Kevin Barnet came from New York and has 15 years of experience working in a union, as well as five years working in management. 14-years ago, he moved to Ohio, opened a bed and breakfast (which lasted for five years) and is now working in insurance for Allstate.

However, he has decided to run against the current state representative, Darrell Kick, to represent the 70th District. One thing he is focused on in his campaign is bringing more unions to the area.

Barnet believes that doing so will “make [people] more money, more successful and live the quality of life in Ohio that people are leaving Ohio to go get.”

Equipped with his slogan “Fairness and dignity for all,” he made a campaign promise to be more accessible and have tough conversations with residents. Barnet said that being accessible means going to residents, not residents going to him.

“[The slogan] means working with the people, doing things for small businesses and workers, being on the side of trying to grow unions for good-paying jobs with benefits,” Barnet said. “Doing the best you can for the people of District 70—being in the community.”

The second goal Barnet has when elected into office is to work on public education.

“I’d like to work on…an equitable way for teachers and students to have access to things they need to be successful,” Barnet said.

Barnet has needed to rely on Zoom and Facebook to keep his message alive.

On Sept. 26, a virtual “Meet the Candidates” event was held on Zoom for voters to ask questions and stay connected with candidates.

“The big difference is you can’t get together with people [and] can’t speak with people,” he said. “That’s a big part of getting out there and people knowing who you are.”

“During the summer, opportunities to do things outdoors, I think people were reluctant to do them, because of the small turn out,” he continued. “People are worried about it but that’s a good thing.”

Barnet explained the cause and effect of Ohio’s COVID numbers increasing. This issue can spur from simply going out to restaurants. Each outing is taking chances that affect the health of the state.

“What we need to do in the statehouse is pass legislation and money for quick result testing to trace where people are,” he said. “Get numbers down to have people feeling confident when they go out that they won’t catch this; we will be on our way to restoring the economy here. It’s the only thing we can do until a vaccine. We need to do these things to build consumer confidence.”

Barnett believes he is the best candidate for state representative, avoiding party affiliation.

“I hope that people look at the two candidates and don’t look at the ‘R’ and ‘D’,” Barnet said. “Do a little research. I know people’s time is precious and they don’t have time to do that. I think you’ll like what I have to say and with what my platform is.”