Chuck Blasdel
Encyclopedia
Chuck Blasdel is a former Speaker Pro-Tempore in the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

., and was the Representative of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

's 1st district from 2001 through 2006. He was the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 nominee for U.S. Congress in Ohio's 6th congressional district
Ohio's 6th congressional district
Ohio's 6th congressional district is currently represented by Representative Bill Johnson . This district runs along the southeast side of the state, bordering Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania...

.

Early life, education, and family

Blasdel was born in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

. He received an AA degree in accounting from Ohio Valley Business College, (now Ohio Valley College of Technology). He is married with one child.

Business career

Blasdel runs his own investment adviser firm, Blasdel Financial Group, and has property holdings in eastern Ohio.

In April 2006, Blasdel settled a dispute with the state over estimated back taxes and fees owed by two defunct businesses he co-owned. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro
Jim Petro
James M. “Jim” Petro is an American politician from the Republican Party, and a former Ohio Attorney General. Previously, Petro also served as Ohio State Auditor. Petro was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Ohio during the 2006 Ohio Primaries, but lost to Ken Blackwell...

, a Republican, said Blasdel owed $54,916 in estimated delinquent taxes and fees dating back to 1991, and was "going to have to borrow money to pay the debt." Blasdel said he didn't know about the tax issue until the Youngstown Vindicator newspaper notified his campaign about it. Blasdel said the state failed to notify him of assessments against Executive Cigar in East Liverpool, a tobacco retail store he owned with three partners from 1997 to 1999, and Blasdel and Cline, which he ran with Ed Cline from 1990 through 1997.

Ohio state legislature

In 2000, Blasdel defeated Democrat John Wargo for the open House seat in Columbiana County
Columbiana County, Ohio
Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 107,841. It is named for Christopher Columbus and the county seat is Lisbon....

 in eastern Ohio (then called the 3rd district before the 2001 redistricting) that had been served for more than a decade by a Democrat.

In 2002, Blasdel won over Wellsville
Wellsville
Wellsville is the name of several locations in the United States:*Wellsville, Kansas*Wellsville, Missouri*Wellsville , New York *Wellsville , New York*Wellsville, Ohio*Wellsville, Pennsylvania*Wellsville, Utah...

 dentist Dr. Frank Rivelle. In 2004, Blasdel had a tougher race, beating Frank Rayl Jr. by just 1 percentage point. Blasdel ran for Congress in 2006, and was succeeded by Democrat Linda Bolon
Linda Bolon
Linda S. Bolon is a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 1st District from 2007 to 2010. A lifelong resident of Columbiana County, Bolon graduated from Columbus University...

 in the 1st district.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Blasdel was the second-ranking Republican in the Ohio House, and one of its leading conservatives. Blasdel rose to his position in just his third two-year term. According to the Associated Press, he did it by raising more money than anyone except Republican Jon Husted
Jon Husted
Jon A. Husted is an American politician of the Republican Party who currently serves as Ohio Secretary of State. Previously, he was a member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 6th district . He also previously served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009 and Speaker...

, the House speaker.

Political positions

Blasdel voted for a bill that would prevent the state from beginning judicial proceedings to collect unpaid tax debts more than four years after an assessment is sent from the state tax department to the attorney general for collection.

In an interview in August 2006, Blasel said "I very consistently support pro-life positions. ...I supported the Constitutional Amendment to outlaw gay marriage in Ohio. ...I think tax issues are important, but I think one of the biggest challenges we face in Ohio is that our regulatory agencies are completely out of control. I have a very strong track record of standing up against the EPA, some of the bureaucrats in Columbus... some of our regulatory agencies. I even put in writing to the Governor of Ohio that I thought the EPA in Ohio was engaged in...legalized extortion against the business community."

2006 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives

Blasdel got 49 percent of the vote in a four-way GOP primary to become the Republican nominee for the House seat being vacated by Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Congressman Ted Strickland
Ted Strickland
Theodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....

. Strickland did not run for reelection as he successfully ran for Governor of Ohio.

Blasdel was defeated by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Charlie Wilson
Charlie Wilson (Ohio politician)
Charles A. "Charlie" Wilson is the former U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives...

in the November 2006 general election.

External links

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