About Runa
I grew up in poverty, experiencing firsthand the realities of trying to navigate systems that often fail the very people who depend on them the most. My experiences growing up shaped my understanding of how economic inequality affects individuals, families, and entire communities. I learned early that many of the struggles people face are not the result of personal shortcomings, but the consequences of political and economic systems that have allowed basic needs to become increasingly difficult to access.
As I grew older, these experiences continued to shape my perspective as I encountered many of the same barriers affecting families across our communities. As a young mother, I have experienced the challenges of accessing healthcare, childcare, financial stability, and essential resources. These experiences deepened my understanding of how government decisions directly impact people’s ability to live with dignity and security.
For too long, political systems have treated poverty and inequality as individual problems rather than recognizing the larger structures that create and maintain them. Government has too often prioritized corporate interests, wealth accumulation, and institutional power over the needs of working people, families, and marginalized communities. I believe this approach has failed the people government is meant to serve.
Rather than accepting these failures as inevitable, I turned toward organizing and community action. I founded and built 4winds419, a grassroots mutual aid organization focused on developing community-based solutions through resource sharing, food access, environmental responsibility, immigrant support, and collective care. Through this work, I have seen the power communities hold when people come together to support one another and create solutions outside systems that have failed them.
My organizing experience strengthened my belief that government should not operate as a distant institution that only responds after people reach a point of crisis. Government should be a democratic tool that works with communities, invests in people, and ensures that everyone has access to the resources necessary to live with dignity.
I am running for Toledo City Council because I believe our city needs a transformation in how government understands its responsibility to residents. As a council member, my goal is to advance policies that address the root causes of inequality through affordable housing, accessible healthcare, strong public services, community-controlled economic development, environmental protection, and expanded democratic participation.
I believe Toledo can become a model for what community-centered governance can achieve. A city where residents have power over decisions affecting their lives, where public resources are used to strengthen communities instead of corporate interests, and where every person has the ability to thrive regardless of their economic background.
Serving on City Council is the beginning of my commitment to public service. My long-term goal is to continue this work as Governor of Ohio, addressing statewide challenges that require broader action, including healthcare access, education, economic inequality, environmental protection, infrastructure, and the future of public resources.
My vision for Ohio is a government that recognizes human dignity as the foundation of public policy. A government that invests in communities, protects human rights, and ensures that essential needs are not determined by wealth or social status.
I am running because I know what it means to experience the consequences of systems that fail people. I am running because communities deserve leadership that understands those experiences and is committed to transforming the structures that create them.
Government should not belong to corporations, wealthy interests, or political elites. It should belong to the people.
Runa Guzman for Toledo 