George Lang, whenever he gives a public speech, especially in Butler County, Ohio, where he is the Senator of the 4^th District, will quickly remind everyone that Butler County is the only county in Ohio operating debt-free. It is one of the best-run counties in the entire nation, fiscally speaking, and that is to the credit of Nancy Nix and many others who work as the treasurer and support staff. It’s also a credit to the Republican Party of Butler County, and you will always find George Lang somewhere near someone who has been successful behind many of the success stories. George Lang is the kind of person who builds people up wherever he goes, and his best work is often in the background. He’s not very ostentatious about letting everyone know about the good work he does, but given the trend of pointing out every flaw people in politics have that there are, I thought it was an excellent idea to let people know of one of the best examples of what a good politician is that I know, and point out some of the traits that make him that way. While it’s true, I consider George a friend, I’ve known him since the early Tea Party days, and I like his family quite a lot. But I’ll also say that we don’t always agree on everything or support the same kind of people in every situation. Yet, as I always say, there is only one correct answer, and I can say that in the context of our relationship, George is a tireless advocate for whatever that right answer is, and he pursues it aggressively. And if new information comes up along the way that might change his view on the right answer, he doesn’t let anything get in the way of modifying his thought process to accommodate it. And that might be his best trait and why he is so successful, not just in the things he does, but in how he builds people up around him toward the ultimate correct answer. 

I was at a few events recently and heard the same kind of stories, that George Lang is an establishment Republican and that he is part of the problem, not a solution. In the context of those sentiments, I can say that they are common among anybody who has had success and are not rooted in reality. One of the reasons I’ve been able to be friends with George Lang for so long is because he is a high-quality person who can handle the heat in the kitchen well. So, if he were anything less than great, I wouldn’t have maintained a friendship with him all this time. Usually, when we talk, it’s not about politics ironically, but the big things, like ancient civilizations and what lessons we could learn from them that could improve the legislative agenda of America as a republic. We never get hung up on the small stuff, the whims of political tides that come and go like an ocean current.   From my perspective in knowing how George is every day, I know the things some people say about him are because he’s been successful. All successful people get hen-pecked behind their backs. The critics are primarily built on jealousy or to hide their own ineffectiveness in the world and would rather blame a corrupt system that never listens to their own failures. George is the kind of person who can sit down with anyone under any type of contentious condition and work with them. And he stays honest during it all and can go home to his family with a clean mind because everything he does is done with good sentiment on his part. I’ve watched many people attempt this in life, and they usually get beaten down into an unrecognizable person within a few years. But George has managed to keep himself great for many years, working as a trustee, then a State Representative, until this most recent position as a State Senator.   George could do anything politically that he wanted, which would always draw criticism from the fans in the stands. Yet when it comes to wins, George is always nearby those victories even if he isn’t the one who takes the heroic shot in the end but was the person who set all the success up behind the scenes. 

This came to my mind because I have been getting asked many questions about what might happen in the fourth quarter, during the next election in America, if the Democrats try to use another version of Covid to implement shutdowns and change voting rules as they did in 2020. In Ohio, DeWine was terrible with Covid, and it cost the state a lot. Well, George all along worked behind the scenes to ensure that what happened in 2020 would never happen again in Ohio. George has a business-first political platform that understands that if there is no business in Ohio, then there aren’t jobs and things to do with a good economy. So George puts his political efforts into ensuring that the economy of Ohio is outstanding so that all other good things will follow. And over the last several years, George has passed legislation that greatly limited what a governor can do under emergency conditions. For instance, if there were another pandemic, a governor would be unable to shut down small businesses while keeping the large ones open. Everyone would have to follow the same safety protocols, but the government would not pick winners and losers as they did during Covid 2020. Also, the Senate led an effort with George among the leaders to drive the issue that would keep any governor from overreacting and taking authority control over the entire state. So those days are gone forever, and George Lang is the one to thank for it. 

A lot of the best legislation that gets done in Columbus isn’t very sexy. It doesn’t make great splashes on the nightly news. Few likely know about S.B. 246, which allows for small businesses to utilize similar tax advantages that large companies have access to, which might not sound like a big thing, but if you are a business of any size, tax burdens are one of the most significant concerns that there is. With George’s bill, it will attract investment to Ohio which is desperately needed. Ohio has been suffering from a depopulation crisis for a long time. It’s been so bad that it only has 15 congressional representatives due to that condition. As jobs have fled the state due to previous bad government policy, there wasn’t anywhere for the kids of previous generations to work, so they left for places that looked more attractive.   George is working to rebuild that business base of Ohio and is looking to turn that all around, and so far, he’s been very successful. Like the example George gives about the great Butler County treasurer Nancy Nix and how it is operating as the only county that is debt free, it takes a lot of leadership behind the scenes to manage everything correctly, and it also takes a willingness not always to be the point person where a single point failure can significantly limit what good leadership can do. But to build up others in ways that the public never sees. And if someone didn’t point out that good work every now and then, nobody would ever know. And that is why I value George Lang so much and think despite the negative news stories that we hear every day on the news, there are some great politicians out there doing outstanding work. And George Lang is one of them for sure. 

Rich Hoffman