MANSFIELD — State Sen. Larry Obhof and State Rep. Mark Romanchuk agree that jobs are available, it’s a just a matter of filling them.
The Republican politicians, both of whom are up for reelection, strolled through downtown Mansfield Monday on a walking tour of the community. The duo said bolstering the economy ranks high on their respective priority lists.
According to Obhof, about 430,000 new private sector jobs were created in the last five-and-a half-years, but approximately 270,000 Ohioans are looking for work.
In the greater Mansfield-area alone, about 1,800 jobs are currently unfilled, Romanchuk said. About 600-700 of those jobs pay $50,000 or more, he said.
“Our job is to try to match up those people looking for work with the jobs that are available,” Romanchuk said. “That’s hard to do because there’s a huge skills gap.”
Obhof said both he and Romanchuk have worked together on a number of different bills over the years, most recently, House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 26, which reduce the filing fees necessary to start a new business in the state.
“Ohio is on pace this year, because of some of the things we’ve done the last few years, to break its record for most new business formations,” Obhof said. “That’s something that we’ve done for three or four years in a row now, so every year things overall are getting better.”
Other issues the politicians plan to tackle are the heroin epidemic, as well as making sure healthcare is affordable for all Ohioans and that children receive a quality education.
In the upcoming election, Obhof will face Democrat challenger Christopher King and write-in candidate Ashley Kemp. Romanchuk is challenged by Democrat opponent Brittany Bowman and write-in candidate Timothy Peter Grady.
