Johnson will have Marietta office

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) has not made a decision as to whether he will have an Ironton office.

Jessica Towhey, a spokesman from Johnson’s office, said Friday that the congressman will have an office in Marietta, but has not decided if and where other offices will be located.

Johnson’s predecessor, Democrat Charlie Wilson had an office on Park Avenue in Ironton for approximately three years, Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said.

Having Wilson in the city has been good for Ironton and for Lawrence County, Blankenship said.

“I have spoken to Congressman Johnson and requested that he retain that office in Ironton,” Blankenship said.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to approve a 5 percent cut in its budget.

That budget cut, which Johnson voted for, will in turn mean that the congressman’s office budget will be down by 5 percent as well, Towhey said.

Marietta in Washington County was chosen because it’s centrally located in Ohio’s sixth congressional district, which is approximately 350 miles long, Towhey said. Traveling from the north to the south of the district takes between six and seven hours, she added.

No matter where an office is, some of Johnson’s constituents will have to travel to visit his office, Towhey said.

The congressman is considering the option of having mobile offices that will travel to different areas in the district. No decisions have been made yet, however.

She added that Johnson is trying to be as responsible as he can with taxpayers money.

“We don’t want to rush these decisions,” Towhey said. “We’d rather make smart decisions than fast decisions.”