Tom Patton

Thomas F. Patton (born November 3, 1953) is the state representative for the 7th District of the Ohio House of Representatives. He is a Republican. The district consists of Berea, North Olmsted, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls, Strongsville as well as Olmsted Township in Cuyahoga County.

For the Northern Irish politician, see Thomas Patton. For the baseball player, see Tom Patton (baseball).

Tom Patton
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 17th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byMike Dovilla
In office
January 3, 2003 – November 18, 2008
Preceded byErin Sullivan
Succeeded byMatt Patten
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 24th district
In office
November 18, 2008 – December 31, 2016
Preceded byRobert Spada
Succeeded byMatt Dolan
Personal details
Born (1953-11-03) November 3, 1953
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Strongsville, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materCleveland State University
ProfessionLegislator

Patton previously represented the same district from 2003 to 2008, and was a member of the Ohio Senate from 2008 to 2016, serving for a time as that body's Majority Leader.

Career

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Patton is a member the Knights of Columbus, the Cleveland Police Historical Society, the AFL-CIO and serves as president of the Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 756.

With newly drawn district lines following redistricting in 2002, Patton was one of five Republicans who sought to succeed incumbent Erin Sullivan. To take the nomination, Patton received 42.33% of the vote.[1] He went on to defeat Democrat Susan Adams in the general election with 52.4% of the vote.[2] In his first reelection bid, Patton defeated Democrat Bobby Bland with 66.59% of the vote to take a second term.[3] For his third term in House, Patton faced John Celebrezze in 2006. However, he easily defeated his opposition with 58.53% of the electorate.[4]

When incumbent Bob Spada was unable to run for another term in the Ohio Senate in 2008, Patton decided to give up a fourth term in the House to run for the seat. Unopposed in the primary, Patton went on to defeat Democrat Gary Kucinich, brother of Dennis Kucinich, in the general election with 68.39% of the vote.[5] Spada resigned his seat two months prior to the end of his term in order to take an appointment from Governor Ted Strickland. Subsequently, Senate Republicans decided to seat Patton early, in order for the Senate to have adequate representation throughout the important lame duck session. He was seated in the Senate on November 18, 2008. In 2012, Patton ran successfully for a second term, defeating Democrat Jennifer Brady with 59.16% of the vote.[6]

Ohio House of Representatives

Term-limited in the Senate in 2016, Patton succeeded in convincing Representative Mike Dovilla to run for his Senate seat, allowing for Patton to return to the House.[7] Opposed in the Republican primary, Patton handily defeated Jennifer M. Herold, 79% to 21%. Dovilla lost the Republican primary for Patton's Senate seat to Matt Dolan.[8]

Patton was unopposed in the general election, winning a seat that on paper is one of the most competitive in the state. He was sworn in for his fourth non-consecutive term in the House on January 3, 2017.[9]

Committee Memberships
  • Aging and Long Term Care[10]
  • Finance[10]
  • Public Utilities[10]
  • Rules and Reference[10]
  • Transportation and Public Safety[10]
  • Finance Subcommittee on Transportation[10]

Run for Congress

Patton announced on July 31, 2017, his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Ohio's 16th Congressional District.[11]

Criticism

Jimmy Dimora Trial

During the trial of former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Patton was accused of bribing former Parma School Board member J. Kevin Kelley. Patton's third cousin, Kelley had already pleaded guilty to several counts of corruption related crimes when he testified under oath as to accepting the bribes from Patton. Patton denied the claim.[12]

Controversial comments

In an interview[13] on America's Workforce Radio, Patton referred to his opponent, Jennifer Herold, as "gal" and "sweetie". In addition, he questioned her ability to serve because she is a mother of young children.[14]

The comments generated national coverage. Numerous outlets such as Cosmopolitan,[15] Gawker,[16] and The Christian Science Monitor[17] editorialized the story. Nate Beeler of The Columbus Dispatch also covered it, creating a cartoon regarding the comments.[18]

References
  1. Blackwell, Kenneth 2002 primary election results (May 4, 2002)
  2. Blackwell, Kenneth 2002 general election results (2002-11-04)
  3. Blackwell, Kenneth 2004 general election results (2004-11-02)
  4. Blackwell, Kenneth 2006 general election results Archived June 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (2006-11-07)
  5. Brunner, Jennifer 2008 general election results Archived February 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (2008-11-04)
  6. "Homepage - Ohio Secretary of State". www2.SOS.State.oh.us. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  7. "Senate Majority Leader Tom Patton to run for Ohio House". November 10, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  8. "Tom Patton leading in Republican primary for Ohio House District 7". March 16, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  9. "Endorsing Matt Dolan for Ohio Senate 24th District: endorsement editorial". October 20, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  10. "Representative Thomas F. Patton (R) - District 7 | The Ohio House of Representatives". www.ohiohouse.gov. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  11. "Patton Announces Run - Tom Patton for Ohio Congress". Tom Patton for Ohio Congress. July 31, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  12. "Jimmy Dimora trial: Former Parma school board member J. Kevin Kelley testifies he received bribe from state senator, who denies the claim". Cleveland.com. February 3, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  13. "Today's show 1-18-16 - Americia's Work Force Radio". AWFRadio.com. January 18, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  14. "Ohio Sen. Tom Patton suggests opponent shouldn't run because she's a young mother". Cleveland.com. January 28, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  15. "The Reason a Politician Suggested This Woman Shouldn't Run for Office Will Outrage You". Cosmopolitan.com. January 29, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  16. Rothkopf, Joanna (January 28, 2016). "Ohio State Senator Thinks Opponent Shouldn't Run Against Him Because She Is a Young Mother". Jezebel.com. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  17. "Can mothers be lawmakers? Ohio senator asks". The Christian Science Monitor. January 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020.
  18. "Beeler Toon". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
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