State lawmaker adds name to hopefuls for Oxley's seat

12/4/2005

FINDLAY - State Rep. Mike Gilb said yesterday that he intends to make a run for the 4th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Mike Oxley since 1981.

Mr. Oxley (R., Findlay) announced last month that he planned to retire and would not seek re-election in 2006.

"I want to represent the families of the 4th Congressional House District," said Mr. Gilb, who is known around the statehouse as a fiscal conservative. "I think the biggest priority has to be standing up for family values."

After announcing his plans at a Hancock County Republican lunch in Findlay, Mr. Gilb said he planned to file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission on Monday.

In his third term as the 76th House District representative, Mr. Gilb is at least the fourth candidate to announce his intentions to seek the congressional seat since Mr. Oxley said Nov. 1 that he was retiring.

State Sen. Jim Jordan (R., Urbana), Richland County Commissioner Edward Olson, and Findlay resident James Stahl, who made several unsuccessful attempts to unseat Mr. Oxley, all have said they would run for Congress.

The 4th Congressional District includes Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Wyandot, Hardin, Logan, Marion, Crawford, Richland, Morrow, and Knox counties. It has long been a safe Republican seat, although Mr. Oxley received his toughest challenge last year when Democrat Ben Konop, a first-time candidate, won 41 percent of the vote and carried Allen County.

Mr. Gilb, an attorney, had been preparing to run for the state Senate District 1 seat now held by Lynn Wachtmann (R., Napoleon).