Martinsville Reporter-Times story about AJ and his path to running for elected office.
By Ronald Hawkins
INDIANAPOLIS
AJ Feeney-Ruiz recently became a nationally endorsed Hispanic,
Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives, a role he
says was nurtured by his experience at Martinsville High School.
Feeney-Ruiz, 32, is a candidate for the District 97 seat, which
is in Indianapolis, but he still owns property near Cope in Morgan
County. His mother, Dr. Tamzon Feeney, was a doctor in Martinsville for
several years.
Feeney-Ruiz traveled down several roads before finding the path
that led him to run for public office. Part of that included a bumpy
start on a bus to the high school that eventually proved to provide
inspiration and people who served as mentors.
Feeney-Ruiz has a visible tattoo on one arm that says, “Courage.”
He has 22 tattoos over his arms, shoulders and back that reflect his
life experiences and values. He said if elected he probably would be the
legislator with the most tattoos.
Before enrolling in Martinsville High School, Feeney-Ruiz had always attended private schools.
He was active in the show choir, musicals, vice president of the
French club and played soccer. He was part of a state champion Spell
Bowl team. He earned his Eagle Scout status in Boy Scout Troop 219 by
building a fence that still stands at the Morgan County Fairgrounds.
“I feel fortunate to have had the experience,” Feeney-Ruiz said. “It adds to who I am.”
He counts his teachers and team advisors as being among his
mentors in his youth. Some of those include Mary Fetherolf, who was his
speech teacher; Tim James, choir teacher; and Wayne Babbit, the Spell
Bowl coach.
“They are so passionate day in and day out,” he said. “They are amazing teachers and human beings. ...
“They are the ones we need to emulate. They gave me confidence.”
Feeney-Ruiz had decided to be a public official early on. He was
nominated by U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar to the U.S. Naval Academy. He
attended that school for one year, but decided that it wasn’t a good
fit.
Feeney-Ruiz eventually graduated from DePauw University, the
Indiana University Law School and received a masters in business
administration from I.U.
During his first semester of law school, however, Feeney-Ruiz
decided he didn’t want to be an attorney. He spent the next two years
traveling and working around the world.
Those years included time spent in Thailand, Turkey, Africa, Laos, and even an eventful detour through Syria, he said.
“I argued my way into Syria,” he said. “I saw life in Damascus.”
During his time in Syria, he believed he was under constant surveillance.
“You realize the importance of good government versus bad government,” Feeney-Ruiz said. “That helped me snap back into it.”
Since then, Feeney-Ruiz has completed his law and business degree
work, worked as deputy chief of staff and director of communications
for the current state secretary of state and previously as
communications for then-Secretary of State Todd Rokita, ran a political
campaign and ran for the Indianapolis city council.
Feeney-Ruiz has volunteered as a mediator and board member for
the Indianapolis Office of Equal Opportunity and serves on the board and
as vice president of public relations for the Indiana chapter of
Partners of the Americas where he assists in building relationships with
the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Su.
Last month, Feeney-Ruiz was named by the Washington, D.C., based
Republican State Leadership Committee as a top candidate of Hispanic
descent and received the support of the committee’s Future Majority
Project. The FMP works to recruit and support qualified Hispanics and
female candidates for legislative seats, attorneys general, and
secretaries of state across the nation, according to Feeney-Ruiz’s
website.
“AJ is a fresh face and an up-and-coming leader with significant
private and public sector experience,” RSLC President Chris Jankowski
said. “As an entrepreneur, he understands the challenges facing small
business owners seeking to create jobs.
“As a former executive appointee in Indiana’s statehouse, he has
been part of government reforms that have become a national model.
Indiana would be lucky to have him in its General Assembly and the RSLC
is proud to support him in his race.”
Creating jobs will be a focus of Feeney-Ruiz’s campaign. He’s created jobs and looked for jobs, he said.
Feeney-Ruiz’s grandparents on his late father’s side were from Puerto Rico, but his mother’s ancestry is Irish.
“I’ve had the (Hispanic) identity put on me,” he said. “I’m
Latino, Hispanic. I spent a good portion of my life without that being
an issue.
“I was told one day that it is part of who you are. You take it seriously.”
Feeney-Ruiz says his priority is to look at issues closely and
make decisions based on facts as opposed to acting on blind faith.
When he was living and working in Washington, D.C. before and
after Sept. 11, 2001, the candidate said he saw differences between the
two major parties that led him eventually to become a Republican.
“With the Democrat everything had to be a fight,” Feeney-Ruiz said. “I’m not saying the Republicans were perfect. ...
“The Republicans were willing to stand by a principle even in the
face of personal defeat. On the other hand, I saw Democrats as being
very different, being willing to do what needs to be done to stay in
office. ...Those were the seeds of what I came to in later life.”
At the end of the day, the Martinsville High School graduate said, he’s a Republican but he doesn’t want to let that define him.
“I seek to be an advocate as part of the big tent philosophy,” he said. “I’m a firm believer people deserve a second chance.
“My leadership philosophy is everybody has value.”
