State Sen. Gayle Manning, a North Ridgeville Republican, announced Jan. 18 she will run for the state 55th House District seat and will seek her party’s nomination in the May 8 primary election, according to a news release.
The 55th House District encompasses a large portion of Lorain County, which she has served for the last seven years in the state Senate.
“It has been an honor to serve our community in the Ohio Senate where I have been a champion for improving Ohio’s business climate, lowering taxes, investing in our schools and combating the scourge of addiction,” Manning said in the release. “With the help of leaders here in our community, we have made significant progress in addressing these priorities, but we still have more work to do.”
Before running for the Senate in 2010, Manning spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher and served one term on the North Ridgeville City Council where she presided as both finance chair and council president pro tempore.
“I have tackled some of the most pressing challenges facing our state, and I look forward to putting my experience and passion to work as a member of the House of Representatives,” she said.
Manning currently serves as Senate majority whip as well as vice chair of the Senate’s influential Finance Committee.
She also sits on a number of Senate committees including, education, public safety and veterans affairs, rules and reference and the Senate transportation, commerce and workforce committee.
A fiscal conservative, Manning was instrumental in crafting a balanced budget and responsible state operating budget in June 2017, despite Ohio facing a budget gap of nearly $1.1 billion.
Manning and her colleagues on the Senate finance committee delivered a budget which invested more than $200 million in additional state funding for schools in addition to new investments bolstering efforts to fight drug addiction, the release said.
Manning earned her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and her master’s degree from the University of Akron.
She resides in North Ridgeville where she and her late husband, former State Rep. Jeff Manning, raised their two children, Allison and Nathan. She spends much of her free time with her three grandchildren, the release said.
Don’t miss
>> Rep. Nathan Manning announces state senate run
>> Amherst councilman to seek Ohio House seat