ATHENS, Ohio — Athens City Council member Micah McCarey will run for Ohio House District 95, after the Democratic Party appointed him to replace Lish Greiner, who withdrew from the race.
McCarey will challenge incumbent Republican Don Jones (R-Freeport).
Finding a candidate
Athens County Democratic Party Chair Lauren Dikis said she and other party officials in the district began looking to replace Greiner in late April, after Greiner notified the party that she intended to withdraw from the race.
Dikis said the party “did pretty extensive outreach” to identify candidates, although McCarey was the only person who stepped forward.
McCarey said he thought he would make a good candidate to replace Greiner in part due to his leadership experience, including on Athens City Council.
Dikis said she is “personally excited and also as the chair of our party thrilled that Micah has decided to run for office,” describing him as “an incredible public servant.”
Greiner said in a Facebook message, “I am thrilled that I was able to hold a seat on this ticket for a democrat. If I had not submitted the petition for candidacy when I did, it would be an uncontested race with only the incumbent Republican on the ticket. I am beyond thrilled about Micah’s campaign. I can’t wait to support him and be involved in his campaign!”
McCarey vs. Jones
McCarey said his priorities in the statehouse would include “funding for quality programs” across the areas of education, environment, and economic development.
In education, McCarey said he would focus on ensuring that “teachers themselves are being heard with regard to resources that they need to help their students,” and providing funding for those resources.
Jones’ background is in education and small business: He taught agricultural education for more than two decades in Harrison County.
“I’m fighting for education almost daily, so I don’t understand what more they’re looking for,” Jones told the Independent.
Most recently in education, Jones served as the primary sponsor for Ohio House Bill 432, which passed the Ohio House this month with bipartisan support. The bill makes it easier for individuals to gain licensure to serve as career-technical workforce development educators.
Last year, he served as a primary sponsor for House Bill 12 (in house committee) that suggested making sweeping changes to the Ohio Department of Education. While the bill died in committee, the state’s biennial budget absorbed its proposal to create the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. He also was a primary sponsor for House Bill 103, in committee, which mandates Ohio social studies standards based on “American Birthright,” which the National Council for the Social Studies says “use outdated language, have a clear political motive, and promote content and approaches to social studies and history education that do not align with those recommended by experts in social studies content areas.”
Regarding the environment, McCarey said he will emphasize enhanced environmental protections, particularly in regard to drinking water. McCarey said he has learned about the importance of high quality water infrastructure in part by chairing Athens City Council’s City & Safety Services committee, where he has seen technological improvements to the city’s water treatment facility.
McCarey said he would focus on “just making sure that we have technologies in place, and funding for communities that don’t already have technology in place, to protect our drinking water sources from pollution.”
McCarey said environmental protections in state law are needed to ensure residents have safe drinking water.
Jones said, “As far as their environmental concerns, I don’t think I’ve been reckless in my decisions that I’ve made.”
The Ohio House is currently considering Jones’ bill to provide state-backed loans and property tax exemptions for natural gas pipelines in the state.
Oil and gas incidents are frequent in Ohio: the Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigated 1,500 incidents over the same period, from 2018 through early September 2023; 26 of those were in Athens County. The ODNR also recently shut down fracking waste injection wells in eastern Athens County over concerns for local drinking water.
In the area of economic development, McCarey emphasized broadband infrastructure, just as Jones did in a previous conversation with the Independent.
McCarey said, “I am looking to invest in strategic plans” to provide for different communities “a sense of economic development opportunities that they’ve pursued, where they run into trouble and how state legislation can help them navigate those challenges.”
Jones said his economic development focus, however, would be on workforce development, because, “We’ve got more jobs than people to take the jobs.”
In addition to his priority areas, McCarey said he would focus on human rights and, in particular, rights for LGBTQ+ communities and the right to bodily autonomy.
McCarey is the director of Ohio University’s Pride Center and has taken other leadership roles in initiatives related to LGBTQ+ communities, which he said reflects the priorities he believes the state legislature should have.
“I have been on the receiving end of so many citizen concerns with regards to LGBTQ protections and bodily autonomy,” he said. He specifically referenced concerns around access to gender affirming healthcare and active support for existing protections such as marriage equality.
McCarey also said he recently received a fellowship from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, which supports LGBTQ+ leaders in public service.
Jones said he and McCarey can “agree to disagree” on LGBTQ+ issues.
“My votes speak for my position,” Jones said.
Jones has a record of supporting socially conservative legislation; for example, he co-sponsored House Bill 68, which bars trans girls from participating in women’s sports and banned gender-affirming care for trans youths. The bill’s enforcement is currently blocked by court order, pending a legal challenge.
Jones said, “I think I’ve represented my district pretty well.”
He called on voters to consider his legislative record, including recent bills he sponsored that have come to the Ohio House floor: the aforementioned bills on teacher licensure and natural gas pipelines, as well as a bill restricting activities related to wild swine.
McCarey also called on voters to consider his experience.
In a press release announcing his campaign, McCarey referred to leadership experiences such as completing the Athens County Foundation’s Leadership Athens County program, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service’s Leading in Appalachia training program, and his work with the Strong Cities Network, which combats extremism and polarization.
McCarey’s campaign also noted his work on Athens City Council in his press release, citing “legislation pertaining to the planning, design, and construction of Athens’ new fire department headquarters and passed legislation expanding local protections from discrimination based on hairstyle or texture.”
The election for Ohio’s 95th district will take place Nov. 5. To participate without using an absentee or provisional ballot, Ohio residents must register to vote by Oct. 7. Voters may register online.
Note: This story has been updated to include comment from Lish Greiner.
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