Subodh Chandra

Last night I heard Subodh Chandra, candidate for Ohio Attorney General, speak for the second time. He talked for about an hour, and I will not detail all he said. Some of it was his "sleep-deprived nightmare" about the corruption in Ohio. That story has been previously posted here. I'll try to relate instead some of the things that aren't usually covered about his appearances.

Mr. Chandra endeared himself to me before he even spoke because he was wearing a tie with repeating pictures of his triplet boys at six months of age. Now that's a proud dad! **

Subodh Chandra was born in Oklahoma City, OK of parents who had immigrated from India. He was raised in Norman, OK and attended public school from K through 12. His first political job was working for Gov. Dick Celeste "the last time Ohio was solvent". He said that his name, Subodh, means "good knowledge". He asked us if we thought "good knowledge" in the AG's office was preferable to the "no knowledge" Petro always claims when questioned about corruption. We all laughed and applauded in agreement.

He told a story about his Dad. He said that his Dad, like many recent immigrants, was always frugal, always fearing that the good life they had achieved might be snatched away. He said that his Dad, when he was in a left-turn lane with an arrow, always refused to use the car's turn-signal. His Dad said he didn't want to "waste the light". Subodh learned the habit of frugality from his Dad. When Subodh was Law Director of Cleveland he slashed costs by 88% because he insisted that legal work be done in-house, not outsourced. When asked how he had managed to save so much money Subodh replied, "I had to...or I'd get in trouble with my Dad".

Chandra spoke of the last twelve years, as Petro and Montgomery have traded back and forth the offices of Attorney General and Auditor. He said, "As a Democrat I believe in recycling, but I *don't* believe in recycling Montgomery!"

Subodh said that since the Federal Government has walked away from its responsibility it is especially important that Ohio has a strong Attorney General. He sees the role of AG as protecting Ohio and its people from harm and loss. He mentioned the fact that Petro has slashed the size of the crime lab to the point where it takes a year and a half to get result back. Hardly the mark of a "tough on crime" person.

Subodh Chandra teaches legal ethics. He says he is not interested in the "Office" aspect of AG, but in the job. I believe him. He asked us, "If your life, liberty and property are at stake, do you want a lawyer? Or do you want a politician with a law degree?"

Chandra spoke to us easily, as if we were a group of good friends. There was no feeling of "stump speech" about his talk. He has a lightning quick mind and a wicked sense of humor, which I won't detail here in case any trolls roll by. But he had us roaring with laughter at least half a dozen times.

He ended by saying, "Who better than an Indian-American to go after the Sacred Cows of Ohio?"

We gave him a standing ovation.

SusanD

** I could only find this small picture of Subodh's tie that has images of his toddlers on it.


But here's a great picture of Subodh with his *actual* toddlers on him.



Would be harder to "wear" them that way to an event, though. ;-) --Renee

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