Charleta Tavares facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charleta B. Tavares
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 15th district
In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2018
Preceded by	Ray Miller
Succeeded by	Hearcel Craig
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 22nd district
In office July 1, 1993 – December 31, 1998
Preceded by	Ray Miller
Succeeded by	Ray Miller
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Columbus, Ohio
Alma mater	Eastmoor High School Spelman College Ohio State University
Profession	Legislator and non-profit President/CEO

Charleta B. Tavares is a former politician who served in the Ohio Senate. She represented the 15th District of Ohio from 2011 to 2018. This district covered a large part of central Franklin County. It included cities like Bexley and Grandview Heights. Most of the district was made up of older neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio. Before joining the Senate, Tavares was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1993 to 1998.

Charleta Tavares's Public Service Journey

Charleta Tavares has had a long career helping the public. She started as a helper for Ray Miller in the Ohio House of Representatives. Later, she led the Children's Protection Section for Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher.

In 1993, Tavares was chosen to be a state Representative. She made history as the first African-American and first Democratic woman from Franklin County to serve in the Ohio Legislature. She was elected in 1994 and served until 1998. In 1996, her fellow lawmakers chose her to be the Minority Whip. This made her the first African-American woman to hold a leadership role in the Ohio Legislature.

In 1998, Tavares decided to run for Ohio Secretary of State. She did not win that election. However, in 1999, she was appointed to the Columbus City Council. She was then re-elected to the City Council that same year.

In 2002, the Democratic Party asked Tavares to run for lieutenant governor. She ran with Tim Hagan, who was running for governor. They did not win the election. Tavares was re-elected to the Columbus City Council in 2003 and again in 2007.

Serving in the Ohio Senate

In 2010, Senator Ray Miller could not run for the Ohio Senate again because of term limits. This meant he had served the maximum number of terms allowed. Charleta Tavares, along with Representative Dan Stewart and Oyango Snell, ran to take his place. Tavares won the Democratic primary election with more than half of the votes. She then won the main election against Republican Alicia Healy with a large majority of the votes.

On January 3, 2011, Tavares officially started her first term in the Senate. She again made history as the first Democratic and African-American woman to serve in the Ohio Senate from Central Ohio. She is also the first woman Democrat to hold a leadership position in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate in Ohio's history.

In 2014, Tavares was chosen to be the Assistant Senate Democratic Leader. She was re-elected to the Senate for the 15th District in 2014, winning with over 73% of the votes. She was also re-elected to her leadership role.

What Charleta Tavares Worked On

Tavares focused on several important issues during her time in the Senate. Her goals included:

• Making sure domestic workers had good benefits and protections.
• Working to reduce differences in health care for different groups of people.
• Fixing problems caused by school expulsions and suspensions.
• Investing in Ohio's roads, bridges, and other important structures.
• Making the justice system more fair for everyone, especially regarding race.

She also strongly supported increasing the minimum wage. She advocated for a special tax credit called the earned income tax credit. This credit helps low-income workers and families.

Committees Charleta Tavares Served On

While in the Senate, Tavares was part of several important committees:

• The Committee on Rules.
• Ways & Means (where she was the top-ranking member for her party).
• Health and Human Services (also a top-ranking member).
• Finance.
• Corrections Subcommittee (part of the Finance Committee).

She was also appointed to other important groups. These included the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC), and the Constitutional Modernization Commission, where she was a co-chair.