Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) requested that State Representative Bob Young (R-Green) resign as State Representative and as Chair of the Ohio House Pensions Committee due to alleged domestic violence charges.
On Thursday, July 6th, Young held a fundraiser with Speaker Stephens as the guest of honor. According to a statement from Stephens, he attended the fundraiser and afterward went to Young’s home to spend time with his friends and family. According to Stephens, the alleged incident occurred after he left the Young home.
Records from the Barberton Municipal Court show that a warrant was issued for Young’s arrest on Friday and he was charged on Saturday with a 1st-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge and a 4th-degree felony charge of disrupting public services at his home in Green.
Stephens said that he is asking Young to step down as State Representative and committee chair so he can focus on his family.
“Although I believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, I asked Bob for his resignation as state representative so he can focus on his family at this time,” Stephens said.
Young appeared in Barberton Municipal Court on Saturday and Judge Todd McKenney set a $5,000 bond. Young paid $520 or 10 percent plus fees to secure his release.
Considering that the GOP now has a super majority in the Ohio House, should Young resign, local party members would choose a replacement to serve out the remaining two years of his tenure.
According to the Ohio Constitution, if there is a vacancy in the Ohio General Assembly, lawmakers must fill the vacancy by an election conducted by the members of that chamber – in this case, the State House of Representatives – where the vacancy happened, who are members of the party that last held the seat. A simple majority vote is needed in order to approve a replacement.
Rep. Young, who resides in Green and presently serves a large portion of southern Summit County in the 32nd District, won his first election to the Statehouse in 2020 against Democratic opponent Matt Shaughnessy. Young is currently in his second term in the Ohio House. He has a wife and four children.
Young spent seven years as a senior member of the Green City Council. Additionally, he presided over the Committee for Community and Economic Development. He has held a variety of different jobs as an entrepreneur, a realtor and auctioneer.
As a State Representative, part of Young’s job is listening to the concerns of his constituents in the 32nd district and to speak for them about those concerns. Part of his position is also developing solutions to the needs of his district through legislative action.
Young is a proponent of legislation such as Madeline’s law which aims to require health insurers to cover the cost of hearing aids for Ohioans ages 21 and younger, legislation to curb catalytic converter theft, and legislation to require school systems to give parents notice of sexually explicit materials and create a health care plan for students with their parents.
The lawmaker contributed to Stephens’ election to speaker by joining alongside the Democrats in voting for Stephens over the more conservative State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova), in defiance of the majority of Republicans in their own party.
The Ohio Star reached out to Young for comment as to if he will resign as well as if there is someone he would like to see replace him if he does. A spokesperson from Young’s office told The Star that ” Currently, all media requests are being handled through the Ohio House GOP Communications office.” The Ohio House GOP Communications office did not reply to comment before press time.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “State Rep. Bob Young” by Ohio State House of Representatives and “Green, Ohio” is by the City of Green.
