MOUNT GILEAD — Morrow County Commissioner Tom Whiston announced Monday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the 87th Ohio House District in the May 8 primary.

State House members have begun the process of picking a new representative for the 87th District. The seat was left empty by GOP state Rep. Wesley Goodman’s resignation in the wake of inappropriate sexual behavior.

The 87th District includes all of Crawford, Morrow and Wyandot counties and parts of Marion and Seneca counties.

Whiston serves as chairman of the Morrow County Commissioners.

He serves on the board of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and was previously Mayor of Mount Gilead for 11 years and served on village council.

Whiston is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, is a longtime member of the Morrow County Farm Bureau, lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and the National Community Pharmacists Association.

He is also a member of the Free and Accepted Masonic Lodge 206, Arbor Day Foundation and the Ohio Republican Party. Whiston is an officer of the Whiston Foundation and oversees the family Century Farm in Knox County.

Whiston serves on the Morrow County Republican Central Committee.

He has four adult children, Jonathan Whiston, Whitney Tompson (Jesse and grandchildren Oliver and Charlotte), Joseph Whiston and Hannah Whiston. His parents, Howard and Pauline Whiston, still reside in Mount Gilead.

Whiston has extensive business and government experience and “is excited to pursue serving residents of the 87th district.” He is “a common-sense conservative and works to have the private and government sectors work together.”

More on Whiston can be found at www.WhistonforOhio.com.