Clayton lawmaker to run for judge
Decision likely to lead to one of hottest races for Statehouse in area.
State Rep. Jeff Rezabek, R-Clayton, announced on Thursday that he will not seek re-election and will instead run for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Juvenile division judge.
His decision will likely lead to one of the hottest Statehouse races in the region as the Ohio 43rd is one of the most evenly divided politically in the Dayton area.
Among those expressing interest are Clayton Councilman Kenny Henning, a Republican; and Democrats Ralph Dean Brill of Brookville, who has taken out nominating petitions from the Montgomery County Board of Elections; and Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley.
Foley did not respond to requests for comment but is interested in running, according to Mark Owens, chairman of the
Montgomery County Democratic Party. Foley earlier said that he would not seek re-election to the county commission.
Owens said he has also discussed the 43rd House race with other possible candidates but declined to say who they are.
‘We made an impact’
Rezabek said he wants to use his experience as a lawyer and a legislator to bring change to the court.
“We made an impact in the legislature,” he said. “But the real impact is directly on the community and directly with those kids and with those families.”
Rezabek, an attorney specializing in juvenile cases, is running for the seat being vacated at the end of the year by Juvenile Judge Nick Kuntz, who cannot run for re-election due to age limitations for judges.
The race for Kuntz’s seat has attracted a lot of attention, with at least five other people taking out nominating petitions. They include Democrats Julie Bruns of Miamisburg, Greg Scott of Dayton, Steven Wagenfeld of Centerville and Cynthia L. Westwood of Farmersville. Republican C. Ralph Wilcoxon II has also obtained a petition. Rezabek ran unsuccessfully for the job in 2012. First elected to the Ohio House in 2014, he won a bitter re-election battle in 2016 against David Sparks of Clayton.
Henning said he will make the formal announcement that he is running for the seat at an 11:30 a.m. news conference Friday at the Miami Valley Career Technology Center’s adult center, 6801 Hoke Road, Clayton.
“I’m 100 percent invested in the community and I want to ensure that our 43rd House district has a strong champion to advocate for the district in Columbus.” said Henning, who is a judicial assistant to Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Erik Blaine.
A Clayton native who has served on the council since 2012, Henning said his campaign will focus on farming and agriculture, the concerns of small business owners and trying to restore Local Government Fund revenue slashed by the legislature. He said he also wants to address the opioid addiction crisis.
The filing deadline for the May 8 primary is Feb. 7.
Owens said the 43rd House district is about evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans and can be won by a Democrat like Foley. “If he’s willing to get out and roll up his sleeves and work I think he can win it,” Owens said.
The district covers parts of Englewood, Clayton, Trotwood, western Montgomery County and all of Preble County.
County commission
Multiple people have pulled petitions to run for Foley’s county commission seat. Democrats include Montgomery County Treasurer Carolyn Rice and Daryl Ward, senior pastor of Omega Baptist Church in Dayton. Both Rice and Ward have turned in their nominating petitions. Republicans include former Miami Twp. Trustee Bob Matthews and current Miami Twp. Trustee Doug Barry, both of whom have turned in petitions. Petitions have been obtained but not submitted by Greg Hart and Joshua Smith, both Dayton Republicans.