Rep. Rick Carfagna announced Tuesday that he will resign from the Ohio House of Representatives to accept a job with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
The Republican from Genoa Township said in a letter to his constituents in Knox County and eastern Delaware County that his resignation date will be based on his starting date as the chamber’s senior vice president of governmental affairs.
“This role will allow me to focus on the issues I believe matter the most for our economy, including workforce, infrastructure, healthcare, education, energy and technology, among others,” he said.
Carfagna said as a result he will not file for reelection to what he planned as a final two-year term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2016.
“I regret the suddenness of this decision and acknowledge that the timing is far from ideal, but opportunity is seldom convenient and rarely do schedules ever perfectly align,” he said.
House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) described Carfagna as a thoughtful, diligent lawmaker in a statement posted on the House website.
“He’s tackled many important issues and has never been afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the hard work necessary to craft sound public policy,” Cupp said. “He will be missed in the Ohio House, but I know he will continue having a positive impact on Ohio in his new position.”
Carfagna said he hoped he governed in a way that made local residents proud.
“People are more complex than politicians acknowledge, embodying a myriad of interests, beliefs and life experiences,” he said. “Your personal situation is more than a bumper sticker slogan and I’ve tried to reflect that in my careful consideration of policy matters.”
Scott Pullins, a Knox County Republican who recently announced he was running for the newly drawn House District 98, said he will not seek appointment to fill the rest of Carfagna’s term. Knox County will not be in the new 68th District.
“More importantly, I am sick and tired of Columbus politicians picking our representatives for us,” Pullins said. “If Speaker Cupp was smart, then he would wait until after the primary in May, or whenever it is held, and pick the winner of it for this seat.”
The new district will include all of Knox and parts of Holmes and Morrow counties.
