SitemapVoters in the sprawling 6th Congressional District of Ohio are fortunate this fall to have two credible candidates seeking to represent its 785,000 residents in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The two candidates also will be familiar names to district voters as this race rises as a rematch of the special election in June in which Republican Michael Rulli defeated Democrat Michael L. Kripchak. The results of that special election — Rulli, 55 percent of the vote; Kripchak 45 percent of the vote – were much closer than most analysts had predicted and the closest in years for that traditionally Republican-dominant 11-county district that winds southward from Youngstown to Marietta.
Clearly, both candidates have appealing qualities to the electorate. After reviewing their backgrounds and conducting interviews with each of them, members of this newspaper’s Editorial Board conclude that either Kripchak or Rulli would serve competently the interests of the 6th District in general and of the Mahoning Valley in particular.
Both Rulli and Kripchak have respectable backgrounds in leadership and public service and neither has made politics a lifelong career. Rulli has served as director of operations for Rulli Brothers Markets in Boardman and Austintown for three decades and therefore has acquired strong business and customer relation skills. Kripchak has distinguished himself as an honors graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and has worked in myriad fields as an acquisitions officer, research scientist, production manager and as chief of strategy and partnerships for NEGEMS Inc. of New York. Clearly, neither candidate is a slouch.
Both Rulli and Kripchak share similar goals of more sustained job growth and economic development in the district. Kripchak, for example, has developed plans for a Mahoning to Marietta Manufacturing Corridor with the Youngstown area designated as the home base for advanced manufacturing. Rulli, for his part, vows to prioritize initiatives that stimulate entrepreneurship and investment in job growth. He also plans to work with groups such as the Youngstown Neighborhood Corridor to fortify the housing supply in the region to help attract new businesses and new residents.
To read the full story from the Tribune Chronicle, click here.