Teresa Fedor (born May 26, 1956) is an American politician from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. She was a member of the
Ohio Senate, representing the 11th district from 2019 until her resignation in 2022. A member of the
Ohio General Assembly since 2001, Fedor previously represented the same seat in the Senate from 2003 to 2010, and was a 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 Ch ...
for five nonconsecutive terms, serving from 2001 to 2002, and again from 2011 to 2018. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, Fedor represented
Toledo and the surrounding areas.
Life and career
Fedor holds a bachelor of science degree in education from the
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of ...
. She served in the U.S. Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard for 6 and a half years.
In 2000, Fedor ran against incumbent
Jim Mettler for a seat in the Ohio House, and defeated the incumbent with 55.6% of the vote. She served in the House for a single term. Fedor was named Public Servant of the Year in 2002 by the
Ohio Environmental Council
The Ohio Environmental Council is an environmental organization founded in 1969. Its work includes the environment, clean energy, and democracy.
Environment
OEC praised Columbus's Climate Action Plan. OEC jointly sought action against pollutio ...
.
With incumbent
Linda J. Furney unable to run again due to term limits, Fedor opted to run for the
Ohio Senate in 2002 instead of seeking a second term in the House. Unopposed in the primary, she defeated Republican Phillip Barbosa with 72.3% of the vote. She served as assistant minority whip in the
125th General Assembly. Fedor won reelection in 2006 unopposed.
For the 127th General Assembly, Fedor's fellow Senate Democrats chose her to serve as Minority Leader. However, in early 2008, Fedor was ousted in a political coup by Senator
Ray Miller, who had organized a coalition to replace her with himself. As a result, Fedor served the remainder of her Senate career without a leadership position.
She resigned on October 31, 2022 to focus on her race for the
Ohio State Board of Education
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
2nd District.
Ohio House of Representatives, Second Tenure
In 2009, Fedor stated that she would be a candidate for 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 Ch ...
in 2010, to replace the
term limited Peter Ujvagi. However, Ujvagi resigned early after he was hired as
Lucas County Administrator.
The appointment of Ujvagi set up what many thought was going to be a legislative shuffle, where Fedor was appointed to Ujvagi's seat, and Representative
Edna Brown
Edna Brown (April 7, 1940 – January 1, 2022) was an American politician, member of the Democratic Party and Minority Whip of the Ohio Senate, serving the 11th District from 2011 to 2018. She also served in the Ohio House of Representatives fr ...
then appointed to Fedor's Senate seat. However, this plan was foiled when
Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara opted also to be appointed to the Senate. As a result, Fedor kept her seat, Brown hers, and
Joe Walter was appointed to a nine-month stint in Ujvagi's seat.
Nonetheless, Fedor was elected to the House seat, winning 64.37% of the vote in 2010. She began her first term on January 3, 2011.
Ohio Senate, Second Tenure
In 2018, Fedor opted to again swap chambers and run for her old seat in the state Senate, to succeed
Edna Brown
Edna Brown (April 7, 1940 – January 1, 2022) was an American politician, member of the Democratic Party and Minority Whip of the Ohio Senate, serving the 11th District from 2011 to 2018. She also served in the Ohio House of Representatives fr ...
who was term-limited. She again won the seat and was sworn into office on January 6, 2019. She resigned on October 31, 2022.
Fedor is also a member of the
Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost.
History
The office of the attor ...
's Human Trafficking Commission.
Initiatives, policies and positions
Human trafficking
One of Fedor's landmark legislative victories relates to
human trafficking. She has stated, "Traffickers have walked away from the halls of justice," and has vowed to help stop and continue to fight for those victimized as victims. She has received support from former Ohio Governors
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
and
John Kasich
John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
on stopping human trafficking, and has successfully passed one measure.
Along with then
Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost.
History
The office of the attor ...
Mike DeWine, Fedor introduced the safe harbor bill, which would prevent a young person with being charged with
prostitution if they were victims of
human trafficking. She has stated it is a critical portion of tackling the problem.
Education
Fedor has also voiced concerns over the elimination of some education measures that would eliminate all-day kindergarten requirements. While new legislation has come forth to give more communities education choices, Fedor has stated that she thinks districts were offered some choice with the waiver for all-day kindergarten that were provided in the past.
Economic issues
Fedor opposed initiatives to raise funds by selling rights to state lands, including
state parks
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
to drill for
crude oil and
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
. "Our picture-perfect parks in Ohio may certainly … be turned into picture-perfect toxic wastelands,''she had stated. The General Assembly ultimately voted for allowing for oil exploration on state lands.
Abortion
On 25 March 2015, Teresa Fedor got so frustrated during a debate on abortion in the lower chamber of the state's legislature that she stood up and revealed that she had been raped and terminated the resulting pregnancy.
"You don't respect my reason, my rape, my abortion, and I guarantee you there are other women who should stand up with me and be courageous enough to speak," she said. "What you're doing is so fundamentally inhuman, unconstitutional, and I've sat here too long."
Fedor was raped many years ago, while she was in the military.
The so-called
Heartbeat bill
A six-week abortion ban or early abortion ban, called a "heartbeat bill" or "fetal heartbeat bill" by proponents, is a form of abortion restriction legislation in the United States. These bans make abortion illegal as early as six weeks gestatio ...
that was being discussed in the Ohio legislature at the time would have doctors test for a heartbeat in the fetus, which could be as early as six weeks into the pregnancy. If one is detected, and the doctor proceeds with the abortion, they would face felony charges. If the bill becomes law, it would ban all abortions, except when the pregnancy endangered the mother's life or health, but including cases of rape and incest. The bill passed, 50 votes to 44.
References
External links
Teresa Fedor on the Ohio Ladies Gallery websiteRepresentative Teresa Fedorat Project Vote Smart
*''Follow the Money'' – Teresa M Fedor
20062004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fedor, Teresa
1956 births
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Military personnel from Ohio
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
Politicians from Toledo, Ohio
University of Toledo alumni
Women state legislators in Ohio