Republican candidate for Congress cites his experience

SANDUSKY — A former mayor and businessman running for Congress said he hopes voters will consider experience along with achievement when picking a Republican candidate to oppose U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo. "Look at the qualifications of the candidates and what they've done before in their life," said Dan Wilczynski. "I don't like that this is a name-recognition game." Wilczynski — who lives in Walbridge in the Toledo area and is the town's former mayor — is one of four announced candidates, so far, seeking the Republican nomination in the May 2024 primary to oppose Kaptur in the 9th Congressional District. The district covers all of Erie, Ottawa and Sandusky counties among others bordering these areas. His resume includes working in the energy business, specifically the natural gas industry and at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. He also has a consulting company with his wife which works with energy companies. One of his clients, Wilczynski said, was BP America after a 2005 refinery explosion in Texas killed 15 people. Wilczynski said BP hired him to help make their plants safer. The other announced candidates in the race are J.R. Majewski, the nominee last year; former state Rep. Craig Riedel, who came in second to Majewski in last year's GOP primary; and Steve Lankenau, the former mayor of Napoleon. Last year's general election had been expected to be close, as the district had been redrawn to give the Republican candidate a good chance of winning, but Kaptur won about 57% of the vote. The district previously contained heavy Democratic areas, namely Lorain and Cuyahoga counties — no longer in the 9th Congressional District — but has since been redrawn. "We need good candidates that can win," Wilczynski said. "I believe candidate selection was a problem." Majewski has a history of making misleading statements, which include his recent contention that he is the Republican candidate who came the closest to defeating Kaptur in many years, Wilczynski said. That leaves out the fact that the district was heavily Democratic until it was changed for last year's election, Wilczynski said. As for Riedel, "If he thinks he can win it, he should have beaten Mr. Majewski last time," Wilczynski said. Wilczynski, 62, said the top issue for everyone is dealing with inflation and the devaluation of the dollar. Education is also a top issue and that includes empowering parents, getting "the wokeness and indoctrination out of schools," and protecting women's athletics, he said. Restoring America's energy independence also is a top issue, he said.