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Republican Kevin Ritter wants to take his skills as a former teacher to the statehouse as the 94th District’s representative
< < Back toMARIETTA, Ohio (WOUB News) — Before he was elected as a Washington County commissioner, Kevin Ritter was a teacher.
“For years I’ve had students asking me, ‘Mr. Ritter, if you believe this stuff when are you going to do it yourself?’” Ritter said.
He taught American history and government across four colleges, and he started his own school called Veritas Classical Academy.
Now he said he’s ready to apply what he taught in the classroom to the Ohio statehouse.
“To be empathetic, to be understanding, to try to see things from other people’s point of view, I think that’s going to be a real asset,” Ritter said.
He’s running as the Republican candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives District 94, which covers Washington and Meigs Counties as well as most of Athens County.
Ritter and the Democratic candidate Wenda Sheard are looking to take over from Republican Jay Edwards, who is termed out.
Ritter said he’s looking to set his own standards if he’s elected to Edwards’ seat because the 94th District has changed.
“He set an awful high bar, but I’m going to try to set my own bar, and that begins with the district itself,” Ritter said.
One of Ritter’s policy standpoints is to “unshackle” the oil and gas industry by reevaluating the way revenue is collected from injection sites.
He also supports pro-life policies, the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and giving parents more input in their children’s education, according to his campaign website.
When it comes to being in office, Ritter is relying on his experience as a county commissioner.
“As a county commissioner, you gain invaluable experience in developing a budget, dealing with staff, dealing with personnel issues, being the face of local government,” Ritter said.