Zack Space

Zachary Thompson Space[1] (born January 27, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician and the former U.S. Representative for Ohio's 18th congressional district, serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After serving in Congress, Space became a lobbyist and was a principal for Vorys Advisors LLC, a subsidiary of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.[2] He ran unsuccessfully for Ohio State Auditor in 2018, significantly outperforming other members of the ticket in Appalachian Ohio counties. He is currently serving as President of Sunday Creek Horizons, a lobbying and advocacy firm founded in 2019 that serves clients in eastern and southern Ohio.[3]

Zack Space
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 18th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byBob Ney
Succeeded byBob Gibbs
Personal details
Born (1961-01-27) January 27, 1961
Dover, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Mary Ellen Wade
​
(m. 1988)​
Children2
EducationKenyon College (BA)
Ohio State University (JD)

Early life, education and career

Space was born on January 27, 1961, in Dover, Ohio. His family is of Greek origin, originating from the island Icaria.

His last name was an alteration of his grandfather's Greek name. His father, Socrates Space, was a Democratic chairman in Space's home county of Tuscarawas.[4] Space graduated from Dover High School in 1979, and attended Kenyon College, where he earned All-American honors in football,[5][6] and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science. Space then earned a Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

In 1986, Space started a law practice with his father, Socrates. Their firm, Space & Space Company, LPA, was in business for nearly 20 years and focused on consumer rights. The elder Space was also active in local politics, serving a long tenure as Chairman of the Tuscarawas County Democratic Party.[7][8] He married Mary Ellen Wade, a future judge, in 1988.[9][1]

Space is a member of the Tuscarawas County and State of Ohio Bar Associations. In addition to his private law practice, he has worked as a public defender and served as Special Counsel to two Attorneys General of Ohio, Anthony J. Celebrezze, Jr. and Lee Fisher.

After the death of Dover Law Director Thomas Watson, Space was appointed to fill the vacancy. He won re-election in 2001 with 70 percent of the vote, and was unopposed in the 2003 election. As Law Director, Space served as general counsel to the Dover city government and tried misdemeanor cases in the city's municipal court.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Space was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.[10]

He is an advocate for embryonic stem cell research, a position he embraced after his son Nicholas was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age six. Representative Space voted against the final Senate version of the Affordable Care Act after voting for the House version which included a public option. Rep. Space voted for the Waxman-Markey "cap and trade" bill allowing it to be brought out of committee and be passed by the House. American Electric Power and the Environmental Defense Fund ran a commercial congratulating Rep. Space for his vote.

Political campaigns

2006
Zack Space visits Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia, Ohio, on August 4, 2006.

On May 2, 2006, Space won the Democratic primary for the House seat then held by Bob Ney, defeating Democrats Jennifer Stewart,[11] Joe Sulzer,[12] and Ralph Applegate. Space received 39 percent of the vote, Stewart 25 percent, Sulzer 24 percent, and Applegate received 11 percent.[13]

Republican Ney said much of the primary campaign was focused on attacking him, and said he would attempt to bring the campaign back to the issues. "It has to get back to issues," he said. "We are going to run an aggressive campaign. ... We are going to stick to the issues and show the difference between me and Zack Space."[13] In July, a poll commissioned by the Space campaign showed Space ahead of Ney, 46 percent to 35 percent, with 19 percent undecided.[14]

On August 7, Ney withdrew from the race, citing concerns about legal issues facing him; he pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal on October 13. In a special primary the Ohio Republican party selected State Senator Joy Padgett to replace Ney. She was dogged by questions about a business bankruptcy that she and her husband had filed. She was also seriously hampered by associations with Ney, as well as widespread scandals surrounding the Ohio Republican Party.

On November 7, Space defeated Padgett 62 percent to 38 percent. Although much more attention was paid to Brad Ellsworth's 61 percent to 39 percent defeat of John Hostettler in Indiana's 8th district, Space's victory was the largest margin of any Democrat in a Republican-held seat nationwide in 2006.

2008
See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 18

Space defeated Republican Fred Dailey, former director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture 60-40%.

2010
Zack Space speaking to the Workers Memorial Day rally at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse in New Philadelphia, Ohio in April 2006
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 18

Space was challenged by Republican State Senator Bob Gibbs and Constitution Party Lindsey Sutton. Gibbs won the election, securing 54% of the vote to 40% that went to Space.[15] During the campaign, Gibbs attacked Space for his role in the financial meltdown and his support for policies like cap and trade, which Gibbs argued would have been devastating for Space's district, which was predominantly made up of coal miners.

Ohio Auditor of State campaign

Space formally announced his campaign for Ohio Auditor of State in August 2017 with stops in Martins Ferry, Zanesville, Columbus, and Lima.[16] Space focused his campaign around using the auditor's office to restore confidence in Ohio's democratic process. He pledged to expose pay-to-play in Ohio's state government and mitigate against the influence of money in politics. In addition, Space campaigned for an end to partisan gerrymandering.[17] Space also embarked on an "Ohio River Tour to Restore" in November 2017, holding 11 campaign events over three days in Scioto, Lawrence, Gallia, Meigs, Athens, Monroe, Belmont, and Jefferson counties along the Ohio River.[18] In February 2018, Space's race for state auditor was named a National Priority Target by the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, an anti-gerrymandering organization.[19]

In January 2018, as a campaign point Space called on politicians who took campaign contributions from the founders of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT)[20] to donate those monies back to local public schools.[21] In May, Space's Republican opponent, Keith Faber, returned over $36,000 in ECOT campaign contributions,[22] also claiming he "helped shut ECOT down". Politifact Ohio rated this "Mostly False".[23] In June 2018, Space announced a plan to form a unit in the Auditor's office to investigate the full extent of the for-profit charter school scam in Ohio.[24] Space's proposal was criticized by Faber, who argued that the auditor was already responsible for auditing all charter schools in Ohio.[25] In August 2018, Space announced a plan to investigate the effects of NAFTA-era free trade policies on Ohio communities and workers.[26] The plan, called Working Families First, was announced at United Steelworkers halls in Youngstown and Martins Ferry.[27][28]

In September 2018, The Columbus Dispatch criticized a website launched by Faber, which included false claims made against Space[29] and an image of Space's father[30] which had been doctored to look like Space shaking hands with Nancy Pelosi. Space also criticized the doctored photograph as a campaign point.[31] In October, three weeks before the election, the Associated Press reported that Faber had incurred penalties for failing to pay nearly $5,500 in taxes on time on multiple properties over multiple years. Space argued these failures would make Faber a hypocritical state auditor.[32] After Space in September 2018 was endorsed by the Columbus Dispatch[33] and Akron Beacon Journal,[34] the Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed Space in mid-October, citing Faber's reputation for partisanship.[35] Space was defeated in the November election by less than 3.5%.[36] Space led the Democratic ticket, running ahead of the four other statewide Democratic ticket,[37] and ran between 5-10% ahead of the Democratic ticket across Appalachian Ohio.[38]

Personal life

Space is a managing member of several closely held companies that have constructed and operated hotels in Tuscarawas County. He has served as a board member for the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, the Tuscarawas County Board of Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities, the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, CoalBlue, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and as a steering committee member for the Central Ohio Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Clean Fuels Ohio.

Space is now President of Sunday Creek Horizons, a lobbying firm described on its website as "a mission-driven advocacy, strategic communications, and business development firm focused on improving the lives of Appalachian Ohioans." Sunday Creek Horizons was founded in 2019 and is based in Athens, Ohio. Space’s partners are Will Drabold and Zachary Reizes.

Space is a member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Massillon, Ohio.

References
  1. "Marriages, Horry County". Sun-News. May 28, 1988.
  2. "Zachary T. Space: Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP". Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  3. "Full-Service Consulting Firm | Sunday Creek".
  4. "Space has issues edge in auditor race". Toledo Blade. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. "Kenyon College Athletics - Football All-Americans". Athletics.kenyon.edu. July 19, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  6. David M. Drucker (January 30, 2015). "Kenyon College - Tenacity, with a Contemplative Streak". Bulletin-archive.kenyon.edu. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. CHRISTOPHER MAAG (August 28, 2007). "G.O.P. Zeroes In on a Democrat It Sees as a Fluke Winner - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. Troy, Tom (February 15, 2018). "Space has issues edge in auditor race - The Blade". Toledoblade.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  9. "Ney challenger inks gifts, dinner pledge". Chillicothe Gazette. January 5, 2006.
  10. "Blue Dog Coalition". House.gov. April 27, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. "Coshocton Tribune". Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  12. "Chillicothe Gazette". Archived from the original on August 25, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  13. McCament, Dylan (May 3, 2006). "Ney, Space to face off in November". Mount Vernon News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  14. "zackspace.org". July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on August 2, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  15. "Bob Gibbs says he will run for re-election to Congress". Cleveland.com. March 12, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  16. "Space announces candidacy for Ohio State Auditor". WTOV9. August 29, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  17. David DeWitt, ed. (November 12, 2017). "Ohio auditor candidate calls for an end to gerrymandering | Local News". athensnews.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  18. "Zack Space Announces 'Ohio River Tour to Restore'". Plunderbund.com. November 22, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  19. "NDRC 2018 Electoral Targets | National Democratic Redistricting Committee". Democraticredistricting.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  20. Tom Henry; Catherine Candisky (May 9, 2017). "Sponsor votes unanimously to shut down ECOT". Dispatch.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  21. Heath Harrison (January 22, 2018). "Space calls out ECOT donation recipents(sic)". The Tribune. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  22. Darrel Rowland (May 10, 2018). "Capitol Insider | Why no auditor's finding on millions ECOT gleaned from taxpayers?". Dispatch.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  23. "Ohio auditor candidate misleads about his role in online school ECOT shutting down | PolitiFact Ohio". Politifact.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  24. "Zack Space Proposes Investigative Unit For Charter School Scam". WKSU. March 6, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  25. Schladen, Marty. "Republican auditor candidate says opponent doesn't understand job". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  26. Schladen, Marty. "Auditor candidate Zack Space decries trade agreements". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  27. Grego, Brittany (August 27, 2018). "Labor unions, politicians talk local trade impact in Martins Ferry". WTOV. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  28. "Ohio Auditor Candidate Zack Space Talks NAFTA, Outlines Plan". Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  29. Schladen, Marty. "Keith Faber website contains doctored photo, mischaracterized news story". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  30. "Editorial: Doctored, misleading campaign ads don't help candidates". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  31. "Zack Space wants to use auditor post to investigate charter schools". Toledo Blade. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  32. "Tax penalty questions swirl in race for Ohio auditor". AP News. October 12, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  33. "Editorial endorsement: For state auditor: Zack Space offers integrity, leadership". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  34. "Beacon Journal/Ohio.com editorial board: Zack Space for state auditor". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  35. Editorial Board (October 12, 2018). "Zack Space for Ohio auditor: endorsement editorial". cleveland.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  36. "Ohio Auditor election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  37. "Ohio state executive official elections, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  38. ProudNewEnglander (January 30, 2019). "Here's an interesting one - @ZackSpaceOhio in the Auditor's race. Space massively outperformed the Dem average in his old CD (outlined), especially in his home county of Tuscarawas. But he underperformed in the Cincinnati area & his opponent's home base of Mercer. #ohpolitics 4/?pic.twitter.com/WFuuA5Nmzp". @PrdNewEnglander. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
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