State Senator Sandra Williams, Cleveland D-21

When Sandra Williams announced on the floor of the House Senate this past Wednesday that she was resigning as state senator from the Ohio 21^st District, it caught some of her colleagues by surprise. Sen. Vernon Sykes of Akron, for example, told The Real Deal Press that he learned of the resignation only when Williams announced it.

Given that Sykes is the most senior Democratic state legislator currently serving in the General Assembly, and likely the most respected (his daughter, state rep. Emilia Sykes, would likely be his chief rival for that designation), the timing and manner of Williams disclosure immediately set off alarms.

Changes in the legislature occur with some frequency among its 33 senators and 99 representatives. Cleveland Heights’ Janine Boyd resigned her house seat in April just before her appointment as a regional director for the US Department of Health and Human Services.

But Williams’ announcement — the day before a summer recess that this year may extend until November — put her Democratic colleagues in a bind that likely was not accidental. 

Political watchers quickly became apprehensive over the possibility that Williams’ timing could mean that her constituents would be without representation for the balance of this year. When a state legislator resigns before her term ends, her caucus colleagues select her replacement, typically considering any recommendation from the departing member. But the Senate needs to be in session for the caucus selection to be made official, and as noted above, the Senate is not scheduled to resume regular business until after the general election.

As anxious and sometimes angry calls began to bombard the cell phones of Williams’ Democratic colleagues, a path was cobbled together to swear in her replacement this coming Tuesday at 10:30a, thanks to the likelihood that a previously scheduled reunion for former state senators means that a quorum of 17 current senators can be rustled up.

With the path to a Tuesday vote settled by sometime on Friday, Democratic caucus leaders, including minority leader Kenny Yuko of Richmond Heights and assistant minority leader Nickie Antonio of Lakewood, quickly pivoted to setting up a process and a schedule for proceeding. By 5:30pm Friday, news had gone out by press release and social media that applications for appointment must be submitted via email by 5p today. [If you are reading this and want to apply, submit your cover letter and resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.].

According to Antonio, a screening team — Yuko, Antonio, and state senator Hearcel Craig of Columbus— are scheduled to meet at 6p today to review the applications. The top candidates will be interviewed tomorrow with the full eight-member caucus gathering at 6p tomorrow to vote on the screening team’s recommendation.

Among those expected to apply are state rep. Terrence Upchurch and former state senator Jeff Johnson, along with “Sandra Williams’ boyfriend”, whose name no one we’ve reached out to seems to know.

Nonetheless, Williams’ significant other is considered the favorite, given her perceived closeness to caucus leaders Yuko and Antonio. Williams’ resignation does not take effect until June 8, which means she will participate in the vote.

In response to a question, Antonio said yesterday during a phone interview that the applicants’ level of community engagement and their understanding of the legislator’s job will be paramount considerations for the screening committee.

Antonio said that the list of applicants would likely not be made public before Monday’s vote and subsequent notification to the applicants.

The entire process will be conducted remotely due to the time constraints.

The successful applicant will serve as state senator for the balance of this year, completing Williams’ term. They will not be eligible to run for a full term this year, barring some last-minute court intervention, as the filing deadline for state legislative seats was in February. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state’s top election official, has taken the position that no petitions may be accepted after that deadline, even though the district lines had not been finalized — which happened by federal court order less than ten days ago — and the primary for those seats had been moved from May to August 2.

The 21st Senate district seat has historically been held by an African American for the past half century, given that it has been rooted in Cleveland’s largely black east side. However, given the federal court ruling mandating that “Map 3” adopted by the GOP majority on the Ohio Redistricting Commission [ORC] be used for this year’s primary and general elections — a map that the Ohio Supreme Court has repeatedly declared unconstitutional — the district will be all but unrecognizable next year. The partisan gerrymandering that Ohio’s Supreme Court ruled unlawful has sliced and diced Cleveland voters and black voters so severely that the redrawn district will have roughly 25% black voters.

Outgoing Senator Williams had some input into the redrawing of the district’s lines after the first submission by the ORC was rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court, according to several people familiar with the process who have spoken with The Real Deal Press on the condition of anonymity. While the new district is no longer majority black, it remains Democratic leaning, and state senator Antonio is the presumptive favorite to win the primary and general elections for the seat.

Pending the outcome of this year’s elections, city of Cleveland voters and black voters could find themselves without a state senator drawn from their ranks for the first time in half a century. That such a possibility even exists but has drawn no sustained outcry speaks volumes about the significant decline of black political power in Greater Cleveland.

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While Williams has yet to disclose her next job, The Real Deal Press has it on good authority that she will be going to work for Spectrum. This will be no surprise, given that her 15+-year legislative record has generally been supportive of the telecommunications and cable industries.

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