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Paula Hicks-Hudson
Paula Hicks-Hudson.jpg
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 11th district
Assumed office
November 16, 2022
Preceded by Teresa Fedor
Member of the
Ohio House of Representatives
from the 44th District
In office
January 7, 2019 – November 16, 2022
Preceded by Michael Ashford
Succeeded by Elgin Rogers Jr.
63rd Mayor of Toledo
In office
February 1, 2015 – January 2, 2018
Preceded by D. Michael Collins
Succeeded by Wade Kapszukiewicz
Member of the Toledo City Council
from 4th district
In office
January 2011 – February 1, 2015
Personal details
Born
Paula Hicks

(1951-05-28) May 28, 1951 (age 74)
Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse Freeman Hudson
Children Patricia and Leah Hudson
Alma mater Spelman College (BA)
Colorado State University (MA)
University of Iowa (JD)
Website https://paulahickshudson.com/

Paula S. Hicks-Hudson (born May 28, 1951) is an American politician. She currently serves as a member of the Ohio Senate for the 11th district. She has held this important role since 2022. Before becoming a state senator, she was the Mayor of Toledo, Ohio.

Early Life and Education

Paula Hicks-Hudson was born in Hamilton, Ohio. She went to college and earned several degrees. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College. Later, she earned a Master of Arts degree from Colorado State University. Finally, she completed her law degree, a Juris Doctor, from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Political Career

Before entering politics, Paula Hicks-Hudson became a lawyer in 1982. She worked in areas like business law, education law, and social security.

Serving on the Toledo City Council

In 2011, Paula Hicks-Hudson was chosen to join the Toledo City Council. She represented the 4th district. This happened after Michael Ashford left the seat to join the Ohio General Assembly. She then won special and general elections in 2011 to keep her seat. In 2013, her fellow council members voted for her to become the council President. This was after Joe McNamara resigned.

Becoming Mayor of Toledo

While she was the Toledo City Council President, something unexpected happened. The mayor at the time, Mike Collins, became very ill. Paula Hicks-Hudson was sworn in as acting mayor. She served in this role for a few days. When Mayor Collins sadly passed away, she officially became the Mayor of Toledo.

This was a very important moment for Toledo. Paula Hicks-Hudson became only the second woman to lead the city. Even more special, she was the first African American woman to serve as mayor of Toledo.

Mayoral Elections

To fill the rest of the mayoral term, Toledo held a special election in November 2015. Paula Hicks-Hudson announced she would run for the position on March 18, 2015. She won this special election on November 3, 2015. This allowed her to finish the term.

However, when she ran for re-election on November 7, 2017, she did not win. She lost to fellow Democrat Wade Kapszukiewicz, who was the Lucas County Treasurer.

Ohio State Senator

After her time as mayor, Paula Hicks-Hudson continued her public service. She was elected to the Ohio Senate in 2022. She now represents the 11th district of Ohio.

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