Joel O'Dorisio
Joel O'Dorisio (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Ohio State Senate to represent District 2. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
O'Dorisio completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
In 2020, O'Dorisio participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.
Biography
Joel O'Dorisio was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Ohio State University in 1991 and a graduate degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1994. O'Dorisio's career experience includes working as an artist, business owner, and teaching professor at Bowling Green State University.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Ohio State Senate District 2
Incumbent Theresa Gavarone defeated Joel O'Dorisio in the general election for Ohio State Senate District 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Theresa Gavarone (R) | 62.2 | 122,084 |
 | Joel O'Dorisio (D)  | 37.8 | 74,240 | |
| Total votes: 196,324 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 2
Joel O'Dorisio defeated Reem Subei in the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 2 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joel O'Dorisio | 52.2 | 12,170 |
 | Reem Subei | 47.8 | 11,162 | |
| Total votes: 23,332 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 2
Incumbent Theresa Gavarone advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 2 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Theresa Gavarone | 100.0 | 17,352 |
| Total votes: 17,352 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2020
Candidate Conversations
Moderated by journalist and political commentator Greta Van Susteren, Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A.
Click below to watch the conversation for this race.
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joel O'Dorisio completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by O'Dorisio's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
Experience First as a business owner and now as a teaching professor Joel has approached all his professions with passion and professionalism. When he first arrived at BGSU he saw the need for a united voice for educators and in 2010, Joel participated in the card campaign to form the BGSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). Since then, he has served on the executive committee and most notably served on the negotiating team for every contract, advocating for higher wages and competitive benefits for the hardworking faculty at BGSU.
- Reinvest in our community's public schools make sure that every child in Ohio has a quality educational experience
- Economy - Minimum wage must be a living wage, and unions are leading the fight for workers
- Healthcare - Every Ohioan needs access to affordable coverage. We need to address addiction as a public health issue not a crime.
As both an educator and a parent. I know the challenges facing our students. I went to public schools, and my children are in public schools here in Bowling Green. I value the experience I had in growing up for the high quality education I received, but also for the lessons about life that I experienced. I met and became friends with kids from different backgrounds, races, religions, and identities. Public schools are at the heart of our American experience. This equal opportunity access to a quality education is the foundation of our democracy. I want to reinvest in schools so that the next generation of Ohioans has the same opportunities that I had growing up. Starting early, opportunities for Pre-kindergarten classes are a sound investment in our community. These programs are a way to ensure that all of Ohio's kids get a headstart.
Our representatives in Columbus have stacked our own economy against us. They've spent decades advocating for the billionaires on wall street and haven't prepared Ohio for the economy of today. Jobs will come to Ohio if we have qualified workers. We need to make sure we are educating the next generation of Ohioans to be ready for the next generation of work. We have a responsibility to ensure that every Ohioan has the skills to adapt to an ever changing economy.
I learned how to ride the bus every morning, and I met a new group of friends. My world grew larger. I had to learn about my classes in school, but also about different families and cultures. One of the most important things I learned in public school is the inherent value in diversity of people and ideas and opinions. I am grateful to my parents for the decision to leave me in public schools. I am grateful to the people of Ohio that endeavored to provide high quality public schools that were both equitable and diverse while I was learning. And I am grateful to the caring teachers that provided me a solid education and at the same time helped me fit in to a new school.
Ohio's long term disinvestment in schools is creating an economic crisis. After years of criticism of public school teachers and budget cuts to our public schools we have come to a point where our funding of schools has been declared unconstitutional. we must reinvest in our students and schools to make sure we can remain competitive.
We are also facing serious water quality issues along our lake Erie shores. In the 1970s Lake Erie was in dire peril. Silt runoff from farms and PCBs from local manufacturing were choking the fisheries, and poisoning the water we needed to drink. Our communities and the state came together to address both problems. A combination of regulations for industries and prudent support for farms have significantly reduced pollution in the lake, and reduced silt runoff to a place where the fisheries have rebounded.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 13, 2020
