The first time Jack Cera’s name appeared on a ballot in Belmont County was 38 years ago, and he attributes his victory over former congressional member Bob Ney to the blue wave that swept the Buckeye State’s Democratic Party to the Governor’s Mansion and to the majorities in the Ohio House and Senate.
Since, Cera has served the East Ohio region for a total of 23 years in the House, and because of eight-year term limits he will complete his service officially on the final day of December.
“Right now, I am not sure what’s next for me,” Cera said. “What’s most important to me right now is going to visit my family because my daughter is going to have her second child in January, so we want to be with her and her family for that. As far as employment, I don’t have any particular plans right now.
“There are some things I have taken a look at, and some people spoken to some people about this and about that,” he said. “But right now, I just want to get through (today) and then take a break and spend as much time with my family as I can.”
His Battles
Public school funding. Secondary roads. The fracking industry. Coal mining. Broadband. Economic development.
Through the years Cera has witnessed much decline in his district involving population, state funding, employment opportunities, an unconstitutional funding mechanism for public education, and with the slow death of the steel industry thousands of jobs were lost to never return.
The lawmaker, though, has never been afraid to make a whole lot of noise in support of the people of the 96th District.
“I loved being a member of the Ohio House because I really enjoy the legislative process,” Cera explained. “I always tried to work with folks from both sides of the aisle to get good things accomplished. Plus, my door has always been open to my constituents because I feel that’s the best way to know what is needed the most in your district.
“It was always about speaking up no matter who is on what side,” he said. “I will miss that process, and I will miss the people of my district, but I will not miss what the politics has turned into anymore. The politics has caused me a lot of frustration because getting good things done just got more difficult because of an unwillingness to work from people on the other side of the aisle. That wasn’t always the case, but it sure is now.”
In Monroe County, hundreds of jobs were lost with the shuttering of Ormet. In Belmont and Jefferson counties, bankruptcy filings by Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and the companies that followed forced the closure of plants in Steubenville, Mingo Junction, Yorkville, and Martins Ferry.
Most recently, Rep. Cera has been on the frontlines with the possible development of a petrochemical “cracker” plant, but thanks to the pandemic his confidence in the project has waned.
“For a long time, I was pretty confident that the cracker would be developed in Belmont County, but then the pandemic hit and not just here,” Cera said. “But I haven’t heard much about it for a few months because this virus is still very much alive, and it’s messed with the schedules. I understand why everything has been delayed, but at the same time it’s been a very frustrating experience.
“One of the last things that I did hear was that the people with PTT have to wait for the construction of the cracker in Beaver County to get further along because of equipment and workforce,” he said. “That project up there is moving, but they can’t have as many people working on it at one time because of the pandemic, so I don’t believe anyone is sure about what’s going to happen here.”
For the People, By the People
The Bellaire native usually is a quiet man, but rile him up, and Cera always has taken advantage of a chance to defend and fight for his hometown and the communities to the north and south along the Ohio River.
It did not matter whether or not he was a member of the Ohio House, or if he was in a position in Belmont County. Public service to Cera was just that, public service.
“In a position like this one, there are so many things that you do that are not written about or talked about, but they are just as important as everything else because it’s the only way to do the job that the people need you to do,” he insisted. “Now, dealing with COVID-19 is like nothing I have ever seen during my career. All of the unemployment that took place and the issues that came with that were things that I had to work on day-in and day-out for months.
“That’s why I felt it was important for the people in the Legislature to understand that our life here is much different than how life is where they live. There are only so many opportunities in this part of Ohio, and far too many of the people I serve with just don’t seem to understand that fact.”
Cera cracks jokes these days about being happy that he has reached his term limit and that he is now glad to be getting out because of the long, straight, boring drive to his office in Columbus, but he’s fibbing when he does. What is completely true, though, is that the state representative has become frustrated with the greed that has captured a once pure political process.
“If I told you it was the same today as it was when I was first elected in 1982, I’d be lying,” Cera said. “The biggest differences that have taken place really have been in the last decade or so, and somehow the people who pay their taxes and our salaries got lost in the mix.
“I’m really happy to say that I never got into the middle of that stuff, though,” the lawmaker added. “I just kept going about it the way I always have, and I hope the next person does it the same way because that’s how the voters like it in the district.”
