A conversation with Richland County state representative candidates

MANSFIELD — Incumbent Marilyn John (R-Richland County) will face off against Emily E. Adams and Timothy Grady for the Ohio House District 76 seat, representing Richland County.

John, 56, was first elected to the seat in 2020 after serving terms as the mayor of Shelby and Richland County commissioner.

Adams, 41, is an educator and a trained environmentalist. She was nominated for the Democratic ticket for house representative in April after former Mansfield City Councilman Alomar Davenport withdrew from the statehouse race.

Independent write-in Timothy Grady, 28, first ran for elected office in 2016 as a write-in candidate for Ohio House District 2 (Richland County) and again in 2018 as a Libertarian nominee for the seat.

Grady’s name won’t appear on the ballot. Voters would need to type it into their ballot.

Legislators in the Ohio General Assembly receive a base salary of $71,009, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Here were the candidates’ responses to Richland Source’s questions.

RS: Tell me a little bit about yourself — where you grew up, where you work, where you went to school, and any activities/ community organizations you’re involved in.

John: I am currently serving my second term in the Ohio House of Representatives following two terms as mayor of the City of Shelby and two terms as Richland County commissioner. After graduating from Plymouth High School, I attended North Central State College earning a degree in Business Management and Ashland University earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

I worked as a commercial lines underwriter at the Shelby Insurance Company after college and then was named Executive Director of the Shelby Senior Center in 2007. In 2012, I founded LeaderRichland, a program introducing junior high students to local in-demand jobs and pathways leading them to these opportunities. 

My husband, Kevin, and I have been married 29 years and have two married adult children. We reside in Shelby and attend Crossroads Community Church.

Adams: I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. I went to American University in Washington, D.C. where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies. I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for two years at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Next, I earned a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Duke University. My husband and I spent one year living in Geneva, Switzerland, where I worked at the World Meteorological Organization. I was a stay-at-home mom for seven years before joining Discovery School as the woods teacher. Since moving to Mansfield, I have started working as an election worker. I’ve also been involved with the Richland County Democratic Party. I enjoy going to trivia night at the Phoenix. 

Grady: I was born and grew up in Richland County. Until mid-October, I was working as an anti-money laundering analyst. I needed more time to focus on graduate school and I’d prefer to find internships or part-time work related to my career interests in economic development. 

I have an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science from Stark State College and a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Ohio University. I’m also currently enrolled in a Master’s of Public Administration program at The Ohio State University. Beyond work and school, I’m very involved with the development of the Forward Party in Ohio and locally. The Mid-Ohio Forward Party meets fairly regularly. 

RS: What made you want to seek elected office in this position?

John: I have been advocating for this community for 15 years, first as Mayor of Shelby, then Richland County commissioner and now state representative. I have built strong relationships with residents, with elected officials and community and state leaders over those years which has helped me be an effective legislator for Richland County.

Adams: The Ohio State Legislature has been too focused on taking away our rights. When I saw in April that the Democratic candidate dropped out of the race, I knew I had to run. This election is taking place with gerrymandered, unconstitutional maps. Two years ago, this race was uncontested. Having an uncontested race takes away voters’ voice. I am running to give voters a choice and to protect our freedom. 

Watching the news that comes out of the statehouse while raising my family in Mansfield has made me so mad. When I started working as an election worker in Richland County, I saw first-hand how safe and secure our voting process is. Rather than expand access to the ballot, though, Ohio’s legislature has made it harder to vote. This is just one example of the legislature focusing on how they can retain power rather than solving people’s problems. 

Grady: The main reason I run for office is to try and bring new and better ideas into the discussion. We don’t talk about ideas much in politics, it’s mostly a game of partisanship, and candidates can get away with saying nothing just because they’re on the right team. 

A political campaign is an amazing opportunity to reach people in a way you never could otherwise. I think campaigns are how we set the agenda in a democracy. I’m running to engage with people, to organize them, to create grassroots momentum for the change we need long term. 

And generally, I don’t like choosing between the lesser of two nothings every year. I want something to vote for on election day. 

I think elections should be fun, and more people should run for office. Elections shouldn’t be apocalyptic, they should be a thoughtful and energetic exchange of ideas. More people should run for office, we deserve more choice, more voices, and better candidates than what the political machines deliver us. 

RS: Have you held or run for elected office before? 

John: I became mayor of Shelby in 2010 and served as Richland County commissioner for six years. I am serving my second term in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Adams: I was elected to the City of Mansfield’s Charter Review Commission in November 2023. That is a non-partisan position and we successfully served our duties earlier this year. 

Grady: I was the Libertarian nominee for state representative of the 2nd district (Richland County) in 2018. And I did run for governor of Ohio as a write-in candidate in 2022 and came in fourth out of six candidates. I have not held elected office — I have not been in a position to run to win an office, but would consider it in the future. I’m not much of a politician myself, I prefer policy, and am always happy to help other people run. 

RS: What are some things you’re proud of accomplishing in elected office or in other leadership positions?

John: Highlights of my recent accomplishments include:

• 2022 Capital Budget $5.5 million for Richland County, including $600,000 for the Ohio Bird Sanctuary and $200,000 for the Richland County Fair Show Arena.
• 2024 Capital Budget $6.2 million for Richland County, including $1 million for the Renaissance Theatre “Road to 100” renovation and $425,000 for Lexington Depot Park and Trailhead.

Adams: As a member of the Charter Review Commission, we worked well in a non-partisan manner to listen to what changes people wanted and didn’t want to the city’s charter. Listening to the people was our priority, and we succeeded.

Grady: I’m fairly happy with how far we’ve been able to bring the Ohio Forward Party in a short period of time. There is tons of work to do, but we’ve built a foundation — we’re organizing local chapters, recruiting volunteers, backing candidates, and that’s all going to keep increasing exponentially because this is a change people want. 

For clarification, I have been involved with the leadership of the state Forward Party, but for my candidacy, I am in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Forward.

RS: What issues are important to you in advocating for your constituents if elected/ re-elected?

John: While workforce and housing continue to be issues we grapple with locally and statewide, energy is quickly becoming a significant concern moving forward. From work to play, Americans use more energy in all aspects of life. In order for production to keep up with demand, federal and state leaders must come together to establish strong energy policy.

Adams: When Issue 1 passes, I would support its full implementation to make sure voters choose their politicians, not the other way around. Closing the dark money pipeline in Ohio that led to the House Bill 6 scandal is vital to Ohio’s democracy. Workforce development and supporting strong unions is another priority. 

Grady: My background and passion is in economics. I tend to look at things from that angle. I think if the economy is thriving, robust and growing, then every other problem becomes much easier to address. So advancing new economic thinking, specifically influenced by complexity economic thought, will be my top priority. We’re taking the wrong approach to the economy and we need to fix that at the state and local level. 

More specific issues I’m passionate about are productivity and entrepreneurship growth, creating transparency and accountability in office, as well as building trust and community involvement among elected leaders.

RS: What goals do you have if elected to this position?

John: The most important part of being a state representative is advocating for the residents of Richland County. Whether that advocacy is passing needed legislation to fix an issue, helping a constituent navigate an administrative system, like unemployment, or bringing needed resources for a community project, such as the RR bridge in Plymouth, advocacy is my number one priority.

Adams: My main goal is to have an open door to voters and make myself available to constituents. I want to serve the public. 

Grady: My main goal is to oversee the defeat of the Democratic and Republican parties in Ohio. They need to be relegated. I don’t think they’re the source of our problems, but they’re a huge obstacle to fixing things. 

Beyond that, I really see Ohio and the Richland County area as full of undeveloped potential. We have politicians and leaders who lack the imagination to see all that we can be. Ohio can and should be an economic juggernaut — a national and global leader in technology, industry and innovation. I’d like to see that vision realized. And that would include a comprehensive economic development plan for Richland County.

RS: Is there anything else voters should know about you?

Adams: I may be new to politics, but I’m not new to standing up for what’s right. 

Grady: I don’t enjoy politics, I’m a very bad politician. I’m totally self-aware, maybe too self-aware. I know I can’t win — I’m an independent write-in! But I’m not running to win. I’m running to reach people around me. 

I don’t believe government is all that powerful, but we are. I think if we want to see a better Mansfield, a better Richland County, a better Ohio, we have to do it ourselves, all of us. 

Voters should know that this is just the start, and that our future is in our hands. We can make this a place for all of us, but we have to work together. I’m running because I want to ask everyone to join me in building the future.  

Also, I’m a write-in candidate, so it’s really important that voters know my name “Tim Grady.” Here’s a video from 2016 on the reminder.