Political Newcomer Graham Veysey Positions Self As Fresh Alternative
Graham Veysey (pronounced “VeeZee”), 29, is running for Congress, in the newly–drawn and likely to be hotly contested 9th District. In an unusual race that pits two veteran politicians against one another, Graham has positioned himself as a fresh alternative. Both pro-choice and fiscally moderate, drawn equally to direct political action and new social media, Graham represents a good cross-section of Cleveland’s new “brain gain” cohort – young, idealistic, yet practical people who are anxious to make a difference. I interviewed Graham recently during a sunny afternoon at The Root Café – the type of local small business in Lakewood’s walkable downtown that Graham cites as an example of the emerging new economy.
Graham grew up in a close-knit family, one of four boys raised by a father who was a JAG in the Marines and a stay-at-home mom. “No one was political in my family,” says Graham, “but we were always engaged. My mom was always the president of the local PTA, and my parents voted for the candidate, not the party.” However, after the family relocated from Chicago to Cleveland, several teachers made a big impact on Graham, especially in classes on the environment and in American studies, and by the time Graham was a freshman at the progressive Bates College in Maine, door-knocking, volunteering and making a difference became part of his life. As a volunteer for Howard Dean, and later, Obama, Graham found himself drawn to practical policies that could have impact. He was impressed by Dean’s commitment to fiscally sound policy. He established a rainy-day fund for Vermont that helped to insulate their economy from the shocks of 9/11 and the “Success by Six” preschool program. Graham explains, “Do you realize that for every dollar we spend on pre-K, we save six dollars on remedial education later? It’s just more efficient and the best way to improve our local economy. Raising the college graduation rate by just 1% adds $l billion to the local economy.”
Professionally, Graham established a small media and marketing firm, and thinks transparency and storytelling are essential to the approach he’d like to bring to Congress. “Can you imagine what a shift it would if someone from within the system was sharing stories with the public?”
Graham says that if elected, he would stress coalition-building and networking. He’s disgusted by the inability of the current Congress to get things done. “I don’t know why we let the ‘perfect get in the way of the good,’” he says, invoking the failure of both Kucinich and Kaptur to vote on the Great Lakes Fresh Water Compact. “Fortunately that bill passed, and will save our water and create jobs. We have to focus on practical, environmentally-sound practices that will be critical in the new economy.” Afraid of narrow corporate interests and the impact of the Citizen’s United decision, Graham supports campaign finance reform as well.
Asked what he likes about Lakewood, Graham points to the clientele at The Root, and sites a recent meeting with Mayor Summers. “I’m so impressed with what Lakewood is doing to strategically target solutions - for example, tracking housing conditions city-wide and using funding where it will have most impact. Cities and the inner-ring suburbs are leading indicators of where the Federal governments decisions have impact, and they can and should be incubators for new ideas.”
While Graham has a steep curve ahead, he’s already stimulated a lot of interest and positive coverage. As a voter in the new 9th District, I was pleased to get the chance to learn more about Graham and his campaign, and I’ll be interested to see how the other candidates react to his challenge. If this interests you as well, you can see Graham and the other candidates, at a City Club Forum on September 20th.
Walter Wright
Walter Wright has been a Lakewood resident since 2006.