NEW LEXINGTON — An independent candidate has been certified to run for a seat on the Perry County Board of Commissioners in the November general election. If elected, Renee Young would become the first independent, and only the second woman, ever to serve as a Perry County commissioner.
As it happens, the first woman to achieve that milestone, Theresa Beck, is serving as the treasurer for Young’s campaign. Young told The Perry County Tribune that Beck, who sat on the board from 1981-1992,has been “a lifetime mentor of mine, almost like a second mother.”
In the November election, Young will be up against Republican Chase Bennett, who bested Thad Cooperrider in the March GOP primary, and Democrat Todd Shafer, who won an uncontested Democrat primary race with just 36 votes as a write-in candidate.
A news release announcing Young’s candidacy describes her as the youngest daughter of the late Joseph Agriesti and Louise Fiore Agriesti, a Perry County native, and a proud Army National Guard veteran, whose career before retirement included decades of leadership positions with the State of Ohio Adjutant General, Ohio Disaster Services Agency and Ohio’s Emergency Management Agency.
“Tough as nails and an independent spirit, Renee’s heart lies with veteran’s issues and protecting and enjoying the freedoms of democracy,” the release says.
A 1975 graduate of New Lexington High School, Young attended Hocking College for accounting and is a long time member of the Eagles, Elks, NRA, St Rose Catholic Church, and is a National Weather Service Spotter.
In a phone interview with the Tribune, Young focused on her own qualifications, offering no criticisms of her opponents. She said she was prompted to throw her hat in the ring “because of my background. I was in the military, and it kind of paved my way for leadership and negotiations and budgeting, etc. And I really want to just give everybody a chance for me to be in there.”
Asked if there any pressing issues faced by the county that aren’t being adequately addressed, Young replied, “No, I just want to work for Perry County, and with the current commissioners,” adding, “I really am running on God and country and Perry County.”
As her campaign has noted, no independent has ever won a seat as a Perry County commissioner, and candidates not affiliated with one of the two major parties typically face a bigger challenge getting elected. Young, however, said she’s not overly concerned about this factor.
“I really am not,” she said. “I think I’ll bring a fresh perspective as an independent candidate. Because you know, local politics is so much more than a party affiliation; it’s coming and working together. Like in Perry County during emergencies, and tragedies, when people need help, we all come together and we help each other. I’d like to have that same teamwork in local government. Let’s work together!”
If the county’s voters choose her at the polls, she promised, “I’ll be ready from day one. I’ll be ready to go… I hope people will give me a chance to do something good for Perry County. Just let me show them.”
In the other commissioner race that was on the primary ballot in March, incumbent Republican Ben Carpenter fended off a challenge from Dan Kinsel. No Democrat filed to run for that seat.
Email at jphillips@perrytribune.com
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