State senate considering run for statewide office

Staff report

BOARDMAN

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni isn’t announcing his candidacy for a statewide office, but he admits he’s interested.

“I’ve been working, and I’ve been the minority leader for the last couple of years and that’s given me the opportunity to travel around the state a bit,” said Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd.

Right now, he’s focused on trying to help more Democrats to win seats this year.

“I’ll be term-limited out in 2018 and when that happens, I’ve been saying I’m looking at statewide office,” he said.

He expects to make a decision shortly after this year’s election, but he’s considering a run for governor.

“You want to shoot for the top,” Schiavoni said. “You do the best you can to explain why you would be a good governor and the things you want to do and what you would be able to do to improve the quality of life in the state of Ohio.”

For the past several years, Schiavoni has been a vocal critic of Ohio’s charter-school laws, arguing that charter schools aren’t held to the same standards as public school districts regarding funding, performance and disclosure requirements.

Other officials including state Auditor Dave Yost have called for charter-school reform.

“I’m trying to get support so they know me and they trust me, so people don’t just think, ‘Here’s this guy from Youngstown who wants to run for governor,’” he said. “I’m trying to get out – every single day I’m out in the community, so they’ve met me, they know me and they trust me.”

He would focus his statewide office run on issues similar to what he’s focused on as a state senator.

“Good jobs, good schools, safe communities, safe drinking water and getting a handle on drug abuse and addiction,” he said of his priorities.