Republican U.S. Representative Micheal Rulli of Ohio is visiting the commissioners to offer his help in making the community a better place to live.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE – U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli told Belmont County commissioners Wednesday that he wants to help the local community in any way he can.
Rulli, a Republican from Ohio, recalled his time as chairman of the Leetonia Exempted Village School Board, when he first saw how government operated in the community.
“I remember we brought production to our industrial park and I had several meetings with the Columbia County Commissioners,” said Rulli. “I understood how government works and how exciting it was to see reality being put to the test here in the heart of the county.”
Rulli served as Senator for Ohio’s 33rd District from 2019 until June 12, 2024. He recently became Congressman for Ohio’s 6th District following a special election on June 11 to finish a term held by Bill Johnson, who resigned to become president of Youngstown State University. He narrowly defeated Democrat Michael Kripchak, whom he will face again on November 5 for a full term.
“I was a senator in Ohio for almost six years and had very little contact with the seats in Congress. I think Ohio has a flaw, and that flaw, in my opinion, is that there is a separation between local, state and federal government. I saw that when I was a school board member and school board president, and then I saw that when I was a state senator.” said Rulli. “There is no interaction with the federal government in any form whatsoever, and now that I am a member of Congress, I want to change that.”
Rulli said he is looking for synergy in Belmont County and wants to be part of the projects Belmont County needs. He mentioned the strong friendship he and Commissioner JP Dutton have already built and that he wants to build a good relationship with Commissioners Jerry Echemann and Josh Meyer as well.
“I want to be part of your thoughts and the projects that Belmont County needs. And if I can, I want to be a facilitator and actually be a useful part of the Belmont machine and not just wear a suit and walk around.” he said.
Rulli then urged the Commissioners to think about a project that might require his support.
“When a project is underway, we can bring (State Senator) Brian Chavez, (State Representative) Ron Ferguson or (State Representative) Don Jones Jr. here, and we could see where the money is and where the grants are and where the federal funds are, the special grants,” he added. “In January, the capital budget will be passed, and it will be huge. If you commissioners could think of projects that would make Belmont a better place to live for all of us.”
Rulli added that his chief of staff, Mark O’Connell, also attended the meeting and said they both plan to be active in making Belmont County a better community.
“We appreciate your presence and your openness as well as your willingness to work with us and look forward to it,” said Echemann.
Dutton added that commissioners are pleased to have Rulli making decisions for the county on federal projects and funding.
“Of course, we would rather have you make decisions about projects in our county rather than bureaucrats in various departments. I think that’s the better way to go about securing federal funding.” said Dutton.
Dutton added that the commissioners were working on ongoing projects and would be more than happy to work with Rulli on them.
“Nobody knows your needs better than you three,” Rulli answered. “That’s why you were elected. So just let our office know and we’ll be there for you.”
