Hoops seeks Ohio senate seat
Apr. 14—LIMA — Ohio Rep. Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, is no stranger to the Ohio Statehouse, having served in the Ohio House from 1999 to 2006 before returning to the House in 2018, representing the 81st District. With his term set to expire in 2026, Hoops now hopes to continue his work in Columbus, this time in the other legislative chamber.
Hoops, 66, hopes to succeed term-limited Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, in the 1st Senate District, encompassing Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and and Williams counties, as well as portions of Auglaize, Fulton and Logan counties. Former Ohio Rep. Craig Riedel has also announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination for that seat in the May 2026 primary.
"I just want to continue to serve northwest Ohio," he said during an interview Monday at The Lima News' office. "I feel I've done a pretty good job of sharing the values that we have up here down in Columbus."
A former county auditor for Henry County, Hoops hopes to see the state legislature work to make the state taxation policy more attractive for companies and families considering a move to Ohio.
"We want to continue to work on things to make our state competitive as far as our tax system," he said. "Over the years, we've lowered the income tax, and we'll continue to look at that. I'd like to see maybe a flat rate tax for our state. I believe we need a competitive tax system to keep the rates low and broaden the base."
When it comes to education, Hoops said he supports the current state budget proposal from the House and its support for private education, but he wants to ensure both private and public school students have a "level playing field" when it comes to their education.
"I'd like to see, you know, some accountability with both systems like we have with the public, but also with the vouchers," he said. "Does that mean we put more on the vouchers or take away more from the public schools? Because of everything going on at the federal level with education, maybe we get rid of some of the testing, because it feels like they're testing all the time."
While complimenting Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, for his work, Hoops voiced some concerns with a proposal to force public school districts to cut property taxes earmarked for that district if more than 30 percent of their funds are unspent at the end of each year.
"I really believe (Huffman) has a reason why he likes it, and I understand what he's saying, but at the same time, I think we're getting into where, is it our job to police what the local schools are doing?" he said. "There might be a very good reason why they have the carryover they have. I think through all of this, I'd like to see it either disappear or raise it from 30 percent to some other percentage. I've talked to the speaker about this, and we'll continue to work on this issue."
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