Ohio House District Appointments

Release:

COLUMBUS – Speaker William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today announced the appointment of three new members of the Ohio House of Representatives, each of whom were sworn in during Tuesday’s House session. The House Republican Caucus members have unanimously approved of the three appointments.

 

“While it is ultimately the responsibility of the House of Representatives under the Ohio Constitution to make an appointment in these instances, we rely heavily on the input of the constituents and local leaders of the individual House Districts,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Thanks in no small part to the efforts put forth by the constituency in each of these districts, we are privileged to welcome three excellent new members to our caucus.”

 

The appointments are as follows:

 

House District 37: James Butler, Jr.

Rep. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) was recently appointed to fill the remaining two years of former state senator Jon Husted’s term due to his election as Ohio’s Secretary of State.  The Montgomery County Republican Party unanimously recommended local attorney Jim Butler (R-Oakwood) to fill the remainder of Rep. Lehner’s term.

 

“Jim’s record of service to Montgomery County and our nation is outstanding,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “His service and intellect will be a tremendous addition to our caucus.”

 

Rep. Butler is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in history and a graduate of the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in history.  He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the top 10 percent of his class and then entered flight training at the Naval Academy where he graduated first in his class.  He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and is currently an associate at Thompson Hine, LLP in Dayton.

 

The 37^th House District, located in Montgomery County, includes the cities of Kettering, Miamisburg, Oakwood, West Carrollton, and several townships.

House District 77: Jim Buchy

Recently, Governor John Kasich announced that Representative Jim Zehringer (R-Fort Recovery) would lead the Ohio Department of Agriculture, creating a vacancy in the 77^th House District.  Former State Representative Jim Buchy (R-Greenville) has been selected to fill the remainder of Rep. Zehringer’s term.

 

“Jim is a wonderful man with an exemplary record of service in the legislature and in the private sector,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Having the support of all three county Republican parties, Rep. Zehringer, Senator Faber, Congressman Jordan and the constituents of the district made this an easy choice for our caucus and I look forward to working with Jim again.”

 

Rep. Buchy served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1983 to 2000 and served as the assistant director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004.  He is the President of Buchy Food Service in Greenville, Ohio and serves on the NFIB-Ohio statewide leadership council.

 

The 77^th House District includes all of Mercer and Preble Counties and the western portion of Darke County.

House District 98: Richard Hollington

Rep. Dick Hollington (R-Hunting Valley) has been re-appointed to the 98^th House District seat after a unanimous recommendation by a legislative screening panel. 

 

“After interviewing a dozen well-qualified, thoughtful applicants for this vacancy, we believe Representative Hollington’s previous service in the legislature coupled with his private sector work experience will be best suited to work with our caucus during these challenging economic times,” said Rep. Lou Blessing, who chaired the legislative screening panel in December.

 

Rep. Hollington served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1967 to 1970 and recently served the 98^th House District during the 2010 legislative session after being appointed following the resignation of former Representative Matt Dolan. He is a senior partner in the Cleveland Law Firm of Baker Hostetler LLP and finance director for the Village of Hunting Valley.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

 

The 98^th House District encompasses all of Geauga County and portions of Cuyahoga County.