Patrick is candidate in US elections and is married to Serb woman: We talked about elections and life in Ohio

Democratic and Republican primaries, as well as elections for the House of Representatives, are being held today in the US state of Ohio. One of Democrat representatives for the Ohio House of Representatives district 6 is Patrick Barnacle.

Apart from Patrick, six other Democratic and one Republican candidates are vying for the post.

This district is currently represented in the House of Representatives by Adam Miller, who will retire this year after serving the maximum number of terms.

The Ohio House of Representatives consists of 99 persons from as many districts. Each of the representatives must live in the district they represent, and their main role is to listen to citizens and speak on their behalf, trying to solve problems at the local level.

A Telegraf portal journalist, who is currently participating in the program of the Foreign Press Center at the State Department, had the opportunity to visit Columbus and talk with Patrick and his wife Sladjana about his candidacy in today's elections. After talking with Patrick, we had the opportunity to see on the ground what it looks like to run a political campaign for local elections in the US, which does not involve using mass media for political marketing, but relies heavily on direct contact with voters.

Patrick says that he is running because he wants to improve the region where he lives with his wife Sladjana, who is originally a Serb from Bosanska Krupa in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The great opportunity you have when you are a candidate is that you can see things and improve life not only for your family, but also for your neighbors. Our neighborhood is more car-friendly than people-friendly. People live here and their children play here. I want this to be a safer and much more comfortable place for everyone. That's the reason I run," explained Patrick, who has two children with Sladjana.

One of the obligations of a person representing a district in the House of Representatives is to listen to the problems of the citizens and try to solve them. During the campaign, Patrick had the opportunity to talk to many voters and hear what is bothering them the most in their neighborhoods. Patrick explained the difference between him and other Democratic candidates, since they are all from the same party.

"Democratic primaries are taking place now. Seven candidates are vying to be the Democratic representative. We all share the same values. My opponents and I are Democrats, we all believe in a fair system including a good health care system, fair economic conditions, higher wages, we believe in the same things... What we differ on is how things should be solved. Compared to my opponents, I am invested a lot in this area, I act locally. I talk to people every day. I fight against fascism more. I believe that the November ballot will decide about democracy," Patrick said.

He then referred to possible cooperation with the Republican representative if he wins the elections.

"It's not just about local issues, we have to think bigger. We have November. The people who are going to vote in the primaries are Democrats. Everyone understands what the consequences of voting in November could be. I appeal to people in different ways. First I try to complain, saying what I would be able to do because Ohio is going to be controlled by the Republican Party no matter what happens in November. What can I do to be effective? I can fix our roads, I can improve zoning, help make it easier to build in Columbus and other parts of my district. But while I'm doing that, it's also important that people stand up and vote. Democracy is on the ballot. I can work with the Republicans if they have a majority, but if they try to deny people their rights and freedoms, I will not support that," he said.

Ohio's cooperation with Serbia

With Mr. Barnacle, other than elections, we also discussed cooperation between Serbia and the federal state of Ohio. Cooperation has existed since 2006, especially in the fields of the economy and the military. The program is implemented between the National Guard of one of the US federal states and a partner country through exchange of experiences, study trips, joint training and exercises, and technical assistance to civil and military structures.

The breadth of the program, as well as the composition of the National Guard, which is mostly made up of civilians, makes it possible to develop the civilian-military and civilian aspects along with the development of military cooperation. Coordination is done through regional commands of the US armed forces and the corresponding offices at the US embassies in the host country.

In the past years, military cooperation has constantly developed so that today the State Partnership Program with Serbia is rated by the US as one of the most successful out of more than 60 established programs around the world.

"I am happy to see Serbia and America come closer together especially since America did bomb Serbia after the war in Bosnia and the wars in the Balkans. My wife is actually a Bosnian Serb from Bosnia and a refugee. So seeing closer cooperation between America and the Balkan countries is very meaningful to me," said Patrick.

He then said that even though his wife is from the Balkans, he still doesn't know many of our people in Ohio.

"I don't have many friends here in Columbus, but I do know a lot of them," Patrick said.

When asked if he expects the American Serb community to vote for him, Patrick smiled and said, "I hope so."

Sladjana supports Patrick's campaign

Patrick's biggest supporter during the campaign was his wife Sladjana. Although she is very reserved and shy, she agreed to stand in front of the camera and talk to us about Patrick's campaign and her roots, which she is very proud of.

"I'm from Bosanska Krupa. I've been here for 20-something years now," Sladjana told Telegraf.

She reveals that she moved around America a lot, until the family settled in Ohio.

"Yes, we arrived, I'm from Florida, then we went to Pennsylvania, we lived there, I grew up there and then about ten years ago we came to Ohio. Life is good here, our children are here, they go to school here ", said Sladjana.

Her husband Patrick is now trying to explain to people that life will be even better if he is elected. Sladjana says she hopes for Patrick's success.

"There are seven candidates, so it's hard to say what the result will be, but I think he's the best candidate here," she said.

In the conversation, Sladjana also revealed to us what sets Patrick apart from other candidates.

"He knows what's going on in our neighborhood. He cares deeply about our local community here. He deals with the issues that affect our community at the state level and that's what sets him apart from his rivals. He's very involved in our community, he served on the county commission. He takes care of the zoning law, he helps build up the west side of Columbus. He and his opponents share the same values, but they won't be able to do things at the local level," Sladjana told Telegraf.

Our interlocutor pointed out that there is still a lot do do in Columbus, which is great for living.

"I think we need better public transport, it would be good to build more apartments in Columbus. Ohio is called a 'swing state' but it is predominantly Republican. A lot of it has to do with gerrymandering, that is, the question of who votes for whom and where," explains Sladjana.

We also asked Sladjana if she knows how many people from the Balkans live in Ohio and if she expects them to support her husband.

"I know there are a lot of us because yesterday I was in a store that sells food from Serbia and Bosnia and they make burek there, so we had burek for the first time in several years," said our interlocutor.

We also learned from Sladjana that she plans to come to Belgrade with her husband and children in the summer. We agreed to discuss with Patrick again the relations between our two countries then, as well as the upcoming US presidential elections in November.

(Telegraf.rs)