Nina Turner
| Nina Turner | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 25th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 15, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Lance Mason |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1967 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jeffery Turner, Sr. (1 child) |
| Residence | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Cuyahoga Community College (A.A.) Cleveland State University (B.A.) (M.A.) |
| Profession | Legislator |
| Religion | Christian |
Nina Turner is the Minority Whip for the Ohio Senate, and the state Senator for the 25th District. She is a Democrat.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Turner is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She was born Nina Hudson to teenage parents on December 7, 1967, the first of seven children. Her father and mother had split up by the time she reached the age of five. At 14, she began working part-time jobs, giving “every dime” that she earned to her mother. She graduated from Cleveland’s John F. Kennedy High School in 1986. She did not continue her education immediately, instead taking a variety of jobs, including flipping burgers and working at a Payless shoe store. While at Payless, she met Jeffery Turner, the man who became her husband.[1] Subsequently, she returned to school, receiving an Associate of Arts degree from Cuyahoga Community College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts (1997) degree from Cleveland State University.[2]
She began her professional career as a legislative aide to then state Senator Rhine McLin. Senator Turner returned to her hometown to serve in the administration of Mayor Michael White where she was quickly promoted to Executive Assistant of Legislative Affairs. She later lobbied on behalf of Cleveland’s school children at the state and federal level as the Director of Government Affairs for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Turner first ran for the office of Cleveland City Council Representative for Ward One, a black, working-class section of the city, in 2001, but was defeated by the incumbent, Joe Jones. In November 2004, Jones was accused by the FBI of accepting bribes; in August 2005, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempting to defraud the public by hiding money, and resigned his City Council seat. His wife, Tonya Jones, was the top vote-getter in a September nine-way, non-partisan primary race to select a candidate to fill Jones’ vacant seat. In the November 2005 election, Nina Turner defeated Tonya Jones to become Ward One City Council Representative.[3]
[edit] Ohio Senate
In September 2008, Senator Lance Mason resigned his 25th District seat in the Ohio Senate to accept an appointment to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Turner was unanimously selected by the Ohio Senate Democratic caucus to serve the remainder of Mason’s four-year Senate term, and resigned her City Council seat to accept the appointment on September 15, 2008. In the 128th General Assembly, Turner served as the Ranking Minority member on the Senate Highways & Transportation and Judiciary Criminal Justice Committees.
Turner won a full term in 2010, running unopposed in the general election. She was elected as Minority Whip half way through the 129th General Assembly. She is continuing to serve as Minority Whip in the 130th General Assembly.
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Nina Turner | 73,694 | 100.00% | Unopposed |
[edit] Personal life
Turner is married to Jeffery Turner, Sr., and has a son, Jeffery Turner, Jr. They reside in Cleveland.
[edit] References
- ^ Gomez, Henry J. (2009-11-27). "Nina Turner's future bright due to gutsy stand on Issue 6". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "Senator Nina Turner (D-Ohio) Biography". Ohio Citizens for the Arts. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ Turner wins council seat
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||
