Ron Grethel, a Loveland software developer and Army National Guard veteran, is running as the Libertarian candidate for Ohio House District 62 in the Nov. 3 general election.
Grethel said he decided to run after seeing extremist flyers distributed in downtown Cincinnati and growing frustrated with a political system he said too often leaves voters choosing between two parties they do not fully support. He has also earned the endorsement of the Forward Party, according to his questionnaire responses. He has not previously held elected or appointed office.
Candidate information
- Residence: Loveland, Ohio. Grethel bought his childhood home to raise his family there.
- Family: Married 11 years, three daughters, lives in Clermont County.
- Education: Bachelor's in political science, Xavier University. Tech Elevator coding bootcamp (GI Bill).
- Party: Libertarian. Also endorsed by the Forward Party.
Experience and public service
Grethel served eight years as an Air Defense Artillery officer in the Ohio Army National Guard, reaching the rank of captain. His service included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked with Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems.
He said he has worked in insurance claims handling and sales, and in software development focused on enterprise technology and systems integration. In his questionnaire, he described his insurance experience as giving him firsthand exposure to how regulations and financial systems affect families.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Grethel's questionnaire responses to Surround Sound News.
Property taxes and energy costs: Grethel said he supports a property-tax circuit breaker that would limit a homeowner's tax burden relative to household income. He also wants Ohio to study land value taxation, arguing homeowners should not be penalized for improving their property. On energy, he said large users such as data centers should pay the grid and generation costs they create. "Existing residents should not be subsidizing the infrastructure costs of enormous private developments," Grethel said in his questionnaire response. He added that any incentive should be transparent, time-limited and tied to measurable public benefit.
Election reform: Grethel supports ranked-choice voting, open primaries and fair ballot access. He said Ohio should use reasonable signature and filing rules that do not protect established parties from competition. He also backs strong post-election audits and publication of non-identifying election data so the public can verify the count.
Healthcare and nursing homes: Grethel said his grandmother's experience in a care facility shaped his views. He wants Ohio to review whether routine tasks can safely be performed by trained caregivers so nurses can focus on clinical work. He supports Medicaid reimbursement that reflects the real cost of care and rewards frontline staffing over administrative overhead.
Education and workforce: Grethel supports expanding partnerships among high schools, career-technical centers, community colleges, apprenticeship programs and local employers. He wants students to have better information about local wages, job openings and expected debt before choosing a career path.
Abortion and voter ID: Grethel said he respects the 2023 voter decision on abortion rights. He opposes House Bill 754, which would require registration of all fetal deaths and a certificate of life after detection of a fetal heartbeat. On Issue 3, the Nov. 3 ballot measure that would write photo ID requirements into the state constitution, Grethel said he questions creating that inflexibility.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
