MOUNT VERNON — Coach Scott Charland and businessman Ryan Rivers will go head-to-head for the Ohio Senate’s 19th district seat in the Nov. 3 election.
The 19th senate district includes Knox, Coshocton, Delaware and Holmes counties.
Current Sen. Andrew Brenner is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.
Rivers is a self-described conservative and believes in affordability, supporting local control, lowering property tax, eliminating fraud and waste and standing with law enforcement.
Charland is part of the Democratic party and believes in strong public education, protecting natural resources, wealth tax and a working class economic policy.
To acquaint citizens with the candidates, Knox Pages asked them to complete a questionnaire. Below are their responses.
Scott Charland
Charland serves on the Orange Township Parks Advisory Committee. He is also an active volunteer for the Ohio Nature Conservancy, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, Friends of the Lower Olentangy and the American Red Cross.
He has his master’s degree in Education from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
What inspired you to run for the office of state senator?
I live in Orange Township (Delaware County). Right across the street from where I live, a bunch of trees and land was being cleared. I inquired about what was happening and learned a data center was being built there.
After further inquiry, I learned my Republican opponent for this race, while serving as an Orange Township trustee, championed bringing data centers to Orange Township.
I was inspired to run so that the residents of District 19 have a representative who looks out for their best interests, not the best interests of big business.
What experience do you have that qualifies you for this role?
What qualifies me for this role is my lack of experience. I have no experience underfunding our public schools and approving private school vouchers which then steal hundreds of millions of dollars from them annually.
I have no experience giving giant tax breaks to data centers and major corporations who in turn exploit our natural resources, raise our energy prices, and take their profits back with them out of state.
I have no experience underfunding our health care system and services for people in need. I have no experience giving the billionaire owner of the Browns $600,000,000.
Electing “experienced” politicians has done nothing to help the every day lives of the working men and women of District 19.
What is your first priority if elected?
My first priority would be to help pass the Fair School Funding Plan and tie the input costs to 2026. This is a bipartisan plan to fund public schools, which would also bring property taxes down, but our current legislature refuses to act on it.
Name a decision the state legislature got wrong recently, and tell constituents how you would have voted.
Senate Republicans recently approved giving the billionaire owner of the Browns $600,000,000 from the state’s unclaimed property fund, to finance a new stadium. I obviously would have voted against this.
This money could have been spent to pay off Ohioan’s medical debt, helped our public schools, or any number of more beneficial programs.
If you are elected, what should we hold you to?
Hold me to making sure I always put the interests of the working families of District 19 first, not the interests of giant corporations. Ohio is ranked the #1 state to do business, and the #42 state for quality of life. These numbers need to be more balanced.
Which of your proposals needs money that is not currently there, and where would it come from?
Fully funding our public schools requires money. This is money the state already has, our legislature is just choosing not to spend it.
Would you raise any tax or fee, and if not, what gets cut instead?
I would raise taxes on data centers. Ohio currently has a sales tax exemption on data centers. This has cost the state billions of dollars. I would vote to repeal this exemption.
Your website states you want to enact strong working-class economic policies. Name a specific policy you would enact.
I would propose legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage from $11/ hour to $20/ hour and the tipped minimum wage from $5.50/ hour to $10/ hour and tie future increases to the rate of inflation.
You state school vouchers are harmful to public education, and if they cannot be overturned in court, you want to require parents to apply rather than private schools. How will this help?
When the Ed Choice Expansion voucher was approved in 2023, 69,000 more students received school vouchers. However, that same year, private school enrollment only went up 3,700 students. What do these numbers tell us?
They tell us that 65,000 students, who were already affording and attending private schools, now got a subsidy from the state government to do so.
By making the application process more rigorous, many of these families will simply decide it’s not worth the hassle and just go back to paying the full enrollment cost for their student, like they happily did before.
Any other comments?
I have spent a lot of time in Knox County during my campaign and have met many wonderful people. I was the individual who spoke against Flock cameras at the first city council meeting addressing their use.
I would appreciate your vote so I can keep advocating for the residents of Knox County.
Ryan Rivers
Rivers is a Central Ohio businessman who holds a communications degree from Ohio University. He has served as Orange Township trustee in Delaware County and is a past president of the Delaware County Township Association.
What inspired you to run for the office of state senator?
I decided to run for State Senate because I believe public service should be about getting results for the people you represent.
I’ve spent my entire life in Ohio. I’ve raised my family here, built businesses here, and had the opportunity to serve my community through local government and nonprofit volunteer work. Those experiences showed me firsthand that the decisions made at the Statehouse have a very real impact on families, small businesses, schools, and local communities.
I’m running because I want Ohio to remain a place where families can afford to live, businesses can grow, communities are safe, and our kids can build their futures right here at home.
For me, this isn’t about holding an office. It’s about taking the experience I’ve gained in business and public service and putting it to work for the people of the 19th Senate District while helping build an Ohio our kids will be proud to call home.
What experience do you have that qualifies you for this role?
My experience in business, local government, and working to strengthen our local economy has prepared me to serve effectively in the State Senate.
As a business owner, I understand what it means to create jobs, meet a payroll, manage budgets, and deal with the real world impact of government decisions. As an elected official in local government, I worked directly on the issues families experience every day, from public safety and infrastructure to responsible growth and development.
And on a personal note, Knox County has always been near and dear to my heart. My grandparents retired in Apple Valley, so I grew up spending time there and developed a connection to the area long before I ever considered running for office.
I believe that combination of business experience, public service, and personal connection to the communities of this district has prepared me to represent them effectively in the State Senate.
What if your first priority if elected?
My first priority will be reducing property taxes and providing meaningful relief for Ohio families.
Across our district, homeowners are facing rising property tax bills that are putting an increasing strain on household budgets. Seniors on fixed incomes are especially vulnerable, and families shouldn’t have to worry about being taxed out of homes they’ve worked their entire lives to own.
While Ohio has taken steps toward property tax reform, there is more work to do. I want to build on those efforts by delivering meaningful tax reductions, protecting seniors, increasing transparency, and ensuring taxpayers have a stronger voice in how their money is spent.
Having served in local government, I understand the importance of funding our schools, public safety, and essential services. But I also believe we can provide those services while demanding greater accountability and protecting taxpayers.
Name a decision the state legislature got wrong recently, and tell constituents how you would have voted.
I wouldn’t necessarily point to a recent decision the legislature got wrong. Instead, I would point to an issue where the legislature has made meaningful progress but still has more work to do: property tax reform.
I support the recent efforts to provide property tax relief and would have voted in favor of those reforms. However, I don’t believe the work is finished.
The legislature has taken important steps in the right direction. Now we need to build on that progress and deliver even more meaningful relief to Ohio homeowners.
If you are elected, what should we hold you to?
Hold me accountable for showing up, listening, and delivering results.
If elected, I want the people of the 19th District to hold me to the same standards I’ve followed throughout my career: be accessible, work hard, tell people where I stand, and never forget who I work for.
Hold me accountable for fighting to lower property taxes, supporting safe communities and strong schools, creating an environment where businesses can grow and good jobs can be created, and making sure state government is responsible with taxpayer dollars.
Most importantly, hold me accountable for staying connected to the communities I represent. I won’t measure success by how many bills I introduce or press releases I issue. I want to be measured by whether the families and communities of this district are better off because I served.
Which of your proposals needs money that is not currently there, and where would it come from?
Most of the priorities I’ve outlined do not require creating new government programs or new taxes. In fact, much of my focus is on making government more efficient, reducing the tax burden on families, and ensuring taxpayers are getting results from the dollars they already send to Columbus.
Where additional investment is necessary, whether for infrastructure, public safety, or other essential services, I believe we should first look within the existing state budget, eliminate unnecessary or duplicative spending, and prioritize our resources before asking taxpayers for more.
I also believe growth should help pay for growth. When major developments place additional demands on roads, utilities, schools, and public safety, those costs should not simply be shifted onto existing homeowners and taxpayers.
My approach is straightforward: set priorities, live within our means, and make sure every taxpayer dollar is treated with the same care Ohio families and businesses use with their own budgets.
Would you raise any tax or fee, and if not, what gets cut instead?
I would not start with raising taxes or fees. Ohio families are already dealing with higher costs, and my priority is to make government more affordable, not add to the burden.
If additional resources are needed for a priority, the first step should be reviewing existing spending and determining what is working, what is duplicative, and what is no longer producing results. State government should continually be looking for efficiencies and directing taxpayer dollars toward core responsibilities like education, public safety, and infrastructure.
I also believe we need to prioritize spending as carefully as families and businesses do. Not every program can be funded simply because it has always been funded.
My approach would be to justify the spending first, identify where the money will come from, and only then move forward. Raising taxes should not be the first answer to balancing a budget.
You said in the primary the state must own up to its fair share of funding public education. What if your plan to ensure that?
I believe the state has a responsibility to provide its fair share of funding for public education, and that responsibility shouldn’t continue to fall disproportionately on local property taxpayers.
My approach starts with reviewing Ohio’s school funding formula to ensure it reflects the actual cost of educating students, accounts for enrollment growth, and fairly distributes resources among districts.
As someone who has served in local government and has two daughters in public schools, I understand the importance of providing a quality education while being responsible with taxpayer dollars.
Ultimately, my goal is to ensure Ohio meets its funding obligations, our schools have the resources necessary to succeed, and homeowners aren’t continually asked to shoulder a growing share of the burden.
Your website states affordability is a challenge for families, and the focus must be to lower every-day costs. What is your solution for cutting energy bills?
Lowering energy costs starts with ensuring Ohio has an affordable, reliable, and abundant supply of electricity.
First, we need to encourage investment in additional energy generation right here in Ohio. As demand continues to grow, we must ensure our energy supply keeps pace so families and small businesses aren’t left paying higher prices.
Second, we need to hold large energy users, particularly data centers, accountable for the costs they create. I believe these facilities should be responsible for generating or securing their own additional power and paying for the infrastructure improvements necessary to support their operations. Those costs should not be passed along to homeowners and small businesses.
Finally, we need greater transparency and accountability in utility rates. Ohio families deserve to know what they’re paying for, and utility companies should have to justify rate increases and demonstrate that infrastructure investments are necessary and worth the cost.
Ohio can continue attracting investment and creating jobs without making electricity less affordable for the families who already call our state home.
My priority is simple: reliable energy, lower costs, and protecting Ohio families from paying for the demands of large corporations.
Any other comments?
I’m proud to have earned the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio and the support of law enforcement leaders who work every day to keep our communities safe.
I believe strong communities start with safe neighborhoods, support for law enforcement, strong families, and the Ohio values that have made our state a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
If elected, I will work to protect those values, keep our communities safe, make Ohio more affordable, and ensure the next generation has the opportunity to build a future right here at home.
I would be honored to serve the people of the 19th Senate District and will never forget that this office belongs to them.
