I'm a new face in politics, and this will be the first time I've been on the ballot.  I decided to run now because I believe that, in 2008, we need to change who leads our government, the priorities our government has, and how our government operates.

With Dave Hobson's retirement and the negative public opinion of Republican office holders and career politicians, Democrats in the Seventh District of Ohio have an historic opportunity to elect a Democrat to Congress.  If we don't seize this opportunity and put forward a strong and electable candidate, we risk having this seat being retained by the Republicans for another 18 years.

The bottom line is that I decided that I wasn't prepared to hand over the Seventh District to another Republican for another 18 years and that it was time for me to stand up and be counted.

I hope you'll decide to join me!

Democrats have control of Congress, but the closest Democratic Congressman lives almost 200 miles away from the Miami Valley and over 100 miles from Columbus.

Dave Hobson is a nine term Congressman, and he and John Boehner are the ranking minority members of the Ohio delegation.  Because of this, he was able to get a lot of things done for the Seventh District, even after the Democrats took control of the House in 2006.

Replacing Dave Hobson with a first term, Republican Congressman who will be in the minority party in the House and won't have Hobson's seniority or clout is clearly not in the best interests of the Seventh District.

The best thing for the Seventh District is to elect a Democrat to replace Dave Hobson.

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Sharen was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1951.  Her grandfather was a City of Dayton Firefighter; her father (Robert E. Swartz), who died in 1971, was a City of Dayton Policeman (and the Vice President of the State Fraternal Order of Police).  Sharen's mother (Naomi R. Swartz), who is still living, was a housewife until she went to work as a salesperson for Elder Beerman's.  Sharen has three younger sisters, all of whom are employees of LexisNexis, Inc.

The Swartz girls grew up in Northwest Dayton and attended Dayton Public Schools.  Sharen graduated from Fairview High School in 1969.

Sharen attended Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating in 1973 with a B.A. in Political Science.  Phi Beta Kappa.  She paid for her college education with a combination of scholarships, student loans, and a part time job through the University's work/study program.

Sharen then attended Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., graduating in 1976.  As was the case with her college education, she paid for law school with a combination of scholarships and student loans.

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