Beatty named new Ohio House Minority Leader

For immediate release: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006

CONTACT: John Kohlstrand (614) 466-9036 or (614) 595-4936

Beatty named new House Democratic Leader

Ohio House Democrats on Wednesday named Rep. Joyce Beatty as the next House Democratic Leader.   She is believed to be the first woman ever elected to the post.

Beatty, of Columbus, is expected to be sworn in next week. She will replace Rep. Chris Redfern, who on Dec. 19 was named chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party and will be resigning his leadership post in the 39-member caucus.

Also Wednesday, House Democrats selected Todd Book, of Portsmouth, to serve as Assistant Minority Leader. Book will fill the vacancy created when Beatty was named to lead the caucus.

Beatty, of Columbus, is a small businesswoman who owns Joyce Beatty & Associates, Inc., a strategic planning and diversity training firm, and Pieces to Wear, an upmarket clothing store in downtown Columbus.  A strong advocate for Ohio, she is a vigorous champion of healthcare and education issues and has worked diligently to expand business creation and opportunity.  Beatty, who grew up in Dayton, is married to former state representative Otto Beatty, Jr.

Book, 37, is an attorney and small businessman who lives in Portsmouth. He and his father co-own Old Hickory Golf Co., Ltd., which conducts old fashioned golf outings using hickory shafted clubs, period clothing and old style golf balls. He has also served at Shawnee State University as an adjunct faculty member. He is married with two children.

Beatty is the first leader of the Ohio House Democratic Caucus to live south of the Ohio Turnpike since Speaker Vern Riffe, the Scioto County native who led the caucus from 1975-95. She said Wednesday she is committed to continuing the caucus’ efforts to work on behalf of all citizens of Ohio.

“We’re all in this together. It doesn’t matter if you are from a red county or a blue county if you can’t afford to pay the mortgage, or send your daughter to college, or see the doctor,” Beatty said. “After hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, it’s clear we need change. I’m honored to be able to lead that fight for change in the Statehouse.”

Beatty said she is committed to working in a bipartisan manner with Speaker Jon Husted on policies that will move Ohio forward. But she added the caucus will not shy away from stating loudly and clearly where Democrats part company on the direction Ohio has taken over the past dozen years of one-party rule.

“As Democrats, we stand for schools our communities can be proud of, colleges our children can afford, and health care plans that don’t push families into foreclosures and bankruptcy court,” she said. “We stand for clean, honest leadership that puts families’ interests ahead of special interests. We stand for a government that’s lean but not mean, and that offers a hand up to the least among us.”