Vindicator - Attorney seeks seat in state legislature

The candidate is a past county bar association president.

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN - Local attorney Thomas Letson on Monday will declare his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 64th Ohio House of Representatives seat.

The seat is now held by Republican state Rep. Randy Law of Warren, who is likely to be unopposed in the primary.

Letson, of the Letson, Kragalott and Stack law firm, will make his declaration at 11 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Terry Ivanchak in the municipal building, 141 South Street S.E. No other Democrats have declared their candidacy.

"I'm the most qualified person to do the job for the people of the 64th district because I've had more time interfacing with the real problems of this district than anyone else that's going to run," said Letson, who resides in Warren.

He said he was referring to his experience as a lawyer and previously as a house parent for mentally retarded adults and a Workers Compensation representative for the United Steelworkers Union.

These jobs have shown him "the problems that people face in very real life in our community," he said.

"This administration and this legislature, after 16 years of unfettered control, have failed miserably to meet the employment, health, and education needs of our community," Letson said, referring to Republican control of state government.

It's time "to give a little balance back to the legislature," he said. "I believe the only way we can return balance to government is by evening out the legislature, and taking back this seat for the Democrats is one of the ways to do it."

Job creation through improved education should be a high priority, he said.

"We are failing miserably for our high school and college students," he added.

At the announcement, Letson will be joined by House Minority leader Joyce Beatty, D-27th, of Cincinnati, Mayor Michael O'Brien and other Democratic public officials.

Letson said he hasn't yet filed his nominating petitions with the Trumbull County Board of Elections, where Feb. 16 is the filing deadline for the May 2 primary.

A past president of the Trumbull County Bar Association and a current member of the Warren health board, Letson, 53, was born in Columbus and has lived in the Warren area since 1953.

A graduate of Champion High School, he attended St. Bonaventure University and received his bachelor's degree from Kent State University and his law degree from the University of Akron. Letson said he has been interested in state politics since his youth.

Letson, a former Democratic precinct committeeman, said he ran unsuccessfully against Michael Verich for state representative in the 1982 primary and against Peter Kontos for common pleas judge in the Democratic primary 10 years ago.