Who's running for the Democratic nomination in Ohio's 34th House district?

Democratic voters in Ohio's 34th House district will choose from three people for the party's nomination in the March 19 primary election.

Early voting began Feb. 21.

At-Large Munroe Falls City Councilwoman Dina Edwards, former Akron School Board President Derrick Hall and nonprofit business leader Nathan Jarosz are competing for the chance to keep the district blue following the exit of Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson.

Weinstein is running for Vernon Sykes' state Senate seat. Due to term limits, Sykes can't run again.

The 34th House district includes Stow, Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge, Silver Lake, Munroe Falls, Akron's North Hill and northwest Akron.

The Beacon Journal spoke with the three Democratic candidates about what's motivating them to run, the issues they're focusing on and what separates them from each other.

Nathan Jarosz

Nathan Jarosz, 29, is running for the statehouse on a platform built around servant leadership because he wants to ensure that the whole district "has a voice and feels empowered."

Addressing environmental concerns and gun violence, defending reproductive rights and unions, bolstering public education and investing in higher paying jobs and job training are chief priorities for Jarosz.

Acting on some of these could be difficult without a Democratic majority, but Jarsoz, an Eagle Scout, said he has a history of crafting bipartisan coalitions, citing his work with Republican leaders during his time with the scouts.

"Now, I understand that there may be many who will not budge on a lot of these issues," he said "But it starts off with building relationships with people in the legislature, and finding common ground where we can find it."

His expertise in leadership distinguishes him from his opponents, he said.

For seven years, Jarosz has been teaching leadership skills to youth domestically and internationally through a nonprofit he started called Leadership Influencing Teen Empowerment (LITE). In 2021, he published a book on the subject of leadership.

He's spent three years involved with the Summit County Progressive Democrats, and is currently serving as the grassroots organization's president.

Jarosz wants to shift the party's stance from reactive to proactive by collaborating with community leaders to plainly communicate the party's beliefs and values pertaining to the issues close to them.

"So it comes down to how we message and how we advocate for our communities," said Jarosz. "And it's a lot better to be for something that against."

Derrick Hall

For four years, Derrick Hall, 47, served on the Akron Public Schools' Board of Education. Two of those years were spent as vice president, and one year as president.

His upbringing motivated his jumping into the race. Hall grew up poor, living in public housing with parents with addiction issues. It's important to have a representative who understands the struggle facing needy families and can help those people, he said.

Hall said his broad education and professional background sets him apart from the pack. He's worked for some Fortune 100 companies and small- and large-sized nonprofits.

He also serves in the Army as a JAG officer and on a number of boards, including the Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio Board since 2018 and the Better Kenmore Community Development Corporation's board.

That multifaceted leadership experience will make him an effective legislator, he said.

Hall believes that health care, education, business development and the environment are the biggest issues facing the electorate. He also wants to address gerrymandering.

To tackle those issues, Hall would form a House District 34 Leadership Council comprised of other elected officials in the district and voters interested in getting involved. It will also take building a bipartisan coalition, something that he said he thinks isn't as hard to do now as it has been.

"Well, I think issue one was a shot across the bow to the Republican Party," he said. "I think Republicans in the State House are seeing really for the first time in years, that that there is a broad swath of voters in Ohio that want to see more centrist approach to how we address things in our community."

Dina Edwards

For At-Large Munroe Falls Councilwoman Dina Edwards, 50, the opportunity to serve at the state level means being able to address issues she's passionate about — women's reproductive rights, the wage gap between men and women, school funding and more.

She'd also like to find a way to make housing more affordable.

"I'd like to bring first-time homebuyer incentive in the form of low interest rates and the ability to rehab homes that are existing that need a lot of work so that they're more affordable for young people or just first time homebuyers," said Edwards.

She's also an advocate for comprehensive, equally accessible mental health care for adults and children.

Her motherhood differentiates her from her opponents, she said, because she knows firsthand what raising a child in today's work is like

During her campaign for council, Edwards said she knocked on doors of voters of every political stripe, resulting in a bipartisan victory.

Her straight talk about how her policies will benefit everyone allowed her, she said, to "transcend" political affiliation.

Edwards said she believes that her experiences as a mother, teacher and union member resonate with the electorate.

"I think I have the skill to communicate," she said, "and reach across the aisle and compromise and understand one another, and (empathize with) what the other side is thinking."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Derrick Hall, Dina Edwards, Nathan Jarosz battle in State House race