GAGE VOTA/T-L Photo Ohio Rep. Ron Ferguson attends Shadyside Village Council's meeting to inform it that he is seeking re-election.

SHADYSIDE – It’s election season in Belmont County.

Ohio Rep. Ron Ferguson, Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan, Belmont County Republican resident David Schafer, and former Belmont County Commissioner Josh Meyer all attended Shadyside Village Council on Monday evening.

Ferguson is seeking re-election, Flanagan is running for Belmont County Court of Common Pleas judge, Schafer is seeking to become a Belmont County commissioner, and Meyer is running to become Belmont County auditor.

All four politicians attended the council meeting to ask for its support.

Ferguson said he is a Wintersville resident and has been, and plans to continue, working hard for eastern Ohio.

“I’ve really been standing firm on the America First agenda with things like the Hospital Price Transparency Act, which is something that I put into law. I wrote that bill myself with the help of a couple of attorneys, because everybody has to have that. But we’re trying to codify something into law. We are now the only state in the country that requires hospital prices in dollars-and-cents amounts, the only state in the country that’s going to help increase competition, really increase the quality of care, so that you can shop around for those hospital prices,” Ferguson said. “Every other thing that we buy here has a price on it. You should have a price on things when you go to the hospital. And then tomorrow (Tuesday), I have my second hearing on my voter ID bill. So those of you who vote in person, whether it be on Election Day at the polling places or at the Board of Elections in St. Clairsville, need to show a photo ID. Make sure that if you’re voting by mail, you also show a photo ID. You would enclose a photocopy of your voter ID.”

He added that if implemented, Ohio would be the second state in the country to do so, with North Carolina being the first.

“They already do that in North Carolina, and it’s very important, because photo ID is, number one, the right thing to do. Number two, it’s widely supported. So we should be doing that to make sure that we stay up with the times and we have the safest, most secure election in the country,” Ferguson said. “So all of you continue to get represented by the people that you want, because you vote and your voice is heard.”

The Hospital Price Transparency Act requires a hospital to make public a digital file in a machine-readable format that contains a list of all standard charges, expressed in dollar amounts, for all hospital items or services, and a consumer-friendly list of standard charges for the hospital’s shoppable services or an internet-based price estimator tool.

Flanagan then spoke to council, informing it that he is seeking to replace Common Pleas Judge John Vavra, whose term will be completed.

“For the last five years, I have had the honor and the true privilege of serving as your prosecutor. That’s not where this journey began. The journey began probably 25 years ago when I came back from law school and joined the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office,” Flanagan said. “I built relationships, I started to do trial work, spent a lot of time with your police chief here, as well as all the other chiefs in the area. For approximately seven years, I was an assistant prosecutor and had a number of different trials, and then went on to civil litigation.”

He added that he then became acting Belmont County Eastern Division Court judge before becoming county prosecutor in 2020.

“I believe that this position on the bench will require two things: first, fairness, and second, some type of presence in the courtroom. Given all of the time that I’ve spent with the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office and with your officers, I believe that has prepared me for both,” Flanagan said. “Your chief and his colleagues will tell you, we do not get paid to win. That is not how this works. We get paid to make sure that justice is served and that we are fair.”

Next, Schafer spoke about how he is running to replace Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann, who is retiring. Schafer said he spent 32 years working for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

During those 32 years, he said he built relationships with all entities in Belmont County.

“In my previous role with the Transportation Department, I did assist this village a lot with prison cleanups through residents who work the streets every day,” Schafer said. “We always partnered with this village because it is a village that deserves to be partnered with. It’s beautiful, and I should have worn orange tonight, because when you come into this town, you feel welcome.”

He added that many of the relationships he has cultivated throughout the years have positively impacted Belmont County, and if elected, he plans to continue to help all aspects of the county.

Lastly, Meyer spoke to council about throwing his hat into the ring to become Belmont County auditor.

Meyer previously served as a county commissioner and said that, like Schafer, he also has solid relationships.

“I’ve got a lot of good relationships with officials past and present, so I think I can rebuild those relationships from the county level down to the township and municipal levels as well,” he said. “It’s important to be able to build relationships.”

He added that if elected, he plans to try to restore faith in the auditor’s office among the public.

“They deserve better service, better communication, and I think I’ll be able to provide that,” Meyer said.