2 vie for Ohio House District 57 seat

Voters will choose between two candidates Nov. 6 on who will represent the Ohio 57th House District.

Incumbent Republican Dick Stein is seeking a second term and will face off against Democrat challenger James Johnson.

The annual base salary for Ohio lawmakers is $60,584, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.

State representatives serve two-year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms.

The 57th House District includes Huron County and the Lorain County communities of Rochester Township, Wellington, LaGrange,

Eaton, Avon and portions of North Ridgeville.

Johnson did not return a Morning Journal election questionnaire.

In his questionnaire, Stein, 64, said good paying jobs and the opioid crisis are the biggest challenges facing his district and the state of Ohio.

“I believe these two important issues are linked in several ways,” Stein said. “A strong economy with a robust job market provides

opportunity and hope for all people.

“A strong economy brings more tax revenue to local and state government, and allows for better programs to be created or enhanced for opioid education, detox and recovery, all without raising the tax rate.”

As a state representative, Stein said he hears from businesses about the difficulty in finding qualified employees who can pass a drug test.

He said voters should send him back to Columbus because of his track record of bi-partisanship during his first 20 months in office.

Stein cited his success in passing House Bill 168, which created a grant program to help improve Ohio’s 2,400 nonprofit cemetery’s and his present work on a bill that will help improve Ohio’s role as a leader in research and development of medical isotopes and advance reactor technology.

“Be assured, I will continue to work with both sides of the aisle for ideas that make sense, and in doing so, do not care who gets credit for the positive outcomes as long as we can keep moving Ohio to a better place for all our families for many generations,” Stein said.