American politician (born 1955)
Nickie J. Antonio
(born June 2, 1955) is an American politician from
Ohio
. A
Democrat
, she serves in the
Ohio Senate
representing the
23rd district
, which is located in the western portion of
Cuyahoga County
and contains the western third of
Cleveland
and some of the nearby western suburbs. She previously served in the
Ohio House of Representatives
representing the 13th district from 2011 to 2018. A former member of Lakewood City Council, Antonio was elected to the lower chamber of the legislature in 2010 and took office on January 3, 2011, and was re-elected in the 2012 General election, receiving 75% of the vote. She was re-elected consecutively in the General elections of 2014 and 2016. After being term limited in the lower chamber of the legislature, Antonio was elected to the upper chamber of the legislature in 2018 and took office on January 7, 2019.
Early life and career
[
edit
]
Antonio attended
Lutheran High School West
[1]
and is an alumna of
Cleveland State University
, where she earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a
Master of Public Administration
from the
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
.
[2]
In 2011, Antonio completed Harvard University's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a
David Bohnett
LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow. She is a former
special education
teacher, adjunct professor and non-profit administrator, as well as a former chair of the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus.
[3]
Antonio was first elected to Lakewood City Council in 2005, winning an
at-large
seat. She was re-elected in 2009, receiving the most votes in a field of six candidates chasing three seats.
Ohio House of Representatives
[
edit
]
Antonio won in the Democratic primary against fellow Lakewood councilmember Tom Bullock. In the primary election held on May 4, 2010, Antonio defeated Bullock by 54% to 46% - a margin of 609 votes.
[4]
No Republican filed for the seat in the heavily Democratic district so Antonio won the general election unopposed.
[5]
She took her seat in the House on January 3, 2011. In the 129th General Assembly, she served on five committees: Finance and Appropriations, HHS Finance Subcommittee, Commerce, Labor and Technology, Education (as Ranking Member), and Health and Aging. She also serves on the Unified Long-Term Care Advisory Workgroup, the 21st Century Manufacturing Task Force and the Community Health Futures Task Force.
Antonio won a landslide victory reelection to a second term in 2012, by obtaining 75,86% of the vote over Republican John Zappalla.
[6]
She would go on to be re-elected two more times.
Policies and initiatives
[
edit
]
In one of her first legislative priorities along with
Ted Celeste
, Antonio introduced legislation to eliminate the
death penalty
in the state of Ohio.
[7]
Celeste has pointed to evidence that the penalty has been discriminatory toward minorities.
[8]
Antonio is a staunch opponent of S.B. 5, which looks to eliminate many aspects of
collective bargaining
. When asked if she would work to amend the bill, she stated it is beyond repair.
[9]
Along with
Mike Foley
, Antonio introduced a
Works Progress Administration
-style provision that would allow for $200 million to be appropriated to allow for the creation of 5,000 entry-level jobs across Ohio. Antonio calls it a jobs plan that would help to stimulate the economy.
[10]
Pro-choice
, Antonio has fought against numerous anti-reproductive choice initiatives since becoming a state representative.
[11]
Personal
[
edit
]
Antonio is the first
openly
gay person to have served in the
Ohio General Assembly
, and a long-time advocate of same-sex marriage rights.
[12]
After a 21 year engagement, she was finally able to marry Jean Kosmac in 2013.
[13]
The couple have two daughters.
[14]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Representative Nickie Antonio"
. Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center. Archived from
the original
on September 16, 2018
. Retrieved
September 16,
2018
.
- ^
"The Voter Guide, State Representative 13th District"
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Lakewood council member Nickie Antonio might become first openly gay state lawmaker"
.
The Plain Dealer
. 9 May 2010
. Retrieved
2010-05-09
.
- ^
"Nickie J. Antonio wins Democratic nomination for District 13 Ohio House Representative"
.
Sun Post Herald
. 5 May 2010
. Retrieved
2010-05-05
.
- ^
"Election Results - Ohio House of Representatives: November 2, 2010"
. Ohio Secretary of State
. Retrieved
2013-08-14
.
- ^
"Election Results - Final Results - November 2012"
. Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from
the original
(Microsoft Excel)
on 2013-07-29
. Retrieved
2013-08-14
.
- ^
Johnson, Alan (2011-03-15).
"Bill proposes ending Ohio's death penalty"
.
Columbus Dispatch
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-04-13
. Retrieved
2011-03-15
.
- ^
Johnson, Alan (2011-04-13).
"2 Democrats seek end to Ohio death penalty"
.
Columbus Dispatch
. Retrieved
2011-04-14
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Guillen, Joe (2011-03-29).
"Ohio's collective bargaining overhaul could see nearly a dozen changes before House committee vote on Tuesday"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Retrieved
2011-03-30
.
- ^
Hershey, Bill (2011-06-14).
"Two House Dems propose $400M public works jobs' plan"
.
Dayton Daily News
. Retrieved
2011-06-14
.
- ^
Hershey, Bill (2011-06-29).
"House set to vote Tuesday on "Heartrbeat" bill, two other draconian bills to limit abortions"
.
Dayton Daily News
. Retrieved
2011-06-28
.
- ^
"Lesbian On Tuesday's Ballot For Ohio State Representative"
.
On Top Magazine
. 4 May 2010
. Retrieved
2010-05-05
.
- ^
"Rep. Nickie J. Antonio gets marriage license after 21-year-wait"
.
The Columbus Dispatch
. The Columbus Dispatch. 2015-09-23
. Retrieved
2017-01-05
.
- ^
"Love Reigns: Nickie Antonio & Jean Kosmac"
.
Cleveland Magazine
. August 17, 2015
. Retrieved
January 14,
2022
.
External links
[
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]
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