Casey Kozlowski served as Ohio State Representative for District 99, made up of Ashtabula and Northern Trumbull counties. As Representative, he served as president of the Pymatuning Valley Board of Education, the same school district where he graduated high school. During his tenure on the board, he also served as vice-president and as the student achievement liaison. Prior to his election to the Ohio House of Representatives he was employed as a business manager with a local automotive dealership. Casey ran again this election season for State Representative against John Patterson, and lost by a slim margin of 2,500 votes. Casey comes from a family that has a strong commitment to faith. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Jefferson, Ohio. In addition his family has been a staple in the community for years as small business owners. While taking classes to complete his degree in Business Administration, Casey stays active in the community through his involvement in many organizations including the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ashtabula Rotary Club and several local area chambers of commerce.
Young people must embrace and cherish the voting process, as it is the foundation of our democracy. We, as young people, must realize the importance and impact that government have on our daily lives. We are the voice of today, as we will be the ones making the decisions of tomorrow. If we are to ignore the task that has been laid out before us, we are sacrificing our right to question, our right to demand strong leadership, and our ability to bring this country back to prosperity.
The greatest challenge of running for office at a young age, has been my age itself. People, for whatever reason, believe you must be a lawyer, teacher, or businessman, but this is not the case. See, though I was 18 when I first became a member of the school board, and 23 when I became State Representative, I was able to use common sense, and the voice of the people to help guide us through difficult times. I truly believe the greatest reward has been proving to others that a young individual can, and will, succeed if given the chance. We must embrace youth in government, and show that we are not a complacent group ready to sit back and watch our future dreams, ideas, and goals be pushed to the wayside.
If I could have dinner with anyone I would likely choose to have dinner with our country’s founding fathers. Having the opportunity to meet with them and speak about their vision for what would become the greatest country in the world would be truly a great experience.