Edna Brown

This article is about an Ohio politician. For singer and actress Elsie Baker who used the pseudonym Edna Brown, see Elsie Baker.

Edna Brown
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Teresa Fedor
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 48th district
In office January 8, 2002-December 31, 2010
Preceded by	Jack Ford
Succeeded by	Michael Ashford
Personal details
Born	(1940-04-07) April 7, 1940 Toledo, Ohio
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Toledo, Ohio
Alma mater	Mary Manse College
Profession	Legislator

Edna Brown of Toledo, Ohio, is a Democratic member of the Ohio Senate. Formerly she served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2002-2010. Brown is minority whip for the 129th General Assembly.

Career

Brown had a 32-year career as an employee with the city of Toledo, followed by a six-year tenure on Toledo City Council.

When incumbent Jack Ford resigned from the House to become Mayor of Toledo, Ohio, Brown was appointed to serve the remainder of his term. She was elected to a full term in 2002, winning against Republican Cathleen Voyles-Baden by 13,000 votes. Brown went on to win reelection in 2004, 2006, and 2008.

In 2004, Brown, along with C.J. Prentiss and Shirley Smith, was chosen to serve on the executive committee of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators during the organizations conference in Philadelphia. For the 127th General Assembly Brown served as as second vice president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, and first vice president for the 128th General Assembly.

In 2009, Speaker of the House Armond Budish named Brown as Chairman of the Human Services Subcommittee of the House Finance Committee.

Ohio Senate

In 2009, Brown stated that she would be a candidate for the Ohio Senate in 2010, to replace the term limited Teresa Fedor. She was initially expected to face Peter Ujvagi in the primary election, however, he ended up being hired as Lucas County Administrator.

The appointment of Ujvagi set up what many thought was going to be a legislative shuffle, where Fedor was appointed to Ujvagi's seat, and Brown then appointed to Fedor's seat. However, this plan was foiled when Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara also opted for the appointment to the Senate. As a result, Fedor kept her seat, Brown hers, and Joe Walter was appointed to a nine-month stint in Ujvagi's seat.

However, McNamara's entrance into the race reinvigorated a primary battle. However, Brown ended up defeating McNamara by about 18,000 votes. She went on to defeat Republican Tom Waniewski by 18,000 votes in the general election.

Brown was sworn into office on January 3, 2011, and is the first African-American to represent the city of Toledo in the state Senate. For the 129th General Assembly, Senate colleagues elected Brown to serve as Senate minority whip. She is also a member of the Senate Rules Committee; Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee; Financial Institutions Committee; Health, Human Services and Aging Committee (as ranking member); Insurance, Commerce and Labor; and State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs. She also serves on the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund Board.

Unlike other African-American legislators, Brown did not challenge Ohio Governor John Kasich regarding the lack of diversity in his cabinet. She said he reaffirmed that he "doesn't believe in quotas" and didn't apologize for his selections. She also said in regards to Kasich, "I felt the governor was very open and straightforward. I can appreciate his attitude. I felt comfortable talking with him and I got the feeling he will listen. He did say his door is open."

External links

• The Ohio Senate: Senator Edna Brown (D-Toledo) official site
• Profile on the Ohio Ladies' Gallery website