Who will replace Bob Young in Ohio House? Here's what we know about the process
First things first: The surest bet this month is that the new Ohio House member for southern Summit County will be a Republican.
Former Ohio House Rep. Bob Young, facing a tsunami of legal woes, exited public office Monday.
Right now, the Summit County Republican Party is compiling a stack of applications that will be reviewed next week, with recommendations sent to Columbus.
The Republican from Green announced his resignation Sept. 8 as political pressure mounted.
Now, the 32nd District — which includes the communities of Green, New Franklin, Springfield Township, Lakemore, Coventry Township and the Ellet area of Akron — is vacant.
The search for the right candidate
There's no looming deadline for Young to be replaced.
House GOP spokesman Patrick Melton said Thursday no timeline has been set by House Republicans.
Locally, though, Summit County Republicans will make a recommendation next week that will be sent to Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens.
Here's what we know about the process.
The Summit County Republicans are compiling applications
Interested in becoming an Ohio House member? The Summit County Republican Party is taking applications until 4 p.m. Tuesday.
There are a few qualifications the party is looking for, said Bryan Williams, the county's party chair. Those include a commitment to party principles like lower taxes, limited government and the Second Amendment, he said.
"We look at electability: Do they have experience at getting elected to other offices?" he said. "... We assess whether or not they have the personal character to represent the Republican Party community."
Recommendations due next week
Williams said a standing steering committee of 16 members will consider the applications on Wednesday and come up with a recommendation. That could be one individual or more.
That recommendation will be sent to the full executive committee, which has more than 100 members.
In a Zoom meeting Thursday, the full committee will decide whether to accept the recommendation they've been given.
If accepted, Williams will forward the recommendation and supporting materials to Stephens.
The next steps
Once in the hands of House Republicans in Columbus, a committee of five party members will screen the Summit GOP recommendation. They're not required to pick from the list, but it's likely they will do so and pick one name.
"[Republicans] will vote on that on the floor of the House in an open meeting," Williams said.
A yea vote will decide the next Ohio House 32nd District representative.
Not that unusual
Williams said he voted at least eight times as a member of the Ohio Assembly to appoint a member to a vacated seat. That can occur for many reasons, including death and moving away from the district.
"It happens, [and] there are vacancies for one reason or another," he said. "Last year, there were two."
So far, Williams said, he's aware of three applicants: Jack Daniels, a New Franklin councilman; Mary Stormer, an Akron Municipal Court supervisor and former Akron School Board member; and Elizabeth Haavisto, an attorney with Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths and Dougherty Co.
An application was posted on social media Wednesday, including on the Summit County Republicans' Facebook page, said executive director Cierra Shehorn.
"It's a very high priority for us to appoint someone who can hold the seat," Williams said.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert contributed to this article. Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Who will replace Bob Young in Ohio House? Here's what we know
