Kenny Yuko

Kenny Yuko
Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate
Assumed office
April 26, 2017
Preceded by Joe Schiavoni
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 25th district
Assumed office
January 6, 2015
Preceded by Nina Turner
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 7th district
In office
January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2012
Preceded by Ed Jerse
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1950-08-01) August 1, 1950
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education Cuyahoga Community College
Kent State University

Kenny Yuko (born August 1, 1950) is a Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 25th District. Previously he was a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 7th District from 2005 to 2012. Prior to his time in the legislature, Yuko was a political and union activist for more than two decades.

Early life and career

Yuko grew up in Euclid, Ohio and graduated from Brush High School, before attending both Cuyahoga Community College and Kent State University. He began his career as a buyer for Polsky’s Department Store, and went on to the Laborers’ Local #860 for 30 years, including 25 years as union organizer. He retired from that service in 2004.

Political career

Yuko first ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 2004 to replace four term incumbent Ed Jerse, who was facing term limits. In the 2004 primary, he faced Euclid resident Kent Smith, but won decisively, and went on to win easily in a safe Democratic seat.[1] He won reelection easily in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Yuko served as Chairman of the Commerce and Labor Committee for the 128th General Assembly.

Yuko expressed great interest in obtaining an appointment to the Ohio Senate after incumbent Lance Mason resigned to take a judicial position. Ultimately, the appointment went to Cleveland City Councilwoman Nina Turner.

When he was sworn into his fourth term on January 3, 2011, Yuko served as the ranking member of the Commerce and Labor Committee, as well as a member of the Health and Aging Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee. He was also a member of the Unemployment Compensation Advisory Council; the Permanent Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering; and the Joint Committee on Bingo and Skill Based Gaming.

A former union organizer, Yuko is a staunch opponent of S.B. 5 and looks to lead the cause of a referendum that will repeal the changes the bill would make upon passage.[2] He believes the current act tramples the rights of workers.[3]

Yuko currently serves the 25th senatorial district which includes the cities of Beachwood, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Cleveland (partial), East Cleveland, Eastlake, Euclid, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mentor (partial), Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Pepper Pike, Richmond Heights, South Euclid, Warrensville Heights, Wickliffe, Willoughby, and Willowick; along with the villages of Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Highland Hills, Lakeline, North Randall, Orange, Timberlake, and Woodmere; as well as parts of Painesville Township.[4]

Personal life

Yuko resides in Richmond Heights with his wife, Pam. They have two children, Angela and Rockey.

References

  1. ↑ Blackwell, Kenneth 2004 general election results (2004-11-02)
  2. ↑ Provance, Jim (2011-03-29). "Organized labor set for final showdown". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  3. ↑ Siegel, Jim; Joe Hardon (2011-03-31). "Assembly sends SB 5 to Kasich". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
  4. ↑ "Overview of State Senate District 25, Ohio". Statistical Atlas. San Francisco: Cedar Lake Ventures, Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.