132nd General Assembly of Ohio Getting to Know Your New Legislators 1st House District of Ohio, Wayne County Representative Scott Wiggam Quick Bio: Age: 45 Party: Republican Occupation: Commissioner Education: Asbury College, B.A.; University of Akron, M.A. Path to General Assembly: Defeated David Kiefer in the Primary to run unopposed and replace term-limited Ron Amstutz Personal: Married, three children Prior to his tenure as commissioner, Scott owned and operated a restaurant, managing full time, day-to-day operations with over 20 employees. He received a Bachelor's degree from Asbury College and a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Akron. Scott served as a lead legislative associate to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Christian Coalition of America, Inc. He also served a four year, active duty tour in the United States Air Force and was honored with an Air Force Commendation Medal for meritorious service. Since becoming commissioner, Scott has implemented conservative fiscal management policies that have helped to avert the need for tax increases. When sales taxes were last increased in 1993, local government spending grew an average of over 7% each year until 2005, despite average family incomes growing by only 3%. Since taking office in 2005, he has worked toward reducing expenditures by more than 7% in order to balance the budget. Ten years later the county's general fund budget spending is less than when Scott first took office in 2005. Scott believes that keeping money in the pockets of the people is better for economic growth than higher taxes and rapid government growth. 16th House District of Ohio, Cuyahoga County (part) Representative Dave Greenspan Quick Bio: Age: 51 Party: Republican Occupation: Businessman Education: Troy University B.A. Path to General Assembly: Ran unopposed in the Primary to defeat Tommy Greene in the General Election, replacing term- limited Nan Baker Personal: Married, three children Dave Greenspan has seen how the economy has affected this region. Dave wants to help Northeast Ohio reclaim those days of innovation, growth, and prosperity. At the core of his beliefs are the traits and values instilled in him by his hard-working, middle-class family. Dave learned at a young age that perseverance, hard work, and commitment to your family and community is a life well-lived. It is because of these common sense, middle-class values and a dedication to making Northeast Ohio the best place to live, work, and raise a family that Dave ran for the Ohio House of Representatives. Dave understands how the private sector works to create value for our communities through jobs and economic development as well as what citizens need from their government. He will utilize this knowledge in Columbus and work diligently to develop and revitalize our economy and our neighborhoods. Dave will develop ways to spur innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship, all while ensuring that Columbus stays fiscally responsible. Dave will work together with our educators to ensure that our children are prepared for college, vocational training, and the workforce. By doing this, we will be able to eliminate the skills gap that challenges our region. 17th House District of Ohio, Franklin County (part) Representative Adam Miller Quick Bio: Age: 51 Party: Democrat Occupation: Lawyer Education: Capital University Law School Path to General Assembly: Defeated Matt Jolson in the Primary to win against John Rush, M.Deborah Tunstall, and Keith Hatton in the General Election replacing term-limited Mike Curtin Personal: Married, one son Adam Miller is a partner Taft, Stettinius & Hollister where he brings his unique background and experiences to Taft’s Public Law and Education Litigation practice areas. He focuses his practice on representing public governmental entities, including local, city and exempted village school districts, single and multi-county educational service centers, joint vocational school districts and statewide educational associations. In addition to his legal career, Adam is a former member of the Grandview Heights City School Board, a former public school teacher and former superintendent of schools. Adam is a Lieutenant Colonel the U.S. Army Reserve where he is a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer. He is an adjunct faculty member for the National Defense University and was recently chosen to attend the U.S. Army War College. In 2004, Adam served in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. Adam was the fourth generation of his family to be born on the Hilltop neighborhood of the west side of Columbus. He currently lives in Marble Cliff with his wife Helen, son Christopher, and dog Buddy. 23rd House District of Ohio, Franklin County (part) Representative Laura Lanese Quick Bio: Age: 53 Party: Republican Occupation: Lawyer Education: Miami University, B.A.; Georgetown University, M.L.; Ohio State University, J.D. Path to General Assembly: Ran unopposed in the Primary to defeat Lee Schreiner to replace term-limited Cheryl Grossman Personal: Married, three children Laura is currently in the middle of her second term as the At-Large Council Representative for Grove City. She has thoroughly enjoyed this role as it has enabled her to be an advocate for Grove City's residents interested in fiscal conservatism, transparency, accountability and managed growth. Throughout her tenure on council, Laura has been in continuous contact with our residents to make sure that their voice is always heard and to keep them informed about their city hall. She believes her background makes her ideally suited to serve the 23rd District as a state representative. Laura has worked as a local legislator, a writer and historian, an attorney with the United States Department of Justice, an instructor at a community college and a graduate teaching and research assistant. Laura is also a veteran of both the Ohio Air National Guard and the US Army Reserve. She has served in a wide variety of volunteer positions, from working with a Vietnam Veteran's organization to teaching constitutional law to serving as the Chair of Grove City's Park Board. Laura is also a member of Rotary International, The Southwest Franklin County Historical Society, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Board and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish. 25th House District of Ohio, Franklin County (part) Representative Bernadine K. Kent Quick Bio: Age: 63 Party: Democrat Occupation: Retired Educator Education: Central State University Path to General Assembly: Defeated Dontavius Jarrells, Jeffrey Mackey, and Mayo Makinde in the Primary to defeat Seth Golding in the General Election Ms. Kent was born and raised in East Chicago, Indiana, a steel mill union city. Her parents, like many African Americans of the time, migrated from the South for better opportunities in the North. For well over 20 years, Bernadine Kennedy Kent lived her passion. First as a teacher and then as an Assistant Principal for Columbus City Schools where in 1999 she was voted educator of the year. Now, she advocates for the rights, protection and safety of children as the Founder of Parent Advocates for Students in Schools (P.A.S.S.). She is also recognized as an activist and whistleblower. Ms. Kent was instrumental in exposing the data tampering, identity theft, and tutoring fraud in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) programs. She was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Auditor of State (AOS). Ms. Kent fervently believes what leads to success is a commitment to factual, sincere communication and an allegiance to the pledge of representative government – not self. She is determined to bridge the communication gap between the people, their government, and the business community. 31st House District of Ohio, Hamilton County (part) Representative Brigid Kelly Quick Bio: Age: 33 Party: Democrat Occupation: PR Director Education: Xavier University, B.S.; University of Cincinnati, M.A. Path to General Assembly: Defeated Ben Lindy, Brian Garry, Paul Booth, Paul Sohi, and Nicholas Hollan in the Primary to defeat Mary Yeager in the General Election, replacing Denise Driehaus Born and raised in Norwood, Brigid Kelly learned early on the importance of a strong community. Brigid attended Saint Ursula Academy, earned an undergraduate degree from Xavier University, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati. As a former city council member in Norwood and current representative for hard working men and women at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Brigid wants to build on the experience she’s gained from bother her professional and personal life to help improve the lives of everyday Ohioans. For over a decade, Brigid has been fighting for members of UFCW, their families, and our communities. She works on a daily basis for issues like good wages, affordable health care benefits, and safe places to work. As your next State Representative, Brigid Kelly will represent our hometown, hardworking values in the Statehouse. She’ll work to ensure that our children are receiving the best education by making investments in local schools, hold corporations accountable for taxpayer investments, and pursue policies important to families, like paid sick and family leave. It’s getting harder to support a family, not easier; that’s why Brigid is running for office. She will put families first and politics last to build a better Ohio for all of us. 32nd House District of Ohio, Hamilton County (part) Representative Catherine Ingram Quick Bio: Age: 64 Party: Democrat Occupation: Realtor Education: University of Cincinnati, B.S., M.B.A. Path to General Assembly: Defeated Shawn Butler, Leo D’Cruz, and Kevin Johnson in the Primary to defeat Matthew Wahlert in the General Election, replacing Christie Bryant Kuhns Ingram was first appointed to the Cincinnati City Board of Education in 1993 after which she was elected to serve for more than 20 years.