Tom Letson
Tom Letson (b. September 29, 1952) is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 64 from 2006 to December 31, 2014.
Letson was ineligible to run for re-election to the House in 2014 because of term limits. He was a 2014 candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court.[1][2] He challenged incumbent Justice Sharon L. Kennedy.
Biography
Letson earned his B.A. in psychology from Kent State University and his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.[3][2] Letson's professional experience includes working as an attorney, as an assistant city prosecutor in Newton Falls, and as an acting judge on the Warren Municipal Court.[4]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Letson served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Manufacturing and Workforce Development |
| • Ways and Means |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Letson served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary and Ethics |
| • State Government and Elections |
| • Ways and Means |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Letson served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Health |
| • Insurance |
| • Public Safety and Homeland Security |
| • Ways and Means |
Elections
2014 judicial
Letson ran for election to the Ohio Supreme Court.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 27.5 percent of the vote. He competed against incumbent Judge Sharon L. Kennedy.
[1]
Endorsements
- Ohio Democratic Party State Executive Committee[5]
- Cuyahoga County Democratic Party[6]
- Butler County Democrats[7]
- Wood County Democratic Party[8]
- Hamilton County Democratic Party[9]
Campaign contributions
| Candidate | Total contributions |
|---|---|
| Sharon L. Kennedy | $931,944.34[10] |
| Tom Letson | $25,639.00[11] |
Ohio State Bar Association rating
Letson was rated "Not recommended" by the Ohio State Bar Association's Commission on Judicial Candidates. The commission based the ratings off of each candidate's legal knowledge and ability; professional competence; judicial temperament; integrity; diligence; personal responsibility; and public/community service.[12] Letson's opponent, Sharon Kennedy, declined to participate in the OSBA's rating process in 2014. She was given a rating of "Not recommended" in 2012.[13] Letson said he would be "happy to sit down with my colleagues at the bar and discuss my qualifications."[14]
2012
Letson won re-election in the 2012 election for Ohio House District 64. Letson defeated Sheila Calko and David C. Cook in the March 6 Democratic primary election and defeated Randy Law (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[15][16][17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Tom Letson Incumbent |
60.2% | 28,030 | |
| Republican | Randy Law | 39.8% | 18,496 | |
| Total Votes | 46,526 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Tom Letson |
65.7% | 5,725 |
| Sheila Calko | 17.8% | 1,549 |
| David C. Cook | 16.6% | 1,443 |
| Total Votes | 8,717 | |
2010
Letson won re-election to District 64 of the Ohio House of Representatives.[18] His opponents were Albert Haberstroh Jr. (R) and Randy Law (I). The election took place on November 2, 2010.[19][20]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Tom Letson (D)
|
18,767 | 62.57% | ||
| Albert Haberstroh Jr. (R) | 11,225 | 37.43% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Letson won re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives. Letson defeated Thomas Montgomery in the general election.[21][22][23]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Tom Letson (D)
|
31,783 | |||
| Thomas Montgomery (R) | 15,290 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Letson won election to the Ohio House of Representatives.[24] His opponent was Randy Law (R).
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Tom Letson (D)
|
20,316 | |||
| Randy Law (R) | 16,953 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 through December 31.
- Innovation Ohio: 130th General Assembly - Women's issues scorecard
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues.
- The American Conservative Union: 2014 legislative scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.[25]
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Awards and associations
Associations
- Chair, Trumbull County Bar Association, Board of Continuing Legal Education
- President, Trumbull County Bar Association
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association Council of Delegates
- Member, American Bar Association
- Past board member, Warren City Board of Health
- Past workers' compensation representative, United Steelworkers[26]
Approach to the law
As stated on his campaign website:
| “ | My experiences have taught me that in order to improve the systems that serve our communities, we need to facilitate meaningful dialogue about the way our courts operate. Too often, we avoid having these discussions because they are hard or inconvenient, and that needs to change. It is not enough to simply discuss the importance of integrity and fairness—we must act in accordance with these ideals as well.[27] | ” |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tom + Letson + Ohio + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Ohio House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Ohio General Assembly
- Joint Committees
- Ohio state legislative districts
- Ohio Supreme Court
- Courts in Ohio
- Ohio judicial elections, 2014
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006
- The Ohio Supreme Court & The Ohio Judicial System, "Official Website"
- Tom Letson for Ohio Supreme Court
- Cleveland.com, "Ohio Supreme Court candidate Tom Letson says his past tax problems have been resolved," December 17, 2013
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidates for the May 6, 2014 Primary Election," February 18, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ballotpedia.org, "Tom Letson Profile", accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Tom Letson's Biography," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Tom Letson for Ohio Supreme Court, "Meet Tom," archived August 28, 2014
- ↑ Erie County Democratic Party, "2014 Statewide Candidates endorsed by ODP State Executive Committee," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, "Endorsements," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Butler County Democrats, "Endorsed candidates for 2014," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Wood County Democratic Party, "Endorsed Candidates for 2014," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Hamilton County Democratic Party, "2014 Endorsed State Democratic Candidates," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Kennedy for Ohio contribution history," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Vote Tom Letson contribution history," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Ohio State Bar Association, "OSBA announces Supreme Court of Ohio candidate ratings for the 2014 Election," June 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Cinncinnati.com, "Justice Kennedy won't answer to the bar," June 23, 2014
- ↑ Vindy.com, "The state bar association doesn’t recommend Tom Letson of Warren for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court," June 17, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Chamber of Commerce, "2012 General Assembly Primary Candidates," January 17, 2012
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2012 Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio official results for 2012 General Election," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "State Representative: Results for general election on November 2, 2010," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Democratic State Representative: Results for Primary: May 4, 2010," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Republican State Representative: Results for Primary: May 4, 2010," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Republican State Representative: Results for Primary: March 4, 2008," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Democratic State Representative: Results for Primary: March 4, 2008," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "State Representative: Results for general election on November 4, 2008," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "State Representative: Results for general election on November 7, 2006," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
- ↑ Tom Letson for Ohio Supreme Court, "Experience," accessed August 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Ohio House of Representatives - District 64 2007–2014 |
Succeeded by Michael O’Brien (D) |
