Josh Mandel

Josh Mandel
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 17th district
In office 2006 -
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ilana

Josh Mandel is a Republican Ohio state representative and U.S. Marine. He is a member of the Ohio House, served two tours in Iraq, and has been featured by various news outlets for his simultaneous service as a politician and soldier.

Biography

Josh Mandel is a Marine who served two tours in the Iraq War, and he currently serves as State Representative from the 17th Ohio House District. His district is located in Southeast Cuyahoga County and borders Medina, Summit, Geauga and Portage Counties. The district includes 17 communities, ranging from small townships to medium-sized cities. He was first elected State Representative in 2006, knocking on 19,679 doors and wearing out three pairs of shoes. In 2008 he was re-elected to a second term, representing a district with a 2:1 Democrat to Republican voter ratio.

Josh’s first piece of legislation as State Representative was an initiative to force the multibillion dollar Ohio pension funds to divest from companies doing business in terrorist-sponsoring countries including Iran and Sudan. He led this bipartisan effort to make Ohio the first state in the nation to divest pension dollars from terrorist-sponsoring nations. Since this success, Josh has worked with legislators and State Treasurers across the country to support Iran divestment nationwide, and today over a dozen states have embarked on terror-free investment initiatives. Due to his leadership on this and other issues, Josh was named legislative “Rookie of The Year” by the non-partisan Columbus Monthly Magazine and “Watchdog of the Treasury” by the United Conservatives of Ohio.

Through his role as a member of the House Insurance Committee, Josh participated in the reconstruction of investment oversight for the multi-billion dollar Bureau of Workers’ Compensation investment fund. This overhaul of BWC investment oversight was the Ohio Legislature’s response to the BWC investment scandals of the past decade. Josh has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Public Utilities Committee and as a member of the Criminal Justice and Judiciary Committees.

Josh’s previous elected experience includes service as a Lyndhurst City Councilman, where he was elected in 2003 with more votes than any candidate for Council or Mayor. As Councilman, Josh served three years on the Finance Committee, dealing with issues including long-term fiscal forecasting, municipal investment strategy and bond-rating protections. Additionally, Josh introduced and led the fight for the first Property Tax Rollback in Lyndhurst history, which currently remains one of the only property tax rollbacks in Ohio history.

Josh’s family, like many, came to this country seeking a chance at the American Dream. His Grandpa Joe came from Poland, his Grandma Fernanda from Italy, and his Grandpa Harold served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Inspired by his grandparents, Josh carries a strong sense of family, integrity and duty to serve his country.

These values led Josh to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, where he served eight years as an Intelligence Specialist, having graduated first in his class from Marine Corps Boot Camp and first in his class from Marine Corps Intelligence School. His Marine Corps duty included two tours in Iraq, where he operated throughout the Al Anbar Province. During both tours, Josh was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal for “superior performance of his duties.”

Josh holds a Bachelor Degree from The Ohio State University, where he served two terms as the Undergraduate Student Government President, and also holds a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Josh and his wife Ilana reside in Lyndhurst, Ohio, close to their families and just minutes from the homes in which they grew up.

External links

• Josh Mandel campaign website