Democrats in the Ohio House are in the process of picking a new state representative for Barberton and south Akron. Greta Johnson, who held the 35th House District seat since January of 2015, has resigned to become assistant Summit County law director.
Who will finish Greta Johnson’s term—it runs through the end of 2018 —is up to the House Democratic Caucus, says Professor Stephen Brooks of the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
“This is not as if there is going to be a primary and general election and all of those kinds of things. This is within a party process.”
Applications for the appointment and candidate interviews are going through a selection committee of five House Democrats.
Johnson says, “Those individuals will make a recommendation to the caucus. And then every member of the caucus will vote on the replacement. So, it’s done at the state level, rather than here in Summit County.”
But Brooks says the state caucuses, Democrat or Republican, tend to carefully weigh local party advice in making such choices.
Anyone who wants to be the replacement for Greta Johnson has until this Friday to submit his or her name and resume.
