COLUMBUS — Holding his young sleeping son on his shoulder, Haraz N. Ghanbari on Wednesday was sworn into the Ohio House to fill the Wood County seat vacated by now Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R., Bowling Green).
Fresh from Perrysburg City Council, he was selected by now fellow House Republicans to complete the 21 months left in Ms. Gavarone’s unexpired term. He is expected to run in 2020 for a two-year term of his own.
The 3rd District seat has been empty since early February, when Ms. Gavarone resigned to accept the appointment to replace former state Sen. Randy Gardner, now Gov. Mike DeWine’s higher education chancellor.
Having served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Reserve, Mr. Ghanbari’s first vote as representative was to exempt veterans’ disability severance income from Ohio taxation. The bill passed unanimously.
The first-generation American whose family emigrated from Iran fought back tears after the session as he said the Bible held by his wife during the swearing-in contained pictures of family, some of whom he’d never met.
“My parents’ decision to have my sister and I born and raised here is what gave me my American heritage,” he said. “Every day that I can work to make my community, my state, and my nation a community where folks of all walks of life can come and pursue their dreams is a day that I want to wake up to continue to work for each and every one of those people.”
During the past two months, Wood County was not represented as the House voted to raise taxes and gasoline and diesel. Mr. Ghanbari, however, will be there later this week to weigh in on the final vote on that issue.
Mr. Ghanbari enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999 while a 17-year-old high school senior and is currently a lieutenant commander with the U.S. Navy Reserve for which he serves as public affairs officer. He volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.
He also has worked as a photojournalist with the Associated Press in Washington and with the North Carolina Army National Guard, volunteering for deployment to Bosnia in 2001 and 2002. He was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in fall 2018.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kent State University in 2004 and completed a number of courses with the military.
Effective Jan. 21, the University of Toledo terminated his post as director of military and veteran affairs, a position he had held since 2015. Because Mr. Ghanbari was an at-will employee, the university did not provide an explanation for its decision, despite his earning high marks on employee evaluations.
He had previously served as UT’s military liaison.
He was among the candidates nearly three years ago to seek appointment to the same House seat, an appointment that went to Ms. Gavarone, then a Bowling Green city councilman.
Jim Matuszak, Perrysburg City Council president, attended the swearing-in. He said Mr. Ghanbari’s replacement will be selected by a majority vote of council — which, he said as a practical matter, consists now of three Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent.
Mr. Ghanbari had less than a year left in his term.
House Republicans received nine applications seeking the appointment this time.
The others included Northwood Mayor Ed Schimmel; Perrysburg School Board member Sue Larimer; North Baltimore Councilman Matthew Beegle; Rossford School Board member Tiffany Densic; the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo’s Peter Range; Grant Rapids attorney Mark Tolles; Bradner information technology specialist Kathy Wojcicki; and John E. Clemons, of Northwood.
“The Democrats who will try to run against [Mr. Ghanbari] will have a very difficult time,” Ms. Larimer said. “He is a formidable appointment.”
She said she also likes the idea that the district will be represented by someone from Perrysburg rather than Bowling Green for a change. She was encouraged that the applicants for the seat came from all over Wood County.
First Published March 27, 2019, 5:27 p.m.
