Nickie J. Antonio is a politician from Lakewood, Ohio

Lakewood, Ohio

Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...

. A Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, she serves in the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

 representing the 13th district, which is located entirely within Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...

 and contains all of the city of Lakewood as well as parts of Cleveland. A former member of Lakewood City Council, she was elected to the legislature in 2010 and took office on January 3, 2011.

Early life and career

Antonio attended Lutheran High School West

Lutheran High School West

Lutheran High School West, located in Rocky River, Ohio, is a high school affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod . Its goal is to provide an "educationally rich experience in a Christ-centered environment"....

 and is an alumna of Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...

, where she earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master of Public Administration

Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...

. She is a former special education

Special education

Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 teacher, adjunct professor and non-profit administrator, as well as a former chair of the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus.

Antonio was first elected to Lakewood City Council in 2005, winning an at-large

At-Large

At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...

 seat. She was re-elected in 2009, receiving the most votes in a field of six candidates chasing three seats.

Ohio House of Representatives

Shortly after her re-election, she announced her candidacy for the Ohio House, running 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. No Republican filed for the seat in the heavily Democratic district so Antonio won the general election unopposed.

She took her seat in the House on January 3, 2011. In the 129th General Assembly, she serves on three committees: Commerce and Labor, Education, and Health and Aging. She also serves on the Joint Council on Developmental Disabilities; and the Unified Long-Term Care Advisory Workgroup.

Policies and initiatives

In one of her first legislative priorities along with Ted Celeste

Ted Celeste

Theodore S. "Ted" Celeste is an American politician and a member of the Democratic party in Ohio. Celeste, the brother of former Ohio governor and U.S. ambassador Richard F. Celeste, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 and lost to the Republican incumbent, U.S. Sen. R. Michael DeWine...

, Antonio has opted to try and eliminate the death penalty in the state of Ohio. Celeste has pointed to evidence that the penalty has been discriminatory toward minorities.

Antonio is a staunch opponent of S.B. 5, which looks to eliminate many aspects of collective bargaining

Collective bargaining

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...

. When asked if she would work to amend the bill, she stated it is beyond repair.

Along with Mike Foley

Michael Foley (Ohio politician)

Michael Foley is a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 14th District since 2006.-Career:Prior to his time in the House, Foley had worked as director of the Cleveland Tenants Organization, as well as a court administrator, bailiff and community organizer.-Ohio House of...

, Antonio introduced a Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

-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 actually help to stimulate the economy.

Pro-choice

Pro-choice

Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....

, Antonio has fought against numerous pro-life

Pro-life

Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...

 initiatives since becoming a state representative.

Personal

Antonio is a lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

; her partner is Jean Kosmac and the couple have two daughters. She is the first (and, as of January 2011, only) openly

Coming out

Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 gay person to have served in the Ohio General Assembly

Ohio General Assembly

The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...

.

External links

• The Ohio House of Representatives: Rep. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) official site
• Nickie Antonio for State Representative campaign website