Diane Grendell

Diane V. Grendell (born March 16, 1945) is a current member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the people of the 76th district since 2019. A Republican, Grendell's district includes Geauga County as well as portions of Portage County. Previously, Grendell served as a judge on the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals. She was elected to this position in 2000 in 2006 and 2012.[1] She previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives in a similar seat from 1993 to 2000.[2] She is married to former state legislator and Judge Tim Grendell.[3]

Diane Grendell
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 76th district
Assumed office
May 29, 2019
Preceded bySarah LaTourette
In office
January 3, 1992–December 31, 2000
Preceded byBob Clark
Succeeded byTim Grendell
Personal details
Born (1945-03-16) March 16, 1945
Cleveland, Ohio
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Tim Grendell
EducationCleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D.)

In 2019, state Representative Sarah LaTourette resigned from her seat to take a position in the non-profit sector.[4] Ohio House Republicans appointed Grendell to succeed her. She was supported by Larry Householder and a committee that he handpicked, against the recommendation of the Geauga County GOP Executive Committee.[5] She was sworn in on May 29, 2019. On the same day, Grendell voted for House Bill 6, for which Householder was ultimately arrested by the FBI as part of an alleged $61M bribery and racketeering scheme.[6]

Being connected to Householder allowed Grendell to raise over $500,000 in her campaign against Frank Hall, who raised only $11,000.[5] She defeated Hall in the primary by 2,734 votes.[5]

Grendell’s campaign received $395,000 from the House Republican Campaign Committee, a group alleged by the FBI to be controlled by Householder to funnel money from First Energy to his allies.[5]

Grendell won re-election in November of 2020, defeating Democrat Garrett Westhoven. [7]

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Grendell has been a vocal critic of public health measures intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. In September of 2020, she proposed a bill to cancel the state of emergency and all public health restrictions. She stated that “the flu is far higher, far higher, and we don’t wear masks for that.”[8] The Ohio Department of Health show an average seasonal flu death rate of 0.1% and a COVID-19 death rate of 3-4%.[8] Three months after Grendell proposed her bill, average COVID-19 cases in Ohio had increased by more than 10x.[9]

In November 2020, Grendell appeared in a photograph with a large group of other Republican state representatives, standing close together and not observing social distancing guidelines. Most, including Grendell, were not wearing a face mask.[10]

In December 2020, The Geauga Maple Leaf stated that several sources were reporting that Grendell and her husband, Judge Tim Grendell, had contracted COVID-19.[11] When reached by phone for comment, Grendell said, “no comment” and hung up. It is not known if she adhered to quarantine guidelines.[11]

References
  1. Pelzer, Jeremy (2019-05-29). "Diane Grendell returns to the Ohio House". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  2. Twitter, Andrew Cass ACass@News-Herald com @AndrewCassNH on. "Diane Grendell sworn in to vacant Ohio House seat". The News-Herald. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  3. Suddes, Thomas (2019-07-27). "GOP Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder's 'Git-R-Done' attitude encompasses Democrats: Thomas Suddes". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  4. Twitter, Andrew Cass ACass@News-Herald com @AndrewCassNH on. "Geauga GOP recommending Dennis Galicki to replace Sarah LaTourette". The News-Herald. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  5. "Following the Money: Householder's Funds May Reach into Geauga County | Geauga County Maple Leaf". www.geaugamapleleaf.com. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  6. "Top Ohio lawmaker charged with accepting $61M bribe in scheme to pass nuclear bailout". Utility Dive. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  7. "Garrett Westhoven". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  8. Kasler, Karen. "Republican Lawmaker Pushes Bill To Cancel COVID State of Emergency". www.statenews.org. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. Times, The New York (2020-04-01). "Ohio Coronavirus Map and Case Count". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  10. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  11. "Grendell Rumored to Have COVID-19 | Geauga County Maple Leaf". www.geaugamapleleaf.com. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-02-01.


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