school districts and sports teams across Lorain County for the past year and a half. These donations are a team effort; Koleski’s sister, Pam Richards, scouts out discounted items and buys in bulk so that they can make the biggest impact possible. “I always have donated in some capacity, but [I’ve] just [been] in a position to,” Koleski said. “I mean, I didn’t win the lottery or anything. It’s just what I’m getting for the price tag that I’m getting it for. It seemed crazy not to just be a kind human and do it.”
The Oberlin R eview Dec. 3, 2021 Volume 151, Number 7 (ISSN 297–256) Published by the students of Oberlin College every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except holidays and examination periods. Advertising rates: $18 per column inch. Second-class postage paid at Oberlin, Ohio. Entered as second-class matter at the Oberlin, Ohio post office April 2, 1911. POSTMASTER SEND CHANGES TO: Wilder Box 90, Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1081. Office of Publication: Burton Basement, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. Phone: (440) 775-8123
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While Koleski’s first donations started out as random acts of kindness, she soon realized the positive impact of her actions. “It’s very interesting to see a grown man cry,” Koleski said. “The first coach that I took cleats to was my daughter’s former softball coach. And as he’s taking these out of my car, … I’m like, ‘Do you have any idea what 200 pairs of cleats look like?’ And he’s like, ‘Nope.’ And as we’re emptying my car with the 10th bag and the 11th bag, his wife comes out, helps us unload it. I mean, they’re just sitting there like this, with a tear on the side of their eye going, ‘Do you know how many people this is gonna help?’ I go, ‘Absolutely, and your face says it all.’ That was just the fuel [for] the next one.” Oberlin City Schools officials were equally delighted when they found the district’s Central Office conference room filled wall to wall with donations. Oberlin City Schools Communications Consultant Melissa Linebrink expressed the district’s gratitude. “I was really surprised,” Linebrink said. “I have talked to Tammy in the past, and I know the great work she has done, but to be on the receiving end of that and to just hear … how happy she was to help our students, especially... during COVID-19 [when] times are tough. And just to know that somebody cares about our students enough to donate more than $12,000 worth of goods is pretty phenomenal.” The school district is currently working on a distribution plan with Oberlin City Schools Athletic Director John Carter and Oberlin City Schools Director of Student and Family Support Jay Nimene. Superintendent David Hall is optimistic about the donation’s community impact. “We’ll probably give out most of everything,” Hall said. Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editors Opinions Editor Cont. Opinions Editor Arts Editors Sports Editor Cont. Sports Editors Photo Editors Senior Staff Writers
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“Our bus drivers help give them out to students that get on the bus that may need a hat, or maybe just gloves. Our counselors may give them out to students. … We get phone calls from parents all the time at schools, asking, ‘Do you have these things available?’ A lot of times we have them available or we contact Oberlin Community Services for support.” According to Linebrink, Koleski’s donation is projected to benefit a wide range of students and families. “There’s always a need,” Linebrink said. “Through this donation, … we’re able to help not only the student athletes with some of the items that they provided like cleats, but we’re also able to help those students who, you know, might need a hat, gloves, who might need a belt, who can’t afford a belt. You know, it was just little things like that, that you might not think of as everyday needs that they were able to provide for us.” Koleski plans to expand her efforts in 2022 with the help of Richards and family friend Mary Felton. Despite her successes, challenges remain. “The lion’s share of it is personal funds,” Koleski said. “I’m only one person. I can only do so much, so that’s why we’ve established a 501(c)3 called Wee Care Closet. … We hope to get more corporate donations and larger donations.” Koleski is hopeful that the nonprofit will allow her to increase the number of people she can help. She also hopes to inspire others. “The goal is to just keep it going, and maybe in our communities, people [will] see it and either make donations to us so we can continue it or go, ‘Hey, I’d like to do that at our school,’” she said. To donate, contact Koleski at (440) 935-4910 or weecarecloset@gmail.com.
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