Ohio Republicans selected an Upper Sandusky native to replace Rep. Wes Goodman, who resigned due to scandal in November.
Riordan McClain, a 2002 graduate of Upper Sandusky High School, was selected by a panel of GOP lawmakers to fill the seat that his father, Jeff McClain, served from 2008 to 2014.
The 87th House District includes all of Wyandot, Crawford and Morrow counties as well as portions of Seneca and Marion counties.
Ten people applied for the position, including former Wyandot County Commissioner Mike Wheeler and Wyandot Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Kathy Grasz.
“The process was lengthy and unique over the last two months with paperwork, recommendation letters, interviews and more and I’m honored to be selected out of a very good list of candidates,” McClain said.
“I’ve been blown away by the support I’ve received from friends, family and associates. I’m humbled and inspired by a lot of the words that were said about me along the way.”
McClain graduated from Bluffton University and earned his MBA at the University of Findlay. He works as director of finance and customer service at Doc Investments.
“My experience in helping build this company to what it is, working both in the private world and larger publicly-traded companies gives me a good grasp of the business economy and the challenges that businesses face in this day and age,” McClain said.
“I have held pretty much every role as the company has grown. We were ranked the 177th fastest growing company in the country last year.”
It wasn’t difficult to find McClain’s inspiration to step out of the private sector and go into public service. His father had a large impact.
“During my dad’s tenure as a state representative, it sparked my interest,” McClain said.
“Seeing my father serve, observing what a successful term looks like was an inspiration for me. When my dad was term-limited two years ago, I strongly considered running … given the business’ growth the last two years, it’s enabled me to step away from a lot of the day-to-day operations.”
McClain hopes to bring the same values his father brought to the position.
“My dad means a lot to me and he’s given me a good base through my upbringing,” McClain said.
“His leadership and training of me has enabled me to see the world through a good view in order to address things. He’s my biggest resource to reach out to when needed. While I hope to always be viewed as my own man for who I stand for. It’s impossible to remove my father from me because of what he’s invested into me and I’ve done that same investment into my family.”
McClain has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 10 years.
They have two daughters, Norah, 7 and Harlow, 4; and a son Hudson, 2.
“I’m a husband first, a father to my children and beyond that, I want to be helpful to the district and be a servant to the position,” McClain said.
“I’m not a politician, I want to serve. I’ve grown up here, I’ve lived here my whole life through athletics and business in the area. I’m very familiar with the area and the needs of the area.”
“I want to go in with an open perspective on challenges. I’ve seen this position as a third party, but I want to speak with people and make a focus to get out and meet with all the great leaders in the counties already, the commissioners, the mayors, and listen.”
As far as his ambitions, McClain plans on campaigning for the position once the remainder of his appointed term ends.
“I want to put all that I am into this,” McClain said.
“When I commit to something, I want to do the best. I absolutely want to have the honor and privilege of being elected in the next election cycle. I’ll do my best to earn the approval of the district.”
McClain plans to make himself available to constituents in the community, and he’s eager to get started.
“I’m excited to get down there [to Columbus],” McClain said.
“I have expectations for what this will be like but I’m sure those will change once I’m actually there. I’m really looking forward to this new experience.”
By BRIAN HEMMINGER
Staff writer Daily Chief Union
From article: http://www.dailychiefunion.com/featured/upper-man-picked-for-ohio-house/
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