Chris Widener

Christopher Widener (born August 22, 1963) was the President pro Tempore of the Ohio Senate, and represented the 10th Senate District, which includes Madison, Clark and Greene counties. Before the Senate, he served three terms non-consecutively in the Ohio House of Representatives. He is a Republican.

For the author and speaker, see Chris Widener (author).
Chris Widener
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 10th district
In office
January 5, 2009 – January 21, 2016
Preceded bySteve Austria
Succeeded byBob Hackett
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 84th district
In office
January 3, 2003-December 31, 2008
Preceded byRon Rhine
Succeeded byBob Hackett
In office
December 8, 1999-December 31, 2000
Preceded byJoe Haines
Succeeded byMerle G. Kearns
Personal details
Born (1963-08-22) August 22, 1963
Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Sally Widener (2 children)
ResidenceSpringfield, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Cincinnati
ProfessionArchitect

Career

After graduation from the University of Cincinnati, Widener served two terms on the Mad River-Greene Local Board of Education before starting his legislative career. His resume includes a stint as a civil service architect at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he also served as the base's first full-time historic preservation officer until 1989.

Widener was appointed to his first term as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1999, but lost the party nomination to reelection to Merle G. Kearns, a prominent state Senator who was facing term limits. However, after redistricting occurred in 2002, Widener won a term beginning in 2003.

In the 2004 cycle, Widener again faced a primary challenge against fellow Republican Robert Rogers III. He defeated Rogers with 65% of the vote.[1] He easily won reelection in 2006 with 60% of the vote.

In January 2016, Widener announced his retirement after nearly two decades of public service.[2]

Ohio Senate

In 2008, Senator Steve Austria was term limited and running for Congress, and Widener declared his candidacy for his Senate seat. In the primary, he faced W. Reed Madden and James Howard, and won about 67% of the electorate.[3] In the general election, Widener faced Clark County Commissioner Roger Tackett.[4] While Democrats initially thought the district as potentially competitive, Widener won with 62% of the vote.[5]

Widener served as Chairman of the Energy & Public Utilities Committee in the 128th General Assembly, and in the 129th General Assembly, Senate President Tom Niehaus named Widener as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,[6][7] He also serves on the State Controlling Board;[8] and to the State Council on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. As Chairman of the Finance Committee, Widener played a leading role in shaping the biennium budget.[9] Widener was also a key player on the conference committee on the budget, where the budget was finished,[10] and helped to pass the final budget for 2012-2013.[11]

In 2012, Widener won reelection to a second term, defeating Jeff Robertson with 62% of the vote.[12] Widener has faced controversy for trying to shield public records related to Senate parking key cards.[13] For this and other reasons, the Cleveland Plain Dealer in an editorial named Widener the worst person in the Ohio General Assembly.[14]

Committee assignments

Electoral History
Ohio Senate 10th District: Results 2008 to 2012
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2008 Roger Tackett 56,770 37.33% Chris Widener 95,324 62.67%
2012 Jeff Roberson 58,021 38.30% Chris Widener 93,472 61.70%
Ohio House 84th District: Results 2002 to 2006
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2006 Connie Crockett 16,660 39.07% Chris Widener 25,978 60.93%
2004 William Eby 17,972 34.13% Chris Widener 34,598 65.87%
2002 Natalie Tackett 12,974 37.40% Chris Widener 21,730 62.60%

References
  1. Blackwell, Kenneth 2004 primary election results Archived 2010-12-27 at the Wayback Machine (2004-03-02)
  2. "Widener Announces Plans To Retire After More Than Two Decades Of Public Service". The Ohio Senate. Columbus. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  3. Brunner, Jennifer 2008 primary election Archived 2010-12-27 at the Wayback Machine (2008-03-04)
  4. Chris Widener, Republican Senate Candidate, Boasts About Tax Cuts, But How Will He Solve Ohio’s Budget Crisis?
  5. Brunner, Jennifer 2008 general election results Archived 2011-02-28 at the Wayback Machine (2008-11-04)
  6. Sen. Chris Widener to be Senate Finance Committee Chairman
  7. Hershey, William (2011-01-16). "Area's state lawmakers take leadership spots". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  8. Widener named committee chair
  9. Vardon, Joe; Jim Siegel (2011-04-18). "Is state's jobs entity really needed?". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  10. Guillen, Joe (2011-06-29). "State budget conference committee passes unified budget on party-line vote". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
  11. Carr Smyth, Julie (2011-06-29). "State Senate passes budget that will change Ohio". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  12. Husted, Jon 2012 general election results (2012-11-06)
  13. "Widener orders garage passes that would limit public accountability". Dayton Daily News. Dayton. 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
  14. "For childish attempt to impede public's right to know, Chris Widener is Ohio legislature's Worst Person: Brent Larkin | cleveland.com". Retrieved 2015-01-23.
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