Born and raised in Oxford, Tim Derickson is a graduate of both Talawanda High School and Miami University.
Derickson is the Republican nominee for the 53rd District representative to the Ohio General Assembly.
Currently seeking re-election, incumbent Derickson has held numerous leadership roles within the Oxford community and has served on five separate house subcommittees.
Derickson said growing up in Oxford has impacted the way he views his service in the General Assembly.
"All legislators are impacted by their community, and because of growing up in Oxford, I feel I really do represent diversity," Derickson said.
Derickson also said his roots have greatly influenced his platform.
"When you live in Oxford, education is pretty important to you," Derickson said.
Derickson feels very fortunate to have one of the largest employers in Ohio, Miami University, in his district and relies on his relationships with university friends and administration to help him do his job.
Butler County GOP Executive Chairman Dave Kern first got to know Derickson as a Liberty Township trustee.
"Tim has the ability to get the job done," Kern said.
Kern also said Derickson is the kind of person who is willing to reach across the aisle to make sure the job gets done.
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"Tim really is fair, even headed and level handed," Kern said.
While Derickson may be willing to compromise with his democratic counterparts, he recognizes there are significant issues within the state of Ohio that need to be dealt with, one of those being the funding of education.
"Forty-eight of the 50 states fund education with property taxes," Derickson said. "When the recession hit, those took a nose dive."
According to Derickson, one of the biggest problems facing the General Assembly is how to fund an education system with dollars that fluctuate.
"Our budget is already pretty lean, with about 40 percent going toward education, 40 percent to health and human services and 20 percent to everything else," Derickson said. "What's going to happen (at the next General Assembly) is every line item is going to be put on the table and scrutinized."
Despite his ardent support of education, Derickson's number one issue is the economy. Derickson said one of his top goals is to not just recruit new business to the area, but fight for existing employers to stay and expand. With the current budget crisis facing Ohio, Derickson said he cannot support raising taxes in the current economy and hopes to lower property taxes.
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