COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A Democratic candidate for Ohio governor has selected a local government official with Democratic roots and appeal among rural Republican voters as her running mate.
Former state lawmaker Connie Pillich announced Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer as her lieutenant governor pick on Thursday.
The 51-year-old Schertzer has been mayor of Marion since 2008 and is the current president of the Ohio Municipal League.
Before taking office, Schertzer spent 13 years as a public school teacher.
He also worked for then-Ohio treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow and then-Secretary of State Sherrod Brown.
Pillich said Schertzer's voice is important to her ticket because he has made tough choices under pressure as local communities have been left behind.
Pillich faces four other Democratic contenders in the contest to succeed Republican Gov. John Kasich, who's term-limited.
(Photo courtesy City of Marion)