Callender appointed Rules Committee chairman

Newly elected state Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord Township, is already heading a committee.

Callender, 53, has been appointed chairman of the Rules Committee.

“It is an honor to be a part of this esteemed institution and exciting to be part of a team that will bring back integrity and openness to the people’s House,” Callender said in a statement.

One of the key goals of the Rules Committee is “restoring a standard of receptivity to both sides of the aisle in committee and session proceedings,” according to a news release.

Callender, who represents the 61st District, was elected in November to the seat previously held by the term-limited Ron Young, R-Leroy Township. Young is now a Lake County commissioner.

The 61st district consists of Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Mentor Wards 1-3, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Waite Hill, Willoughby Hills, the townships of Concord, Leroy, Madison, Perry and parts of Painesville Township.

This is Callender’s second stint as a state representative, having previously served from 1997 to 2004 before being term limited.

Callender told the NewsHerald in December that his personal priorities include an effort to save the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, which is scheduled to close in 2021.

“It should be a high priority for anyone coming in to this position,” he said.

He also wants to work with local communities and ensure that Columbus “does no harm” to local communities and works as a team player with them.

Other priorities include lessening the opioid epidemic and addressing school funding.

“Our education funding system is still broken, after all of these years, and yet our educational system is what is going to create our future,” he said.

Callender