 |
||||
About Ian MacConnell By the age of twelve I had already lived in four states before my family settled in Bay Village, Ohio, outside of Cleveland. At age seventeen, out of love of country and to pay for my college education, I joined the Ohio National Guard. I attended basic training during the summer between my junior and senior years of high school and returned for advanced “MOS” training upon high school graduation. I attended The Ohio State University with aspirations of becoming an accountant. As with most adolescents, my interests changed and so did my major. In my junior year my family moved to Indiana, so I followed them and finished a degree in communications at Purdue Calumet, just outside of Gary. My six-year commitment with the National Guard ended in 1994, and I moved back to Columbus to help a friend manage his business in the Short North. This was an excitng time when the area was just starting to organize. After helping him to create, arguably, the best studio of its kind in the city, I decided to change focus. A fascination with technology took hold, and I dedicated my time to understanding and authoring content for the emerging Internet. After several years living in Columbus as an entrepreneur, I started working full time for the Ohio Supercomputer Center, where I work today as Creative Director. I enjoy working so close to advanced technology and research, and look forward to seeing it create the jobs of our future. My interest in public policy and service is rooted in the belief that we are responsible for our democracy and our government. I had watched the start of the first Iraq war from my then apartment at 10th Avenue and High Street and wondered if the time had come to serve my country in combat. My unit was temporarily mobilized, but Operation Desert Storm was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Leading up to the current Iraq war I was confused by the Bush administration’s decision to go to war with evidence that to me it just didn't add up. I did the only thing I could think of and asked friends and family to join hundreds of other Columbus citizens to march against the start of the war, not against my country, which I love deeply. This is our government, and if you believe that it isn't moving in the right direction, you have to speak up. A year later, I decided to run for University Area Commissioner. I walked door to door and had conversations with people on their concerns for our neighborhood, city and country. I was elected University Area Commissioner and was later elected President of the commission. Those conversations with my neighbors and my fellow commissioners have continued and are the foundation for the ideas I want to bring to Columbus City Council. Family is so very important, and I am so proud of mine. My loving wife Christa works for The Ohio State University, and her love and support for me cannot be overstated. She brings beauty into my world every day, and I am truly lucky to have her in my life. My father Bob MacConnell started his non-profit career as a professional Boy Scout in California and retired as president of the United Way of Broward County, Florida. My father instilled in me a love for my community, and need to help those in need. He also taught me early on to speak out for equality of all people because it is the right thing to do. Today he spends his days helping non-profit organizations in these tough economic times and fishing in South Carolina. My mother Janette MacConnell taught me the importance of education and the incredible patience it takes to be a professional educator. She taught her first class at Indianola Elementary in the University District, later went on to teach inner city schoolchildren in Gary, Indiana, and teaches today at St. Josephs Montessori in Italian Village. She is without a doubt the kindest person I know. My younger brother Ben helps to organize congregations all over the country for positive social change, and my youngest brother Rob is a teacher in Grove City Schools. They are both married to wonderful wives and have beautiful children. I was incredibly lucky to have them to grow up with, and today they have made me the proudest uncle alive.
|
||||
|
||||