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Boccieri, Rulli race for 33rd State Senate Seat
YOUNGSTOWN
State Rep. John Boccieri of Poland, D-59th, and Republican Michael Rulli, director of operations at Rulli Bros. Markets, are competing for the Ohio 33rd District senate seat in November.
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, the incumbent, must leave the office due to term limitations.
Boccieri previously served as the representative for Ohio House 61st District between 2001 and 2006 and was state senator for the 33rd district before Schiavoni.
He was appointed to the 59th district after the resignation of then state Rep. Ron Gerberry amid an ethics investigation.
Rulli, who has worked in various roles at his family’s grocery stores in Boardman and Austintown for the past 33 years, also served on the Leetonia school board for eight years.
“We took a school that was on the verge of consolidation, and within eight years filled the coffers with extreme funds while giving the teachers the largest raise in Ohio in 2018 without raising taxes or reducing staff,” Rulli said.
Rulli has been a vocal supporter of public schools and said he would like to “revamp the public school districts starting with workshops for public school treasurers.”
His priorities, if elected, are to stop population loss, work with local leaders and “address the job situation.” He also would like to see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers complete a project to restore the Mahoning River, which he believes he can convince the state to fund.
Rulli said he has accepted no money from political action groups or lobbyists for his campaign.
Boccieri, in addition to his experience as a state-level legislator, has served in the Air Force since 1994, completing four years as an active-duty airman and the rest as a reservist. In the private sector, Boccieri has worked for both State Farm Insurance and United Airlines.
During his tenure representing the 59th district, Boccieri said eight of his ideas have become law, most dealing with funding to support veterans with financial burdens or other military-specific endeavors.
Outside of military-focused legislation, Boccieri also participated in legislation that saw the establishment of Eastern Gateway Community College, funding for green-space conservation in the Wick Neighborhood in Youngstown, passing legislation to speed up the chance for Lordstown residents to vote to allow TJX to set up in the village, and helped ensure Sebring had monitoring and testing plans in place after the discovery of lead in their water supply.
Boccieri is opposed to Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to reduce penalties for crimes of obtaining, possessing and using illegal drugs.
He supports property-tax relief for local school funding and wants to create countywide water and sewer districts to help address recent flooding throughout the 59th district.
He hopes to grow opportunities for new businesses and job growth, help increase raises for working individuals, reduce student loan debt for college graduates and to “align school curriculums with the local economy.”
Rulli said the district has been ignored by the state and is in need of new leadership.
“Recent legal corruption charges against my opposition party tell me that we can do better,” he said. “We are not being represented in Columbus. We need to be heard.”
Boccieri has pointed to ongoing problems in the state as a lack of efficacy among Republican leadership and policies.
“While Republican lawmakers might be well-intentioned, their policies have failed our state,” Boccieri said. “They’ve controlled all statewide elected offices for 14 of the last 18 years. Ohio’s job growth has trailed the national average for 66 consecutive months, more than five consecutive years.”