When I was young, two events shaped my
political life. First, in 1960, my mother volunteered for John F.
Kennedy, and took me to see him speak from the steps of the old
courthouse in Dayton.
The second event was the only time that I ever saw my father with
tears in his eyes - on the day that Martin Luther King was
assassinated. I have never stopped believing in the America they
envisioned.
It is time for serious change in America and nowhere is it more
urgent than right here in Ohio. The job ahead of the next Congress is
vast. Stabilizing our economy, bringing an end to the war in Iraq,
re-establishing America's place in the world, making universal
healthcare a reality, finding "green" solutions to our dependence on
foreign oil - these are only a few of the challenges ahead. The
challenges are complex, but there is no problem that we cannot solve,
if we have the resolve.
I am running for Congress because I believe in the greatness of
America, an America that would never allow 300,000 veterans to be
homeless, schools to fail, and children to go without basic healthcare.
Hard-working families have been left to struggle with the consequences
of failed economic policies created by Washington insiders and
politicians who seem to have forgotten the needs of regular Americans.
The House of Representatives was created to be the federal office
closest to the community, with representatives speaking up for the
people of their district. When that role is abandoned for partisanship
and political ambition, everyone loses. We must move beyond
partisanship and self-interest, and find the kind of lasting solutions
that are required to strengthen our economy and our nation.
Most of all, I believe America is at its best when we are brought
together by our highest ideals. I stand ready to change the tone in
Washington and help bring about the change that we so desperately need
in Ohio and America.
Change is coming - hope and possibility are returning to America - and together, we'll make our community part of that change.
About Jane:
As a successful local small business owner, Jane understands the
importance of bringing good jobs to our community and ensuring that
those jobs stay in our community. She founded Ohio-based Helsley
Advertising, specializing in strategic communications and investor
relations, working with businesses all over America.
A native Daytonian, Jane has served our community on diverse variety
of boards including the Development Board of St. Elizabeth Hospital,
Women in Leadership, the Dayton Chapter of the NAACP, and the Friends
of the Dayton Ballet and Opera Guild. She has also been politically
active on the national level. A founding member of both the Women's
Council of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and The Small
Business Council of the Democratic National Committee, Jane is also an
active member of EMILY's List and the Women's Leadership Forum. She has
worked tirelessly for candidates who, like her, will fight for the
needs of working families. These candidates include Texas Governor Ann
Richards in 1994, President Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and Vice
President Al Gore in 2000.
Jane Mitakides is a Daytonian with deep roots in the community. She
began her education at Jefferson Elementary in Dayton, spent her early
summers learning to swim at Bomberger Park, and enjoyed fishing with
her father, Les Helsley, in Preble County. Her father was one of the
"Tool Town" engineers, who worked on the Norden Bombsight project
during World War II, and later joined Frank M. Tait at Dayton's Tait
Manufacturing.
Jane has been married for 25 years to John Mitakides, a dentist who
has practiced in the Dayton area for over 30 years. They both graduated
from Centerville High School, attended Ohio public universities (Jane
at Wright State and John at Ohio State, where he played football). Jane
is also the very proud mother of two children: Katie, who is completing
her PhD in International Relations, and Andrew, a senior at
Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.
