Carey graduated from Wellston High School and attended Ohio University, where he earned a degree in political science. After college, he worked as an aide to U.S. Representative Clarence Miller and served as Mayor of Wellston from 1988 to 1994. Carey defeated incumbent Representative Mark Malone in 1994 to take his first term in the Ohio House of Representatives, and won reelection handily in 1996. In 1998, Carey defeated Democrat Bill Oiler with 64.97% of the electorate to take a third term. For his fourth term in 2000, he ran unopposed. Term limited in the House after 2002, Carey sought to face incumbent Senator Mike Shoemaker to move up to the Ohio Senate. While the seat had been held by Democrats since the mid-1980s, redistricting made the seat solidly Republican. He defeated Shoemaker to take his first term with 53.8% of the vote. For the 126th General Assembly, Senate PresidentBill Harris named Carey as Chairman of the SenateFinance Committee, and he continued to serve in the capacity for the 127th and 128th General Assemblies. For his reelection bid in 2006, Carey faced Democrat April Howland, but easily won reelection with 60.08% of the vote.
With Carey a key player in Ohio education reform as Chairman of the Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee, Carey is leading an effort to reform Ohio school funding, and to change the current evidence based model. While he supports some changes, he believes the overall formula is set up fair. After the most recent budget bill adjusted the number of calamity days school districts can use each year from five to three, there was great concern from school districts citing costs. Carey introduced legislation, along with Casey Kozlowski, that would allow for five calamity days starting as early as the present school year. He stated that bring the available days back up to three allows for education needs to be met while also ensuring safety for students.
Finance
As vice chairman of the Finance Committee, Carey was responsible for appropriating the privatization of the Ohio Department of Development. While it is a controversial approach, Carey has stated, "What we're doing now isn't working," he said about the state's existing job creation programs. "We need to take a step, even though there are risks involved. But I think we need to take these risks to help our constituents." Carey has also been adement about being cautious with local government funds. An opponent of the estate tax, Carey has claimed that jobs have been lost in his district as a result of the taxation, and is in favor of initiatives to abolish the tax. Carey was a member of the conference committee on the 2013-2014 budget. The goal of a conference committee is to discuss differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget legislation and decide on a common solution.
