Some neighborhoods on the West Side are in dire need of compassionate, empathetic and shared experienced leadership. Welcome news is how a fresh-faced progressive Democrat – Hilltop resident Christine Cockley – is poised to win Ohio House District 6 this November, which encompasses most of Columbus’s West Side.

If anyone has any doubt whether a progressive is best qualified to take on the disheartening and daunting challenges of some West Side neighborhoods, just take a drive down Sullivant Avenue where poverty and despair continue to besiege several neighborhoods. Where the numbers of addicted and houseless keep growing – in lock step with the rising cost of housing, spurred on by landlord greed and the gentrification of some West Side neighborhoods.

Certainly, few from the Ohio GOP care much about the West Side, if rarely a thought. Local establishment Democrats, such as Mayor Ginther, have had plenty of time to affect change, but little has on Sullivant Avenue over the previous decade.

Cockley, who worked for Sherrod Brown, describes herself as a proud progressive with a passion for public service. She attended the Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs for her undergraduate and graduate education, and earned a Master’s in Public Administration. Married with two dogs and some chickens, the 28-year-old works full-time for the local YWCA as an executive assistant to the president and CEO.

True, Ohio progressives haven’t fared well of late. Both Nina Turner and Morgan Harper underperformed in their primaries against establishment Dems, and Turner co-chaired Bernie Sander’s 2020 presidential campaign. Cockley, on the other hand, easily won her crowded primary.

“I consider myself to be progressive,” she recently told the Free Press. “I think this district needs a big thinker who will fight for solutions that benefit everyone, not just those at the top. That being said, I am running to represent everyone in my district and will take all perspectives into consideration.”

Cockley often talks of leading with kindness, understanding and from shared lived experiences. Working for Sherrod Brown taught her to listen to her neighbors with empathy and lead with concrete action, she says. The most serious issue they face of late, she hears, is affordable housing.

“One of the biggest challenges facing people in HD-6 is housing – both affordability and access to quality housing. Whether it’s a lack of multi-family homes or vacant homes with out of state landlords, we must address the housing crisis at the Statehouse,” she said. “To do so, I will meet with stakeholders during Statehouse advocacy days and listen to the professionals doing the work. Simultaneously, I will work to ensure housing is funded throughout the district, whether that’s through funding nonprofits and shelters or through increasing the number of multi-family units through re-zoning and partnerships.”

Her Republican opponent, Hussein Jabiri, while spirited and seeking to promote small businesses, has only raised several hundred dollars in campaign donations. Cockley meanwhile has won a host of impressive endorsements from the Matriots to the Ohio AFL-CIO, and from grassroots activists, such as Moms Demand Action, which promotes gun sense candidates.

She serves on the board of the Highland Youth Garden in the Hilltop. She also regularly volunteers, with an emphasis on helping those dealing with substance abuse such as Moderation Management, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

“Investing in community resources, increasing the number of mental health care providers, making sure the hospital system has the resources they need to be able to care for our neighbors. And so I think it’s one of those things again where you talk to the professionals on Statehouse advocacy days, you listen to what their ideas are, and you take those professionals ideas and turn it into concrete action,” she said.

No doubt, certain areas of the West Side, such as Sullivant Avenue leading up to the much-maligned Wedgewood apartments, need fresh leadership. Cockley believes her experience in harm reduction, mental health and public service has gifted her with the ability to lead with empathy and understanding.

“I have lived in this community, I know this community, I have served this community, and I have a lot of lived experiences that have prepared me for running for State rep,” she says.