Sandra Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sandra Williams
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2, 2007
Preceded by Annie L. Key
Personal details
Born (1968-10-24) October 24, 1968
Cleveland, Ohio
Political party Democratic
Residence Cleveland, Ohio
Alma mater Cleveland State University, Tiffin University
Profession Criminal Justice
Religion Christian

Sandra Williams is a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives who has represented the 11th District since 2007.

Career

A native of Cleveland, Williams attended Cleveland State University and Tiffin University. Williams worked in the field of criminal justice for more than a decade. She worked in several different positions, including as a corrections officer, probation officer, parole officer and mediator. Williams also served as a member of the United States Army Reserve from 1987 to 1995.

Before being elected as a state representative, Williams worked within the Statehouse as a legislative aide.

Ohio House of Representatives

After Williams' former boss Annie L. Key decided not seek reelection in 2006, she ran for the safe Democratic seat. Williams won the Democratic Primary with 30.38% of the vote in a field of six candidates.[1] She was unopposed in the November general election.[2]

In 2008, Williams was unopposed in the March Democratic Primary,[3] and won the general election with 85.45% of the vote against Republican Rosalind McAllister.[4]

In 2009, Williams was elected as President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, and continues to serve in that capacity through the 130th General Assembly.[5] Speaker Armond Budish also named Williams as Chairman of the Economic Development Committee for the 128th General Assembly.[6] She also served as Vice Chairman of the Public Utilities Committee,[7] as well as a member of the Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee.

In 2010, Williams was again unopposed in the March Democratic Primary,[8] and again defeated challenger Roz McAllister with 82.24% of the vote.[9]

With the 129th General Assembly, with Williams now in the minority, she served as ranking member of the Economic and Small Business Development Committee, as well as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, and the Public Utilities Committee.

Williams won election to a final term in 2012 by defeating challenger Tony Perry in the primary with 81.07% of the vote.[10] She was unopposed in the general election.[11]

Initiatives and positions

Williams has been a vocal critic of Governor John Kasich's lack of diversity upon choosing his cabinet, stating, "I would hope that Kasich would understand that this state is very diverse.... African-Americans, as well as other minorities, make up a significant portion of the state's population and his cabinet, as well as his staff, should reflect that."[12] She also has stated that there is a "strong possibility" that Gov. Kasich and the GOP controlled legislature would curtail efforts to expand minority business contracting.[13][14][15]

A staunch opponent of collective bargaining reform brought forth in S.B. 5, Williams believes that Republicans could risk defeat if the continue with the bill.[16]

As chairperson of the Legislative Black Caucus, Williams was vocal about a controversial initiative that would require a photo ID to cast a ballot. Williams believes that doing so would "disenfranchise" minority voters from participating in an election. She has called it an intentional attack on the Democratic Party.[17]

In April, 2011, Williams made news when citizens concerned about Governor Kasich's proposed budget tried to visit legislators' Columbus offices and were stopped by state troopers and a police dog. Williams, who had an appointment scheduled with the group, said the dog was unnecessary and intimidating.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Election Results - Democratic Ohio House of Representatives: May 2, 2006". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  2. ↑ "Election Results - Ohio House of Representatives: November 7, 2006". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  3. ↑ "Election Results - Democratic State Representative: March 4, 2008". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  4. ↑ "Election Results - State Representative: November 4, 2008". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  5. ↑ "Ohio Legislative Black Caucus". Retrieved 2011-03-30. 
  6. ↑ Rep Sandra Williams appointed chair
  7. ↑ 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. 
  8. ↑ "Election Results - State Representative - Democratic: May 4, 2010". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  9. ↑ "Election Results - Ohio House of Representatives: November 2, 2010". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  10. ↑ "Election Results - Democratic Ohio Representative: March 6, 2012". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  11. ↑ "Election Results - Final Results - November 2012" (Microsoft Excel). Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  12. ↑ Fields, Reginald (2011-01-13). "Ohio Gov. John Kasich's 20 Cabinet appointments so far lack diversity". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-03-30. 
  13. ↑ "Black lawmakers blast Kasich for lack of diverse Cabinet". Toledo Blade. 2011-01-27. Retrieved 2013-08-14. 
  14. ↑ Fields, Reginald (2011-01-27). "Ohio Statehouse Democrats demand Gov. John Kasich embrace diversity, add minorities to his all-white cabinet". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-03-30. 
  15. ↑ Siegel, Jim (2011-01-28). "Blacks ask Senate to reject Kasich's all-white cabinet". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2013-08-14 (blocked). 
  16. ↑ 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. 
  17. ↑ Siegel, Jim (2011-06-22). "Photo-ID rule removed from elections bill". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2011-06-24. 
  18. ↑ Guillen, Joe (2011-04-21). "Citizens say police dog, state troopers intimidated them on visit to legislators' offices". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.