Beloit Village councilwoman Dr. Laura Schaeffer announces challenge to Al Cutrona

Beloit Village councilwoman Dr. Laura Schaeffer has filed her declaration of candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives seat currently held by Al Cutrona. Pending certification from the Board of Elections, Dr. Schaeffer has already collected the needed petition signatures to appear on the ballot.

“I’m running because the people of this community deserve a responsive and engaged public servant representing them in Columbus,” said Schaeffer. “And it’s clear Mr. Cutrona is not the best choice for our community.”

“I grew up in Beloit, continued my education, and returned home to raise my family. I know this community, and this community knows me. It’s a wonderful place to live, but we’re all facing real challenges. We deserve leaders who will work to address the issues that we face in our district.”

In addition to serving on the Beloit Village council since 2020, Dr. Schaeffer’s impressive record of public service includes five years as an administrator at the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, where she applies her engineering psychology PhD from Georgia Tech to manage the library’s collection.

Dr. Schaeffer was raised in Beloit, Ohio before moving to Georgia for college. After receiving her undergraduate degree in neuroscience, she earned a master’s degree at Georgia Tech and taught undergraduate courses while working toward her PhD, which she completed in 2021 while working full-time and raising two kids. Dr. Schaeffer also served as faculty at Agnes Scott College before moving back to the Valley in 2017.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Dr. Schaeffer joining the ticket,” said Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman Chris Anderson. “She has incredible qualifications but also comes from a family that looks like Northeast Ohio: small business owners, service members, teachers, union plumbers, Harley riders, and farmers.”

“The contrast between Dr. Schaeffer and Al Cutrona could not be more clear: a working mom who wants to address kitchen-table issues versus a guy who is so clueless about the problems facing working people in the Valley that he’s posting tweets about the U.S.-Mexico Border. Gerrymandering has gotten out of control, but I still don’t think they’ve drawn the maps to put El Paso, Texas in his district.”

To get involved with Dr. Schaeffer’s campaign, visit LauraForOhio.com.

-30-