Matt Lundy files to run for State House's 53rd District

Former Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy has filed to run for a return to the Ohio House of Representatives as the representative of the 53rd District of Ohio, he announced Friday. Lundy, a Democrat, will seek to succeed State Rep. Jim Miller, D-Amherst, who is term-limited in the state house and running to be state senator representing the 13th District. Republican Brad Lacko, of Amherst, also filed to run for the seat Miller is vacating. A resident of Avon Lake, Lundy previously served as a state representative from 2007-2014, and served on the Lorain County Board of Commissioners from 2015-2022, when he was unseated by Republican Commissioner Jeff Riddell. In his release, Lundy said that he would fight to protect consumers and lower the cost of living in Lorain County and Ohio at large. "Columbus politicians have made it less affordable for our families to live in Ohio. Affordability for our families will be my focus," he said. During his prior tenure in the statehouse, Lundy chaired the Consumer Protection Committee and was a member of the Finance Committee and Education Committee. Lundy also argued in his release that the Ohio legislature has placed an increasing tax burden on residents in recent years by cutting state funding for things like public education and libraries. "The money in Columbus is our money, not their money," he said in the release. "By cutting local government funds and school funding, they've forced a greater tax burden on our families. These funds need to be restored to ease the burden. Plus, they are now targeting our libraries and even seeking to ban books. These extreme actions will be challenged every day by me. I will fight for our families to make life in Ohio more affordable. I have established a strong reputation for being the voice of reason and for being fiscally responsible." Lundy also previously served as an Avon Lake City Councilman and as the Elyria safety service director in 2023. The Ohio House of Representatives 53rd District represents Lorain, Amherst, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake and Avon Lake.