“After talking to citizens and seeing the state numbers, more and more people are in the middle and they feel like nobody is in the middle for them, that they can’t relate to a far right or a far left and they want to be in the middle,” Tackett said. “They want people that represent them that has a middle mindset, middle class, that’s willing to negotiate and work across the aisle. We’re so polarized right now.”
Tackett, who is currently on a “listening tour” in Clark County and 13 other counties in District 4, said she’s learning the similar issues in each community but recognizes they cannot be treated “like they’re all cookie cutter,” having their own unique circumstances.
“Being in local government, I keep seeing more and more resources kept at the top and cut to local government, and folks are coming into our local government asking for state and federal questions and answers and we don’t have that capability to answer those questions for them or provide resources,” Tackett said. “It feels like we’re all left at the bottom kind of scraping for the resources when at the top they’re keeping more.”
A lifelong Springfielder, Tackett graduated from Wittenberg University with an organizational leadership major and political science minor. She has a masters in public policy and leadership from Ohio State University. Tackett is a Leadership Clark County graduate and was just accepted into the Leadership Ohio program.
Tackett said she has brought “a fresh perspective” to government and is very involved in volunteerism and putting on community events. She is a small business owner.
She became involved in government by advocating at the state and federal level for her late daughter, who had epilepsy, and her niece, who had cancer.
“It was more of an almost like an awakening like, ‘Oh, wait a minute; I could actually help make those decisions to help more people.’ And transitioning over to the other side, I’ve learned government is slow to get things done,” Tackett said. “The levels [of government] like local, state, federal, there’s a disconnect on needs and partnership. I feel like the local government takes the hits for the decisions at the top, and ... when folks are coming to us and they want help with state issues or federal issues, it’s really hard to sit in that seat and listen to my neighbor who I want to help and I can’t do it because it’s above my position.”
Tackett regularly engages with Springfield residents during and outside of city meetings. She said the city has seen federal cuts to local government resources and in speaking with people is learning that “it seems to be getting harder, not easier.”
“Towns are shrinking. Kids are moving out of their towns. Healthcare keeps going up. I will watch other communities’ commission [or] council meetings, and what I have learned from that is it’s all the same problems,” Tackett said. “They’re talking about jails, they’re talking about healthcare, they’re talking about immigration, they’re talking about data centers. There has to be a top down. If we all have the same problem in our community, the next level up is trickling down from that’s affecting all of us. So this campaign’s about changing that.”
Since 2023, Springfield city commissioners have faced a surge of questions and anger at meetings regarding the city’s response to Haitian immigration. In 2024, Springfield was in the national spotlight as national Republican figures spun that serious immigration debate into false rumors about people eating pets. Commissioners at the time — Mayor Rob Rue, Tackett, then-Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop, Krystal Brown and Bridget Houston — were subject to vitriol online and allegedly received threats from the white supremacist hate group the Blood Tribe.
In 2025, this anger continued but was less prominent at city meetings and with the potential end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and potential immigration enforcement, which has at the very least been postponed past the Feb. 3 termination date, tensions could increase further this year.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Tackett’s goals include supporting small businesses and working families; strengthening public safety and partnerships with the community; expanding access to healthcare and support services; investing in economic growth in rural, suburban and small city areas; providing resources to local governments; and “bringing accountability and common-sense leadership back to congress.”
“I believe government should solve problems, not create more division,” Tackett said.
U.S. Congressional District 4 includes all or some of 14 counties: Clark, Champaign, Logan, Union, Shelby, Mercer, Van Wert, Allen, Auglaize, Hardin, Marion, Morrow, Richland and Delaware.
The seat is currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan. With recently redrawn maps, the district represents much more of Clark County than it did previously. Until November, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of District 10 will continue representing most of Clark County.
For more information, visit Tackett’s Facebook page at Assistant Mayor Tracey Tackett.
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