SHELBY
– U.S. Representative Tim Ryan spoke Thursday night to a joint
gathering of the Shelby Area Democratic Club and the Ashland County
Democratic Central Committee. Mr. Ryan serves the people of Ohio’s
northeastern 13th Congressional District as their member of the House
of Representatives. Over 3 dozen people from Ashland, Morrow,
Richland, and Wayne counties heard his presentation
via Zoom.
Congressman
Ryan is a relentless advocate for working families not only in his
13th District but also across Ohio. He was first elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives in 2002 and was sworn in on January 3, 2003.
Successfully reelected nine times, he is now serving in his tenth
term. Congressman Ryan currently serves as a member of the powerful
House Appropriations Committee which controls the expenditure of
money by the federal government.
In
his opening remarks, Rep. Ryan asked the question “Where
does the party go from here? He offered these answers:
“The
pandemic has brought many issues and disparities that have existed
for a long time out into the open.”
“The
pandemic has also brought many essential workers to positions of
further appreciation.”
“We
want to be the ‘post-pandemic’ party – we cannot let these
issues brought to light fade away.”
“We
need to be the party of the future.”
During
the town-hall style question-and-answer session, USW Local 3057
president Norm Shoemaker thanked Rep. Ryan for cosponsoring the
Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would boost the eroded
rights of working men and women, and asked about its chances of
passage. In response, the congressman stated, “We need more union
membership if we’re gonna balance out the extreme concentration of
wealth in the country. We’ve got to rebuild the middle class in
this nation. We want to make sure that workers get a piece of the
action.” Mr. Ryan believes the legislation will pass the House but
isn’t sure about the Senate.
Rep.
Ryan began
his career in politics as a congressional aide with the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1995 and later served as an intern for the
Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. He
holds a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law
and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Bowling Green State
University. Ryan was born on July 16, 1973, in Niles, Ohio, and
currently resides in Howland, Ohio, with his wife Andrea and three
children.
It’s
no secret that Rep. Ryan is considering a run in 2022 for the U.S.
Senate for Ohio’s
open seat. When asked about the timetable for an announcement, he
said, “I’m very, very interested in the Senate. I’ll keep you
posted for sure.”
The
entirety of Congressman Ryan’s remarks can be viewed at
https://www.facebook.com/RCDPOH
