3 freshmen Ohio reps ready to work

January 10, 2015 at 12:03a.m.

COLUMBUS

Michael O’Brien served for decades in local government in Trumbull County.

Michele Lepore-Hagan watched Ohio House and Senate sessions from the gallery and breathed state politics from her home on the North Side of Youngstown for the past 28 years.

And Tim Ginter is a longtime pastor, conference speaker and business consultant who wants to make a difference in state government.

They’re three of the new faces you’ll see in the Ohio Legislature this session, taking the places of lawmakers forced out by term limits or defeated at election time.

In total, 29 of the 99 members of the Ohio House are freshmen, including 18 of 65 Republicans and 11 of 34 Democrats. (There are four additional freshmen in the Ohio Senate, though three are former members of the Ohio House.)

They’ll all hit the ground running this month, with separate retreats for Republican and Democratic lawmakers, new committee assignments and coming biennial budget deliberations that will be the focus of most Statehouse dwellers’ attention through the end of June.

Here’s a quick look at three of the newest members of the Ohio House, along with their goals for the new session:

District 64

O’Brien, D-Warren, served as a Trumbull County commissioner and as a city councilman and mayor of Warren before becoming a state representative. His district includes parts of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties and was formerly represented by Tom Letson, who was forced out by term limits.

O’Brien describes himself as a moderate who hopes to find some common ground with the Republican majority in the chamber.

“Personally, I’ve always been able to work with people on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “I’ve not experienced such partisan politics in the past. I think I’ll be able to work on both sides.”

Issues-wise, O’Brien said he’ll push for stronger accountability for charter schools, support for manufacturers and an increase in local government funds.

District 58

Lepore-Hagan,D-Youngstown, has kept close tabs on state government for nearly three decades, as the wife of former state Rep. Bob Hagan. He was elected to a term on the state school board after being forced out of the House by term limits; she takes his seat in the Ohio House.

Lepore-Hagan, the former director of the performing arts series at Youngstown State University, said she plans to focus her attention on issues that matter to her and her constituents, including public education and women’s health.

As a state representative, Bob Hagan was known for sometimes-loud, often-biting floor speeches that led to more than one call of “out of order” from the Republican side of the aisle. Lepore-Hagan said she’ll probably take a different approach from the floor.

Lepore-Hagan already is eyeing her first bipartisan bill introduction — legislation to provide Ohio drivers with more information on traffic-law changes.

District 5

Ginter, R-Salem, unseated incumbent Democratic Rep. Nick Barborak. It was his third attempt at public office, after past runs for Congress and the state Senate.

Ginter has been an ordained minister for more than three decades and currently pastors a church in his hometown. His election to the Ohio House is a natural progression of that service, he says.

His top priorities include improving workforce development and cutting health care costs. He also has asked to serve on the House health committee to tackle drug addiction, which has hit his district hard. He said he’s had discussions with local law enforcement and Columbiana County’s drug task force on ways to improve state law to address the issue.

Ginter also hopes to work on energy issues, given eastern Ohio’s emerging shale oilfields.