3 Building Tradesmen on Primary Ballot
In three regions of Ohio, building trades members will be on the Primary ballot.
At a time when political union activism is imperative to advancing the causes of organized labor, Brian Poindexter, Brian Baker and Adrian Harrison took the initiative to run for public office and push for a working-class agenda.
Poindexter is running in a crowded field of eight candidates in the Democratic Primary for the
7th U.S. Congressional seat currently held by Rep. Max Miller (R-Shaker Heights).
Baker is facing off against Carolyn Y. White in the Democratic Primary to be a Lorian County Commissioner. The winner will square off against the Republican primary winner, which is between incumbent Jeff Riddell and challenger Will Schlechter.
Harrison is seeking to become a commissioner in Scioto County. With no Democratic Primary, the winner of the Republican Primary will be the winner in November. Harrison is up against incumbent Commissioner Merit Smith, who was appointed to the seat following the July 4 death of then-Commissioner Cathy Coleman.
Brian Poindexter
A third-generation union member – the son of a union machinist and the grandson of a union autoworker – Poindexter was one of six children who grew up in Cleveland.
A member of Ironworkers Local 17 since 2007, Poindexter worked his way through the Registered Apprenticeship Program while simultaneously earning an associate degree in Applied Industrial Technology from Cuyahoga Community College.
He spent two years (2012–2014) as an organizer before returning to the field. Today, he serves as an apprenticeship instructor for the Local 17 JATC.
Poindexter began his political career in 2017, when he ran for an At-Large seat on the Brook Park City Council. He has been re-elected multiple times. As the father of two college-aged daughters, he is looking to take the district’s working-class values to the nation’s capital.
“The people who live in the 7th district need a working-class person who understands their needs to represent them in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Members of Congress either don’t understand the needs of most Americans or don’t care.” He stressed that his campaign is geared to run through November and he is not afraid of a bipartisan approach.
“I’m an old-school Democrat, not new Democrats of today,” he said. “The working-class message was lost to the social issues, but we cannot disregard working people.” Poindexter said his campaign is focused on a “holy trinity” of topics – fair wages, quality, affordable healthcare and a dignified retirement.
When it comes to fair wages, he pointed to a federal minimum wage that has not increased since 2009. For workers living paycheck to paycheck, cost of living hikes can be crushing.
On the topic of healthcare, he said it is too expensive, forcing some people to drown in medical debt after major health issues or causing people to avoid seeking treatment.
“If you work hard, play by the rules and contribute to your community, you should be able to count on a healthcare system that treats you with dignity,” Poindexter said.
Regarding retirement, Poindexter said he is tired of hearing about Social Security going broke. He promised to work to ensure that Social Security is properly funded.
While these are his three main issues, his website, poindexterforcongress.com, talks more about his background and where he stands on additional issues. “Go to my website and take a good, honest look at where I stand on the issues and make up your own mind,” he added.
Poindexter is endorsed by 10 building trades Local Unions/District Councils, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calf.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo, State Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), the Cuyahoga Democratic Women’s Caucus, Northeast Ohio Democratic Veterans Caucus and the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats.
Adrian Harrison
In 2006, Harrison walked off a job as a roofer earning $5 per hour and became one of just eight applicants selected for Laborers Local 83’s first apprenticeship class. He was one of four apprentices to top out of the program.
By the age of 21, he was a foreman, and from there, Harrison rose through the ranks: apprenticeship coordinator, field representative, statewide policy work and now President of Local 83.
His campaign is based on change. Last August, the State Auditor’s office announced the Scioto County Grand Jury handed down
indictments against Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis and his wife as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged bribes and public contracts involving the Southern Ohio Port Authority and a Portsmouth-area business park.
Davis did not step down but took a voluntarily suspension pending his trial. While not running against Davis, he is up against an opponent who claims to be for the status quo.
Harrison feels the residents of Scioto County are fed up and want change. “The charges woke residents up,” he said. “They want the county to stop wasting money.”
He believes in transparency and wants to end the backroom deals that have squeezed local contractors out of projects, including a data center project that involved public funding, but resulted in the hiring of a transient, non-union workforce to perform the construction.
The decision cost local workers hundreds of jobs.
If elected, Harrison wants the County to adopt either Project Labor Agreement or Community Benefits Agreement language for county infrastructure projects and publicly funded projects.
“We’ve got land and rail and river access,” he said. “It makes us uniquely positioned for growth, but the current commissioners do not see it. They don’t understand what’s coming.”
Having spent his life in construction, Harrison has an idea of what to expect in near future and wants to see Scioto County create a plan to attract manufacturing facilities, distribution centers and additional power plants – all which can create good-paying jobs with benefits.
Harrison, his wife and four daughters live on a farm next to his grandfather-in-law, Ralph Cole, who recently retired as the Business Manager for the Ohio Laborers District Council.
Brian Baker
A member of IBEW Local 129, Baker is endorsed by five building trades unions (IBEW Local 129, UA Local 42, Laborers 758, Laborers 860 and Sheet Metal Workers 33), the North Central Building and Construction Trades Council, Ohio Pipe Trades, Lorain County AFL-CIO, UAW Cap Council and three other organizations/individuals.
According to his website, Baker is focused on clean energy, economic development, diversity and safety.
The Labor Citizen attempted to contact Baker, but he did not respond to our requests for an interview.