Pictured is Ohio State Senator Sandra WilliamsCOLUMBUS, Ohio - Among five other applicants, Ohio Sen. Sandra Williams (D-21), a Cleveland Democrat who is term limited and, per state law, cannot run for reelection this year, is the party favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing state House district 11, which is roughly 67 percent Black and encompasses the suburb of Garfield Heights and largely Black parts of Cleveland.
The Ohio House Democratic leadership, under the guidance of House Minority Leader Allison Russo, will choose Howse's replacement in coming weeks and the chosen person will serve out the remainder of Howse's two-year term, which ends this year. The person selected would have to win this year's primary and general elections to the seat to remain in the general assembly of Ohio.
Howse resigned her seat in December after winning the Cleveland Ward 7 city council race in November and it remains vacant for now.
"Sandra Williams is the favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as state representative," a source told clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's black digital news leader.
Also a former state rep whom Howse succeeded after she became a state senator, Williams ran for mayor last year via a seven-way primary where current Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb was the top vote-getter, Bibb, 34, going on to beat former city council president Kevin Kelley in a November nonpartisan runoff election.
Others who have applied to replace Howse are community advocate Darnell Brewer, former Garfield Heights councilwoman Shaka Davis, who lost a bid for mayor in November, grassroots organizer Chad Stephens, and Mike Seals, a union advocate and Cleveland Ward 7 precinct committee member.
Seals said that while Williams may be the party favorite to replace Howse in the Ohio House, he remains optimistic about possibly being chosen.
"She [Williams] may be the front-runner but I am hopeful that I will be chosen over the other applicants," said Seals, who added that the failure of party leaders to replace Howse in a timely manner after she resigned her state representative position to become a councilwoman is "taxation without representation."
Williams and the other four applicants for the state representative seat are all Black.
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