Cecil L. Thomas (born October 21, 1952) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer who served as a member of the Ohio Senate from the 9th district.

Early life and education

Thomas was born in rural northern

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

at a young age. He graduated from

Withrow High School Withrow High School (originally East Side High School) is a public high school located on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is part of the Cincinnati Public Schools. History The school opened in 1919 and was listed on the National Register of ...

. In 1974, Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in law enforcement technology from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

. He later earned another Bachelor of Science degree, in criminal justice management, from the

Union Institute & University Union Institute & University (UI&U) is a private university in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specializes in limited residence and distance learning programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates satellite campuses ...

Career

After high school, he joined the Cincinnati police cadet program, and served the city of Cincinnati as a police officer for the next 27 years. In 2005, following his retirement from the police force, Thomas ran and won election to

Cincinnati City Council The Cincinnati City Council is the lawmaking body of Cincinnati, Ohio. The nine-member city council is elected at-large in a single election in which each voter chooses nine candidates from the field. The nine top vote-getters win seats on the cou ...

, where he served for the next eight years. In 2014, Thomas declared his candidacy for the Ohio Senate. Incumbent Eric Kearney was term-limited and could not run for another term. He was one of numerous Democrats to vie for the nomination, including

Dale Mallory Dale Mallory (born November 2, 1964) is an American politician and former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 32nd District from 2007 to 2014. Career Mallory formerly served ...

, who many saw as a frontrunner. He won the primary, and go on to face Charlie Winburn, another viable opponent, however this time Republican. However, Thomas defeated Winburn 56%-44%. Cecil was a candidate for the

2021 Cincinnati mayoral election The 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the primary election on May 4, 2021, advancing to the general ...

, placing third in a field of six candidates.

References

External links

Campaign siteCampaign Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Cecil 1952 births Living people Democratic Party Ohio state senators 21st-century American politicians Ohio city council members African-American state legislators in Ohio Candidates in the 2021 United States elections 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people