GHANBARI RUNS FOR RE-ELECTION TO OHIO HOUSE
(Editor’s note: State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, the incumbent Republican running for re-election, would not speak with the BG Independent News because he believes he was misquoted in a story posted in 2020. Following is some information taken from the Ohio House of Representatives website.)
State Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari, R-Perrysburg, was appointed in March 2019 and is serving his third term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 75th House District, which encompasses nearly all of Wood County. He served on Perrysburg City Council from 2016 to 2019.
Ghanbari has more than two decades of military service. He is a Navy veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve, and an Army veteran of Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia. Promoted to commander on Feb. 1, 2026, he currently continues his service in the United States Navy Reserve.
As the son of an immigrant from Iran, Ghanbari said his parents’ courage and desire to have their children born in the U.S. inspired him from a young age. He earned a bachelor of science degree in visual journalism from Kent State, graduating cum laude, and went on to graduate with distinction from the United States Naval War College’s Command and Staff Program. In 2019, he earned his master’s degree from the University of Toledo.
Previously, Ghanbari served as the director of military and veteran affairs for the University of Toledo. In November 2018 he was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame as the youngest inductee ever.
Prior to joining UT, Ghanbari was a staff photojournalist for the Associated Press based in Washington where his assignments included traveling nationally and internationally as a member of the White House and Pentagon press corps.
Ghanbari is an Eagle Scout, a member of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and a lifetime member of the American Legion, the VFW and the Military Officers Association of America. He and his family are members of CedarCreek Church.
As of June 2026, Ghanbari serves on the following committees in the Ohio House: Small Business (chair); Arts, Athletics, and Tourism; Public Safety; and Veterans and Military Development.
RETTIG BELIEVES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY
By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Retired educator Rick Rettig believes local residents want representation that stands up for public schools, stands up to data centers, and can work across the aisle.
Rettig, a Democrat from Perrysburg, is challenging incumbent Republican Haraz Ghanbari for state representative of Ohio House District 75. He believes his background in teaching and public service will help him better serve Wood County residents.
“I really feel very strongly about public education,” said Rettig, who recently retired after 33 years of teaching and school counseling, the last 27 at Perrysburg’s city schools. “Public education is under attack. I’ve lived it.”
Rettig taught English and personal finance, and coached sports, speech and debate teams.
He listened as the Republican party talked about “historic” increases to school funding – only to see that funding funneled to private schools, he said.
It’s been 30 years since the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state’s school funding system was unconstitutional.
“It’s been kicked down the road,” Rettig said, with state legislators continuing to whittle down support for public education. Meanwhile, state leaders are taking the shrinking allocation for schools and shifting it to fund vouchers for private schools, with many of those vouchers subsidizing wealthy families who were already sending their children to private institutions.
“I think I can do a better job with that,” Rettig said, adding that he has “the guts to do it.”
Public schools, he said, are the flagships of communities. And when they aren’t funded adequately, property values drop and communities suffer, he said.
Rettig also has experience working in local government, serving his seventh year on Perrysburg City Council, currently as council president and chairperson of the finance committee. In that role, he has proven his ability to be responsive to local residents and to work with both parties.
“I can work across the aisle,” he said, adding that he believes in the value of compromising to reach solutions.
As a native of Okolona, which has a population of 100 “on a good day, when we’re bragging,” Rettig said rural areas should not be neglected.
“I understand the rural landscape,” he said. “You have to open your eyes to what’s in rural areas.”
“As a legislator, you need to be thoughtful, be considerate, and keep your ears open,” he said.
If elected, Rettig said he would hold town hall gatherings. “I want to be held accountable.”
On the topic of data centers, Rettig said he is not opposed to all types of data centers, but he is 100% against NDAs – non-disclosure agreements between companies like Meta and public officials. “I think that is flat wrong.”
Rettig said data centers should be required to produce their own power, be required to make communities whole from tax abatements, and must have their real property values taxed.
“They need to pay their own way.”
Ohio residents are still feeling the effects of the House Bill 6 scandal, with many of those involved seeing no consequences, he said.
“It wasn’t a two-person job. I would like to hold those people accountable,” he said.
Rettig also wants Ohio to stop subsidizing sports stadiums – “at the expense of those working for a living.”
Rettig and his wife, also an educator, have two sets of twins.
“I’m running for all the right reasons,” Rettig said. “I want to be part of the solution.”
