Nickie Antonio

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.

Nickie Antonio
Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byKenny Yuko
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 23rd district
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Preceded byMike Skindell
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 13th district
In office
January 3, 2011 – December 31, 2018
Preceded byMike Skindell
Succeeded byMike Skindell
Personal details
Born (1955-06-02) June 2, 1955
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJean Kosmac
EducationCleveland State University (BS, MPA)

Early life and career

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

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

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

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
  1. "Representative Nickie Antonio". Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  2. "The Voter Guide, State Representative 13th District".
  3. "Lakewood council member Nickie Antonio might become first openly gay state lawmaker". The Plain Dealer. 9 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  4. "Nickie J. Antonio wins Democratic nomination for District 13 Ohio House Representative". Sun Post Herald. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  5. "Election Results - Ohio House of Representatives: November 2, 2010". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
  6. "Election Results - Final Results - November 2012". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
  7. 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.
  8. Johnson, Alan (2011-04-13). "2 Democrats seek end to Ohio death penalty". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  9. 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.
  10. Hershey, Bill (2011-06-14). "Two House Dems propose $400M public works jobs' plan". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
  11. 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.
  12. "Lesbian On Tuesday's Ballot For Ohio State Representative". On Top Magazine. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  13. "Rep. Nickie J. Antonio gets marriage license after 21-year-wait". The Columbus Dispatch. The Columbus Dispatch. 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  14. "Love Reigns: Nickie Antonio & Jean Kosmac". Cleveland Magazine. August 17, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
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