Matt Barrett is a former Democratic member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, who represented the 58th District from 2007 to 2008.

Life and career

Barrett is a graduate of Embry Riddle University and of the

Cleveland State University College of Law Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in 1946 with the John ...

. He is licensed to practice law in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and the federal court systems. He is married with several children. In 1997, Barrett began his political career by running at-large for city council in

Amherst, Ohio Amherst () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located west of Cleveland. The population was 12,681 at the 2020 census. History The original village, which eventually became known as Amherst, was established/founded by pione ...

, he would be reelected three more times.

Ohio House of Representatives

In 2004, Barrett ran for state representative against Kathleen Walcher, but lost 53.99% to 46.01%. However, Walcher resigned midway through her term. Barrett ran again for the seat in 2006, and this time defeated Walcher's replacement,

Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall. White was convicted of manslaugh ...

, by a margin of 51.20% to 48.80%. He was sworn into office on January 2, 2007. Only eighteen months into his first term, Barrett was caught in an ethics scandal after mistakenly allowing

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

to be shown to high school children during a presentation. While he initially blamed it on his teenage son, he later acknowledged that the mistake was his. He soon after resigned, and was succeeded by

Tom Heydinger Tom Heydinger (August 24, 1940 – July 10, 2012) was a former judge and Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives who represented the 58th District briefly in 2008. Life and career A native of Plymouth, Ohio, Heydinger served in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Matt Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Living people 1970 births 21st-century American legislators People from Amherst, Ohio