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BELPRE – Mayor Mike Lorentz announced Wednesday he will run for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District seat.
He made the public announcement at the Belpre Senior Citizens Center surrounded by friends, former and current business associates, fellow officials and family. Earlier in the day he made stops in Mahoning and Belmont counties to announce his candidacy for the congressional seat which is now held by Marietta Republican Bill Johnson.
A lifelong resident of Belpre, Lorentz was introduced by Marietta Mayor Joe Matthews, who said he will “throw a lot of support” Lorentz’s way, noting he’s known the Belpre mayor for many years as a friend, fellow mayor and worked with him in the state Mayors Association.
Lorentz, a Democrat, pledged his followers to “give 110 percent” if elected and promised he would not forget his roots.
“My primary reason for running is the youth. I think they have to come first. We need cooperation across party lines. I’m tired of all the political bickering and fighting. We’ve got to get politics out of politics and get back to common sense,” he said.
As mayor Lorentz said he was often frustrated when trying to get assistance with projects and programs.
“Southeastern Ohio is ignored, and I can attest to that when (former Belpre mayors) Dick Thomas and Bill McAfee used to say that, I didn’t want to address a negative with a negative. I wanted to be positive, but I found out, after eight years, it’s true.
“I think it’s the right time, and I want to get them to pay attention to southeastern Ohio for the right reasons.
“I’ve seen some things I don’t like, things that are affecting our youth, our seniors, in education, and I decided it was the right time to step up. After much consideration and discussion and support and encouragement from others I decided to reach out and step up — so I’m running for Congress,” he said.
“I am not a product of politics,” Lorentz said, adding he would employ the knowledge, skills and experience he learned in many years of business and put them to use if elected.
“I’m asking for your support and your prayers and I’ll give you all I can,” he said.
Willa O’Neill, Washington County Democratic chairwoman, was among those attending Lorentz’s announcement on Wednesday.
She thanked Lorentz for throwing his hat into the ring.
“We need to have candidates who care and we need to be represented by people who live here. I think you are running for all the right reasons, you care, and you will bring attention to the problems in this area that have, for so long, been ignored,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to this journey and I’m up for it,” Lorentz said.
Lorentz worked for 26 years at Shell Chemical then Kraton before retiring.
First elected mayor of Belpre in 2007, Lorentz was re-elected in 2015, facing no opposition.
Lorentz was joined by state Sen. Joe Schiavoni and former state Rep. Nick Barborak at the Mahoning County Democratic headquarters in Youngstown for his announcement, and in Belmont County with state Sen. Lou Gentile and Belmont County Commissioners Mark Thomas and Ginny Favede.
Ohio’s new 6th Congressional District is made up of 18 counties in eastern and southeastern Ohio. The district runs along the Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky borders, following the Ohio River.
The 13 full counties that make up the 6th Congressional District are Belmont, Columbiana, Carroll, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Noble and Washington. The 6th Congressional District also includes portions of five counties: Athens, Mahoning, Muskingum, Scioto and Tuscarawas.
Lorentz will face off against former Meigs County commissioner Michael “Mick” Davenport, of Pomeroy, in March’s Democratic primary. The winner of that contest will face Johnson, of Marietta, who is running for his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.