KITTS HILL — State Rep. Jason Stephens today announced he filed petitions to run to retain the position of Ohio State Representative for the 93rd District.

Stephens, a republican, is currently in his first term. He was appointed to the office in October by a committee of four state representatives and will fill the unexpired term which runs until January 2021.

The position came open after former District 93 representative Ryan Smith left the Ohio Legislature to be the president of the University of Rio Grande.

While in the legislature, Stephens has worked toward protecting the rights of Ohioans and stripping government red tape. He has sponsored legislation to issue occupational licenses for military members, making it easier to find good-paying jobs in Ohio.

“I am honored to serve the people of Southern Ohio. We’ve made great strides so far, but our work has only just begun. I promise to serve you and continue to work for better government accountability, less regulation and better-paying jobs,” Stephens said.

Speaker Larry Householder named Stephens vice-chair of the State and Local Government Committee, citing his extensive background in local government.

Before joining the legislature, Stephens served as Lawrence County auditor and as a Lawrence County commissioner. In addition to public service, Stephens is a small business owner and licensed insurance agent. He is co-owner of Stephens & Son Insurance of Chesapeake, Inc.

Republicans Bobbi Montgomery and Matt Ward have also filed for the State Representative for the 93rd District position. No democrats have filed yet.

Stephens lives with his wife, Juli, in Lawrence County. They have three sons.

District 93 of the Ohio House of Representatives covers 116,725 citizens in most of Lawrence County, except Coal Grove, Ironton and Hamilton Township, all of Gallia and Jackson counties and half of Vinton County.