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Drives with Strickland lead Gentile to Senate
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Gentile
COLUMBUS
Incoming state Sen. Lou Gentile has come a long way from his first political job in Ohio nearly 10 years ago driving then-U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland around his new congressional district.
When Gentile, a Democrat from Steubenville, learned that Strickland’s congressional boundaries were drastically altered through redistricting in 2002 to include counties such as Mahoning, Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe and Noble, he contacted the congressman’s campaign seeking a job. Gentile was a recent West Virginia University graduate at the time.
“I called Frances, [Strickland’s wife], a number of times, and she became a great ally to me,” Gentile said. “She took a great liking to me. So then-Congressman Strickland hired me and gave me an opportunity.”
The congressman and Gentile spent a lot of time together on the road campaigning in the district.
After Strickland won the congressional race, he hired Gentile as a field director for Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe and Noble counties. Gentile left at the end of 2003 to work in Iowa for Dick Gephardt’s failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
At home in 2005, Gentile received a telephone call from John Haseley, Strickland’s chief of staff in Congress and later his chief of staff when governor.
“He asked about my driving record,” Gentile said. “Ted wanted someone he could trust to drive him around the state. I really enjoyed the time traveling with Gov. Strickland. We had a lot of laughs. But I also really matured during that experience. I got to see the whole state. We went to every county in the state, and I met and spoke with people in all 88 counties.”
Shortly after Strickland became governor in January 2007, he appointed Gentile as assistant director of the governor’s office of Appalachia.
“I learned how the executive branch works and how to get things done in Columbus,” Gentile said.
When the Ohio House seat in his hometown opened, Gentile decided to run for it in 2010 after spending nearly three years at the Appalachia office.
“The experience I gained working in the Appalachia office and the congressional office put me in a unique position to help people in my district,” he said.
Less than a year in the Ohio House, Gentile, 32, found himself with another political opportunity.
State Sen. Jason Wilson, a Democrat from Columbiana, resigned last month with a little over a year left in his term to join Republican Gov. John Kasich’s administration as director of the office of Appalachia.
The resignation was triggered by Republican-crafted changes to the boundaries of the 30th Senate District beginning with the 2012. The district no longer included Columbiana County, and Wilson wasn’t going to move to seek re-election next year.
Top Democratic officials in the counties in the current and the new 30th urged Gentile to seek the vacancy. He was the only candidate interviewed for the position by the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus.
The caucus announced Nov. 30 that Gentile would replace Wilson. Gentile is expected to be sworn in later this week.
“Timing is everything in politics,” Gentile said. “I wasn’t seeking this position. People asked me to seek it. I felt I had an obligation to step up.”
Columbiana County will remain in the 30th District with Gentile representing it until the beginning of 2013.
At that point, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Democrat from Canfield, will represent Columbiana County in the new 33rd District, which will include all of that county and Mahoning County.
While Gentile’s time representing Columbiana County won’t be long, he said he will work hard with Schiavoni to serve the county.
“He truly cares about the people he represents,” Schiavoni said of Gentile. “He wants to help as many people as possible. He has a lot of political experience. He’s a very thoughtful guy. He operates with a nice, calm demeanor.”
Wilson, who’s known Gentile for about eight years, said his replacement is “a smart guy. People in Columbiana County shouldn’t worry. Lou knows Columbiana County. He’ll make the transition well.”