Dave Greenspan, Monique Smith Vie For Ohio Statehouse 16th District Seat

The seat to represent the 16th Ohio House District, which includes Westlake, Bay Village, Rocky River, North Olmsted and Fairview Park, is up for grabs in this week’s election.

Republican Dave Greenspan enjoys the benefits of incumbency. However, his challenger, Democrat Monique Smith, is feeling confident because of the high voter turnout so far.

Smith, in an interview with ideastream, said her campaign has called “as many people as we can, reaching out to people and having conversations about the importance of voting.”

The Democrat also points to her deep ties to the area and argues the politics on Cuyahoga County’s West Side are shifting.

“We feel like the voters in this district have significantly moved over the last few years that Trump has been in office,” Smith said, “and moved away from his party and from really everything he represents.”

There are parallels between the Trump administration and the Republican Party that currently controls Columbus, she added.

However, Greenspan, who has held the seat for two terms, referred to himself in an interview with ideastream, as a “practical conservative” who votes in the interest of his district.

“I think people have seen that I've represented this district with a certain amount of courage and integrity to represent their interests over others,” Greenspan said. “I voted against my party a number of times in support of my district.”

Greenspan voted against House Bill 6, the controversial nuclear bailout bill at the center of a bribery scandal involving former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenville), and is a primary co-sponsor of legislation to repeal it.

The incumbent refers to the 16th Ohio House District as a historically ‘split district.’

“If you drive around the district, you will see both, obviously my signs and my opponent’s signs. But you'll also see Greenspan, Biden signs in the same yard,” Greenspan said.