Anne Gonzales (born August 12, 1963) is a former member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, representing the Nineteenth District between 2011 and 2019. She is a realtor and an Executive Director for Vision Professionals Board.

Career

Gonzales is a Realtor with 3 Degrees Realty. After graduating from

Otterbein University Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...

, Gonzales worked as a

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

before returning home to raise children. Gonzales has been on Westerville City Council since 2002, and served as vice Mayor and Mayor for four years.

Ohio House of Representatives

Democrat Marian Harris won an upset in the 19th House District in 2008 after many years in Republican hands. In 2010, the seat was a top target for Republicans, and Gonzales was seen as a viable candidate. In November 2009, she entered the race to unseat Harris. In the general election, Gonzales proved victorious, beating Harris by almost 6,000 votes. Gonzales was sworn into her first term on January 3, 2011, and is serving as a member of the Economic and Small Business Development Committee; the Health and Aging Committee (Vice-chair); the Public Utilities Committee; and the Rules and Reference Committee. She also is a member of the Joint Council on Developmental Disabilities; and the Joint Committee on Bingo and Skill Based Gaming. In 2012, Gonzales was reelected to her seat, defeating Democrat Ryan Jolley with 56.64% of the vote. Along with Gerald Stebelton, Gonzales had introduced legislation that would allow

widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

to continue using special

license plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate ( Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificat ...

honoring the receipt of the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. Following a statement by the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

that was invoked when granting permission to use the designs is the BMV only issue plates to people who received the military awards, Gonzales announced she was no longer proceeding with the bill. Gonzales, along with Senator Jim Hughes, founded the Legislative Cancer Caucus, which will meet quarterly to raise understanding among their colleagues about one of the nation's leading killers. She was Chair of the Health and Aging Committee, Vice Chair of Public Utilities, severed on the Finance Committee, Workforce Development Committee.

Ohio Senate Campaign

In 2018, Gonzales ran for State Senator from the 3rd district, filling a position vacated by Republican

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

. After initially being the frontrunner, she lost a close race to Democrat

Tina Maharath Tina Maharath ( lo, ຕີນາ ມະຫາລາດ) (born November 30, 1990) is an American politician currently serving as an Ohio State Senator from the 3rd District. She also serves in the Senate Democrats leadership team as Minority Whip. ...

, by a margin of .6%. Gonzales' former house district was also picked up by Democrats.

References

External links

Anne Gonzales for State Representative
''official campaign site'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzales, Anne Living people 1963 births Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Otterbein University alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Ohio