BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Unofficial results in Lucas County show that Republican Theresa Gavarone has beat out challenger Joel O'Dorisio for the Ohio Senate District 2 spot.
Gavarone said she originally sought a seat in the Ohio House to focus on education and the drug addiction crisis.
Gavarone has also said that support for law enforcement is important, and that she wouldn’t support any legislation that would support closing Davis-Besse.
Gavarone has served as a senator since Feb. 2019.
Get to know the candidates
Two candidates are vying for the position of senator in Ohio District 2: incumbent Republican Sen. Theresa Gavarone and challenger Joel O'Dorisio
Both have their reasons for what inspired them to seek a position in state government, many of which stem back to education.
“I originally sought the seat in the Ohio House based on what I was seeing in my law practice, the impact of the drug addiction crisis. And having three kids in school I wanted to work on education issues," Gavarone said.
Gavarone has held her seat since February 6, 2019.
“I see it getting harder and harder for my students to afford an education each year. And I want to make sure that we are investing in our community by investing in our students," O’Dorisio said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a major spotlight on state government, with decisions regarding restrictions and closures being left up to state officials.
Gavarone said she feels the legislative branch should have a say in decisions, such as closures, that impact Ohioans. O'Dorisio said he believes the executive branch is there for emergency decisions, but local areas should have the freedom to increase restrictions.
“People are worried right now, they're worried about the education their kids are getting. There are some school districts that are completely online! And I think in a time like this, experience matters," Gavarone said.
“Every employer is worried about creating a safe work environment, every person who still has a job is worried about whether they're going to get COVID at work. We need to make sure we are taking care of the people of Ohio first, and then take care of the economy once we have this crisis under control," O'Dorisio said.
Both candidates live and have major connections in Bowling Green. Gavarone and her husband own a small business downtown and O’Dorisio is a professor at Bowling Green State University.
Ohio District 2 is located mainly in Wood County but includes part of Lucas County as well.
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Gavarone and O’Dorisio weighed in on a number of other issues:
OHIO HOUSE BILL 6:
Gavarone: “I wouldn’t support any legislation that would support closing Davis-Besse. Davis-Besse is in my district in Ottawa County, it’s so important to our area. It employs thousands of people, directly and indirectly. That money supports schools, libraries, emergency services, and also nuclear energy provides for about 90% of Ohio’s carbon-free energy, which is really important.”
O’Dorisio: “We absolutely have to repeal it and replace it. We cannot accept millions of dollars of corruption as the cost of doing business here in Ohio. It’s been labeled by many organizations as the most corrupt legislation in Ohio’s history, we cannot accept that. We need to make sure the people of Ohio are at the table when we’re negotiating a bill like that. Not just people who can afford a seat at the table”
ON LAW ENFORCEMENT:
Gavarone: “The vast majority of law enforcement officers are doing everything right. It is important we continue to support law enforcement. I sponsored Senate concurrent resolution 16, which opposes any efforts to defund law enforcement but at the same time, it calls for justice for victims of excessive force. We need to make sure victims are being heard.”
O’Dorisio: “I support the first responders in our community. Our district is very diverse and the needs across the district are not identical. We have areas of our community that is not fully staffed as far as first responders, and we need to make sure we are funding the local government fund to make sure we have the staffing we need. We also need concrete police reforms so all members of our community feel they are equally served.”