RELATED: Butler County Democrats say Lang is ‘unfit to serve’
Lang was the overwhelming choice among the Butler County GOP Central Committee members within the House district, which includes Fairfield, Liberty and West Chester townships, and the Butler County portion of Sharonville.
“There’s going to be a whole lot of work to do,” Lang told this news outlet.
RELATED: Butler County GOP chooses West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang
He said the screening panel asked how being a township trustee has prepared him to be a state representative. His response?
“It hasn’t. And if anyone says it has, they’re not being honest with you,” he told this news outlet of his response.
Lang said he anticipates a three-to-six-month learning curve, and the biggest difference in Columbus over West Chester Twp. is “as a township trustee I only need one vote. Now I need to figure out how to get 50.”
MORE: Candidate ‘disappointed’ in Butler County GOP’s question on balancing home, work
Speaker Pro Tempore of the Ohio House Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, who chaired Rosenberger’s panel said each of the candidates “possess strong leadership abilities and impressive backgrounds.”
“However, the screening panel unanimously recommended George Lang to fill the vacancy because of his solid conservative background, his local experience as a township trustee, and his attention to business-friendly policies,” Schuring said. “This decision was also in line with the Butler County Republican Party and a broad-base group of community leaders, and we are glad to have found a replacement that we believe will be a strong public servant for the district.”
The 52nd District includes West Chester, Liberty and Fairfield townships, as well as part of Sharonville. Former Rep. Margy Conditt, who had served the district for six years, announced her resignation from the House on August 24th.
Lang is known for his ability to raise funds and contributions to the county Republican Party, and touted that ability in his speech.
“Two things that your state rep must be very good at: one is getting elected and, two, being able to raise funds,” Lang said.
He said he’s won his four elections “by a landslide margin” and touted that he’s “very good at raising money.
“We are the economic epicenter of the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor,” Lang said. “If I’m blessed to get this appointment, I want to make Ohio the most business-friendly state in the nation.”
Butler County Democratic Party Jocelyn Bucaro said Lang’s appointment shows that “pay-to-play is alive and well in the Republican Party, and it seems that Republicans have learned of nothing of the Dynus scandal.”
Lang was acquitted of perjury in February 2011 on a perjury charge after he was accused of lying under oath when he testified in the trial of Orlando Carter, the former owner of the defunct telecommunications company Dynus.
Lang was also never charged in the Dynus scandal that defrauded Butler County millions of dollars.
Bucaro said she’s “also still disappointment in the rampant sexism in the process” that led to Lang’s appointment.
The Butler County GOP recommended Lang to replace Conditt, but in that process last week Ann Becker, the only woman seeking the GOP’s recommendation, was asked what many are calling a sexist question.
Becker was the only candidate to be asked how “would you handle the workload and time commitment of a state (representative) while your children are still in school and require a lot of your time?”
About the Author
