Washington County resident appointed to Ohio Senate seat
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COLUMBUS -- Brian Chavez of Marietta was sworn in to the Ohio Senate Wednesday, taking the 30th District seat opened by the retirement of former Sen. Frank Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction.
"I'm humbled and honored to serve the hard-working people of Ohio's 30th Senate District," said Chavez. "Our area of the state has unique challenges and opportunities. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the Ohio Legislature to serve the people with distinction."
Chavez, a Republican, is the manager and owner of Reno Oil and Gas LLC, which manages the drilling and field maintenance of more than 400 conventional gas and oil wells. He is also the owner of Chavez Well Service LLC and the CEO of Deeprock Disposal Solutions LLC. He was an engineer at Intel Corporation from 1996 to 2008 and has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of New Mexico.
Chavez and his wife, Christy, are second-generation owners of Reno Oil and Gas, an enterprise her father started some 50 years ago.
"We have deep roots here," Chavez said of the Marietta area. "We raised our two boys here, and we've been involved on the community level."
The Chavezes were named 2017 Business Leaders of the Year by the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce and have been involved in philanthropy with the Marietta Community Foundation.
But there's also a big-business aspect to Chavez's background, the years at Intel.
"We went from Intel to the family business," he said. "So we have a perspective from both sides."
Chavez will serve the remainder of Hoagland's term and then run for a full four-year term in November of 2024.
"I'm definitely committed to run for the full term," he said.
Hoagland announced his plan to retire in mid-November, effective Dec. 1. At the time, he said his time in office has made him more appreciative of the quality of his district's residents and the strength and potential of the area for the future. He was first elected to represent the 30th Senate District in 2016 and was reelected in 2020.
Hoagland was contacted and did not elaborate on his reasons for retirement. The U.S. Navy veteran said he looks forward to spending time with his grandchild and family.
The 30th District covers Washington, Athens, Belmont, Meigs, Morgan, Monroe, Noble, Harrison and Jefferson counties, as well as a portion of Guernsey County.
That makes it a big district, and Chavez says his first priority will be to visit each of those counties, discovering the different touchpoints that are important in each as well as introducing himself.
"This was completely unexpected," Chavez said. "I never thought I would do anything like this."
But he began to think that he had something helpful to offer as a state legislator and that it was time to step up and serve.
After he submitted a letter of intent about the opening, he said, there was a screening interview. Then he got the notice that he had been unanimously selected.
Although holding a public office is new to him, he said, it doesn't mean he is unaware of state issues and circumstances. He has served on several statewide boards and was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine as one of the five commissioners on the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission, a board Chavez describes as a quasi-judicial arbiter between the state and oil and gas industry. He and his wife also have been actively involved in the Southeast Ohio Oil and Gas Association.
On the topic of challenges in the oil and gas industry in Ohio, Chavez sees a unique opportunity in a state that has conventional oil and gas installations that have been around for decades and now, also, wells using horizontal drilling. A horizontal drilling well can equal the equivalent output of 40 or 50 vertical wells, he said. But it's important that the two types of production not be "painted with the same brush." The regulations governing them cannot be the same for both, he said. The state has acted to address that point but the approach has to be maintained, he said.
"I'm interested in being a legislator, not a politician," Chavez said. "I'm going to do my best."
Washington County Commissioner Kevin Ritter said he's glad the new senator is from the local area.
"He understands not just the 30th District and southeast Ohio but more specifically, Washington County, Ohio," Ritter said.
He said it's also beneficial that Chavez knows the oil and gas industry.
"That's a very important perspective for us to have in the state Legislature," Ritter said. "It's a driver in terms of economics" for the region.
Chavez can be reached at: Senate Building, Ground Floor, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215; by phone at 614-466-6508; by email at Chavez@OhioSenate.gov; or online at ohiosenate.gov/brian-m-chavez.
Reporter Nancy Taylor contributed to this article.