Who you're voting for: Micah McCarey runs for 95th district state representative

Known locally for his work with Ohio University and as a member of the Athens City Council, Micah McCarey has decided to throw his hat into the race to represent District 95 in the Ohio State House of Representatives.

McCarey has found not only are there few individuals striving to obtain leadership roles in the state house, there is a high level of polarization throughout the political community, he said. This inspired him to run as he hopes to be part of a solution “building bridges” between polarized communities, he added.

The Democratic candidacy was actually taken over by McCarey during the summer due to the previous candidate choosing to drop out of the race. McCarey did not initially apply for the role due to his appreciation of his accomplishments on city council, he said. However, he is excited for the opportunity to expand his work and help the additional counties within the 95th district.

“I’ll always have a strong commitment to inclusion and peace and cooperation. So I am certain that will be an underpinning of how I do the work and how I support legislation related to human rights,” McCarey said. “I recognize that there are also a lot of opportunities for improving infrastructure in our state and doing so in ways that support sustainability and the environment, so those are very important issues for me.”

During his time on the Athens City Council, McCarey has been a part of the push to reduce environmental impact through the ban on plastic shopping bags, electric vehicle facilitation in the city and more, he said.

As he looks towards the future, he hopes to work on a wide variety of issues throughout the 95th district, including infrastructure and education.

When it comes to infrastructure, McCarey wants to focus on funding for road maintenance as well as water treatment facilities and other similar public goods, he said. The responsibility of road maintenance should be part of the state’s funding budget, he added. Additionally, he hopes to work to ensure water treatment facilities have the funding and access to technology to provide the best possible resources to the public.

Education, an issue McCarey has not had much opportunity to address as a council member, is also integral to his goals, he said.

“Our schools at all levels positively, and at the K through 12 level and in higher ed, public schools’ funding is always a concern,” McCarey said. “But we know that quality funding is important only for the bricks and mortar; but to ensure that teachers have the resources they need to help their students become equipped with the skills and nawlage and the character that they need. So even from a curricular perspective, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make positive contributions at the State House.”

Although this campaign is McCarey’s first time running for an office of this scale, he feels positive about his efforts thus far. He has worked to visit each county contained in the 95th district and is continuing to work to plan events and hear from the communities he hopes to represent.

“The issues are wide-ranging and I recognize that as a result of having such a huge territory we’ll be the largest District in the state. That means you can’t really take a one size fits all approach,” McCarey said. “So there’ll be a great need for ongoing research into each community’s needs and strategic plans that they’re working on, where they run into trouble and where legislators can potentially help them navigate those challenges.”