State rep. Arndt says it's time for him to relax

SANDUSKY — As state Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, prepares to sail off into the sunset, Ohio House leaders have announced plans to name his successor.Arndt, who will turn 65 on Sunday, announced Wednesday he plans to retire from the Ohio House, effective July 31.The lawmaker said his wife, JoAnne, and his doctors have urged him to relax. "The doctors were not happy with me that I did not retire earlier," Arndt said. The statement that Arndt is preparing to sail away is not just a metaphor. Arndt said in late July, he and his wife plan to board the couple's 35-foot sailboat, the Hiho, taking a journey by water that's known as the Great Loop. They'll head west to Chicago and use rivers to head south, taking the Tennessee River and eventually moving north along the Atlantic Coast and then heading back through the Great Lakes."This is actually a trip we have planned a long, long time ago," said Arndt, explaining he and his wife divide their time between a Port Clinton condo and their boat."We rent the condo out during the summer and live on board," Arndt said.The House Republican Caucus will name Arndt's replacement. House Speaker Larry Householder said applications will be taken through May 30. Anyone who wants to apply should email a cover letter and resume to Rep72@OhioHouse.gov, Householder said.Arndt said the plan is to have the new lawmaker in place by late July so Arndt can introduce that person to officials and help with the transition.Householder named a screening committee to go through the applications and make a recommendation. Those lawmakers are Rep. Anthony DeVitis, R-Green); Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville), Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, Rep. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin and Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk.Jeff Krabill, a businessman and member of the Sandusky school board, said Thursday he'll seek to be appointed."I'm going to pursue it," he said. "It's something that's been of interest to me for some time."Krabill ran for state representative in 2010, losing to Democrat Dennis Murray Jr., now Sandusky's ex officio mayor. Krabill serves on the school board with Murray's wife, Martha Murray.Krabill said joining the Ohio House would let him "promote public education on a somewhat larger stage."Local Republicans who confirmed Thursday they are considering applying included Matt Old of Berlin Heights, an Erie County commissioners and D.J. Swearingen, an attorney and chairman of the Erie County Republican Party.Old said he's been asked to look at it but cautioned that he enjoys his current job."I do like being county commissioner and we still have a lot of things with the county that I want to accomplish," Old said.Swearingen said he is "thinking seriously" of applying.Officials praised Arndt for his service."Steve Arndt will go down as one of the most dedicated and community-minded elected officials in the history of this region of Ohio," said Randy Gardner, a former state senator and the chancellor for higher education. "It was a special honor to serve with him.""Steve has been a dedicated public servant to the people of Northwest Ohio," said U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green.Arndt had been an Ottawa County commissioner for 27 years when he was named a state representative in 2015, replacing former Rep. Steve Kraus. He was elected to a full two-year term in 2016 and was re-elected in 2018.State Rep. Steve Arndt talks with others at the BGSU and Cedar Fair groundbreaking in downtown Sandusky on Thursday, April 25, 2019.State Rep. Steve Arndt