Justin Tjaden has announced his candidacy for for the Ohio legislature on Tuesday.

Tjaden, a Geneva-on-the-Lake resident, will be running as an independent. “It’s ‘we the people,’ not ‘we the party,’” he said in the press release announcing his candidacy. His campaign will focus on enhancing voter representation, stimulating economic development in the district and revitalizing the state’s infrastructure. “This campaign is about uniting around our shared goals and empowering local leaders to find practical, forward-thinking, efficient solutions to the problems in their communities,” he said.

The press release announcing his candidacy states Tjaden wants to focus on community needs, and hopes to unite diverse perspectives.

To make it on the ballot as an independent, Tjaden must collect 423 valid signatures. The release states he will seek 700, in order to offset any invalidated signatures.

The 99th District includes the lakeshore region of Ashtabula County, Harpersfield and Trumbull townships, and the majority of Geauga County. The district is currently represented by Republican Sarah Fowler Arthur. She was first elected in 2020, defeating local attorney Richard Dana 28,918 votes to 20,356. She was re-elected in 2022.

In a region representing a major majority of Jewish communities in the state, the Ohio Redistricting Commission spent the holiest day of the religion’s calendar talking Statehouse maps.

NEWBURY — The state’s redistricting commission heard testimony from witnesses on Monday morning regarding proposed new maps for the Ohio Legislature.

COLUMBUS — Republican-drawn maps for state legislative districts faced criticism from Democrats, Republicans, and independents at a Geauga County public hearing on Monday.