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By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Meredith Turner of Shaker Heights, a former assistant to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, was selected Wednesday by members of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Central Committee to succeed  former District 9 councilwoman Shontel Brown and complete her unexpired term, which ends in 2022.  A Warrensville Heights Democrat, Brown was elected earlier this month as U.S. Rep for Ohio's largely Black 11th congressional district, which includes Cleveland and several of its eastern suburbs of Cuyaoga County, and a largely Black pocket of Akron, and select sections of its Summit County suburbs.

Turner's ninth county district includes the cities of Bedford, Bedford Heights,  parts of Cleveland Ward 1 Ward 4,  Shaker Heights, and Warrensville Heights, and the villages of Highland Hills, North Randall, Orange, Pepper Pike and Woodmere

Also chair of the county Democratic party and the first Black and first woman to hold the post, Brown succeeded former congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge into office after Fudge vacated her congressional seat in March to become secretary of housing and Urban Development in the cabinet of President Joe Biden.

Among seven other candidates, Turner received 32 out of 54 votes to  succeed Brown to represent county District 9. Ray Freeman, a Warrensville Heights school board member, came in second with nine votes. The other six candidates vying for the position were Nakeshia Nickerson from the Village of Woodmere, Marcia McCoy and Andre White , both from Cleveland, Isaac Powell from Bedford Heights, Dontez Taylor, from Cleveland, and Patrice Brown of Cleveland. Turner is a Brown ally.

After being selected, Turner was immediately sworn in by Helen Sheehan, interim executive director of the county Democratic party.

Like Brown, Fudge and Turner are Black and female, and they are progressive and also loyal to the Democratic Party.

Cuyahoga County, Ohio's second largest county behind Franklin County, which includes Columbus, is 29 percent Black, and a Democratic stronghold.   it is governed by a county executive, Democrat Armond Budish, and an 11-member county council.

Clevelandurbannews.com and-Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, and who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.