Duties of a State Representative

By Liz Ping

What you should excpect from your state representative.

An industrious representative will pursue resources from various agencies to guarantee success in the district. One such resource is the Ohio Capital Budget, a fund that supports construction, rehabilitation and expansion of community-oriented projects.

A visible representative is seen making appearances at local events, thereby making connections with constituents.

An engaged representative attends public functions such as school-board meetings.

An engaged representative might offer solutions from the state.

An accessible representative is available for questions, has materials on legislation, and answers constituents' questions in a timely manner. The perfect example of an accessible representative would be one who educates through town-hall meetings, bringing state government to the district level.

Representatives should know their districts well - know what keeps constituents awake at night, what services are needed and how to help residents thrive. While in Columbus, representatives are the voices of their districts; at home, they are the eyes and ears, always looking for ways to help the district succeed. An undesirable representative is one who is absent and out of touch, meets the needs of only a small private sector and is generally unknown to the public.

The responsibility of serving through state representation should not be taken lightly; our state representatives should be industrious, visible, engaged and accessible. After all, your state representative is your resource for getting your voice heard in Columbus.