ONUMBA.COM – A conversation with State Senator Charleta Tavares, Ohio Senate, representing District 15

Ike Mgbatogu – Good evening Sen. Tavares.  My name is Ike Mgbatogu, and I am a reporter for the Ohio Call & Post Newspaper, the largest Black newspaper in the state.

Sen. Charleta Tavares – Good to be with you, Ike.

Mgbatogu – Let me start by asking you to introduce yourself to our readers – your hometown, your background, the district you represent, and of course, whatever else you would like to say about yourself.

Tavares – Tavares: I am a native of Columbus, Ohio.  I am Charleta Tavares.  I am the state Senator for the 15th Senate district.  I previously served as a member of the Columbus City Council from 1999 until 2010.  I assumed the office in January 2011.  Before that, I served as a state Representative for the Ohio House 22nd district, and served for 5 and ½ years.  Before that, I served as a member of the Attorney General staff as a Chief of the Children’s Protection Section.  And then before that, I served as the Associate Director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, charged with protecting the health safety and welfare of Ohio’s children.  My other background is that I am currently the executive director of the MACC.  It’s a statewide membership organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio’s behavioral health system and to incorporate cultural competence into systems and organizations that serve vulnerable and at risk populations.  I am very active in the community and I served as the immediate past chair of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Board, as well as a founding board member of that organization.  I served as a founding board member of the Community Research Partners and formerly served as the president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.

Mgbatogu – As a public servant, and more specifically, as a legislator who is involved in making decisions that impact the lives of many Ohioans, how would you characterize or frame your political philosophy in terms of what drives your thinking about how you vote on issues?

Tavares – My philosophy has always been to do what is fair, what is just, what is equitable and what is right.  Looking at first and foremost the needs of those who are vulnerable and who are at risk in our community, those who need the services of government most. 

Sen. Tavares and aides

Mgbatogu – Gov. Strickland lost the last election to Republican John Kasich by 2 percentage points.  Strickland being the incumbent, that’s rare.  What happened, what went wrong?  Why did the governor lose?

Tavares – [People] were not happy with the economy.  And…he was a victim of the recession that was taking place in the state of Ohio.  It is easier for someone who has no history to come in and promise what they would do.  And when you are suffering, when you are hurting, when you are losing your job, it is easy to blame the person who is sitting as the governor of the state of Ohio.  So I believe that was part of it.  I also believe there are some people that didn’t like his support of President Barack Obama’s…policy on health care, the affordable health care act. 

Mgbatogu – It’s been quite an interesting 100 days for Gov. Kasich.  During the campaign, he did say he would do some of the things he is doing, and yet folks voted for him, including some who are now angry about his policies.  Certainly, the governor did not get a huge mandate, but he won.  What’s your reaction to that, and what message do you have for the people of Ohio in the next election?

Tavares – I think the message is that we have to pay attention to what people do, not necessarily what they say.  The governor shared some of the policies he was going to implement, but he didn’t share all of what he was going to do…the dismantling of public education and putting more money into private parochial schools through vouchers…and tax payer’s assets are being given away…whether it is prisons, whether it is lottery, whether it is the Department of Development, these are the people’s assets.   

Mgbatogu – Senate Bill 5, which eliminated collective bargaining laws in Ohio, was recently signed into law by Gov. Kasich.  SB 5, is one of those instances where the governor offered clear hints about where he stood with organized labor when he talked about breaking the back of the unions during the campaign.  You are opposed to this bill.  Why? 

Tavares – I am opposed to SB 5 because there’s nothing that’s broke.  We don’t need to eliminate collective bargaining…it hurts families, it hurts and destroys the middle class of Ohio, disproportionately, it hurts African Americans and other people of color.

Mgbatogu – Opponents of SB 5 will try to overturn the law in the November Ballot.  How would you assess the chances of SB 5 being struck down by Ohio voters?

Tavares – I believe the people are going to speak loudly and clearly that they are going to repeal SB 5.  Overwhelmingly, every poll that has been conducted has indicated that the people of Ohio do not believe we needed SB 5.

Mgbatogu – Gov. Kasich appointed the first 23 members of his cabinet before naming one African American.  That didn’t sit well with you and the other Black lawmakers.  But since then, he has named two African Americans to the cabinet, Michael Colbert in the Department of Job and Family Services, and Harvey Reed to run the Department of Youth Services.  How would you assess the governor’s mindset when it comes to the question of inclusion and diversity?

Tavares – What I would say is he said it himself that he didn’t believe, basically, in diversity.  He was going to find the most qualified applicants possible, not believing that diversity was one of the criteria, was one of the qualifications to serve as a cabinet member representing all Ohioans.  So, I think for those of us who fought very hard and strongly to ensure that we had a cabinet with people of color, African Americans and other people of color, we know that our fight ensured that we had least two cabinet members.  We are happy that those two cabinet members are there, but it goes beyond cabinet members.  It goes to contracting.  It goes to hiring, those below the cabinet level within his administration, and we are going to continue to hold this administration accountable because these are our constituents throughout the state of Ohio, more than 1.5 million people in the state of Ohio of African descent, and then when you add the Latinos/Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, etc.  It’s many, many people whose voices and incomes through contracts and through jobs, matter.  And so, we are going to stand up and continue to hold him accountable as a governor for all of the people.

Mgbatogu – Ohio law requires the state to set aside 15% of its contracts for minority businesses.  Recently, Kasich hinted he is thing about raising that number.  One thing is very clear.  The goal of 15% is not currently being met.  What should the administration do to meet that goal, which by the way wasn’t met in the Strickland administration, either?

Tavares – …it matters what you do, not what you say.  He has to hold each and every one of his cabinet directors accountable for the current 15%…first you have to meet the 15%, and you have to push your staff and hold them accountable so that they meet those goals and objectives.

Mgbatogu – Are you pleased with the level of bipartisanship you have with this administration? 

Tavares – I would say that Democrats have been left out of the development of public policy for the state of Ohio…not only Democrats, but the people of Ohio. 

Mgbatogu – The House recently approved the governor’s $55.6 billion bi-annual budget, keeping intact nearly all of the governor’s cuts, to education, local government, school districts, and others.  The senate approved it.  What’s your take on the governor’s budget?

Tavares – …It hurts public education, it hurts the voice of ethnic and racial minorities, the elimination of the Commission on African American Males, the cuts, double cuts to the Ohio Hispanic/Latino Affairs Commission, the cuts to the Ohio Consumers Council that disproportionately impacts our community members who are economically disadvantaged Healthcare is hurt. Disproportionately today, African Americans are the new cases of HIV/AIDS.  This governor has cut funding to HIV/AIDS substantially. 

Mgbatogu – After this gig, what’s next for you?  Are you eyeing any higher office?  What’s in the future for you?

Tavares – I follow my heart.  I follow where I think my skill sets are needed at that point in time.  If after my two terms in the Ohio Senate, there is another place that my skills and talents are needed, I will look at that and see if I was the best candidate for the position.  I just came into the Senate.  I was just sworn in January.  So, there are many things that I want to accomplish while I am here.  I can’t think beyond where I am right now and the needs currently in the state of Ohio.

Mgbatogu – Do you think that a Black person can win a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio?

Tavares – I do believe that an African American can win a U.S. Senate seat.  I think it depends a lot on that African American who is stepping forward, their credentials, their preparation, the policy issues that they have championed.  I think that matters.  It’s not just anyone can step forward and say I am running and they are going to win, but I do believe that we have people in the state that could win the U.S. Senate seat.

Mgbatogu – Growing up, did you aspire to be a politician or did you consider going into a different career?

Tavares – When I was going through high school, and as I entered college, my goal was to become a physician.  That’s why I have always been very interested in health care and my focus has been on health care policy, because I really thought I wanted to be a physician.  Later, I decided that wasn’t for me.  I really wanted to help people, but not in that way.  For me, being a public servant is a lot like being a social worker whom I have great respect for.  You help people at the local level with individual problems or neighborhood or community wide problems.  At the state level, you can help individuals; you can help people all across the state of Ohio.  And so, it is much like being a social worker.

Mgbatogu – Kind of a curious question.  If Gov. Kasich decides to offer you a lofty position in his administration, will you accept it?

Tavares – I can’t think of any position within the administration, whether it is Gov. Kasich or whether it is another governor, that I would be interested in.  I really enjoy public policy development and helping people to address the needs of people, not in an administrative position in state government. 

Mgbatogu – Outside of folks in your family, who would you consider your hero(s), living or deceased?

Tavares – There are several.  Certainly, I consider those who are deceased that are heroes are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (from Texas).  I believe people such as Dorothy Height, African Americans who championed, not just issues for women, but have also been a voice for the African American community, are very important to me.  I think it’s important for those of us that are serving in leadership capacities, and particularly those of us who have been the firsts to walk into a door and serve as XYZ or who have broken barriers, that we got to look at those that were ahead of us as our champions, as our heroes.  Mother Teresa.  Hilary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State.  She has been a strong woman who has advanced a lot of issues for women and for children throughout the United States.  She is a hero.  I also have local heroes, certainly for me, State Senator Ray Miller.  He was my mentor.  And he set the bar, and I replaced him.  He set the bar high.  So I will certainly do my very best to move that bar to the next level, to move the issues and agenda of the community to the next level so that I can address the needs of people.

Mgbatogu – Should African-Americans do more to acknowledge and salute the life and work of Minister Malcolm X?

Tavares – He is also one of my heroes, because he raised the issues of African Americans taking care of African Americans, and that we have to be the champion for our community, that we have to do for ourselves and not expect others to do for us, because it really is a mantra that we as a people need to have that if we can’t do for our ourselves, then why should anyone else.  If we are not going to try and help our brother and sisters out, why should anyone else?  So, absolutely, Minister Malcolm X is a hero.  Because he wanted a strong African American community, one that supported each other, work to build businesses in the community, work to build support services for the community members and absolutely, he should be acknowledged, and our children should be educated more on what his philosophy was and why he was advocating for the African American to be a collective to support each other and to ensure that we were the champions for our own community.

Mgbatogu – Have you been to Africa?

Tavares – I am glad you asked me that.  No, and I am dying to go.  Because I believe all African Americans should aspire and hopefully get to the continent at some point in their life.  That should be just as those of Islamic faith aspire to go to Mecca.  …everybody that I have talked to that has gone to Africa, any part of Africa, has had a spiritual moment, and an awakening of this being their homeland…I have been trying to get there for the last couple of years.  I thought I was going to go with the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, and I thought again that the OLBC might be going in short term, but if not, I am going to schedule my trip and try and find some friends that will go with me.

Mgbatogu – If you get a chance to go, what country would you like to visit?

Tavares – Certainly, I would like to go to West Africa because all evidence points to most African Americans in this country, they were brought over from West Africa….I think as someone who wants to know more about the history of West Africa, I think that makes more sense.

Mgbatogu – Sen. Ray Miller believes that African Americans should identify with Africa as their ancestral motherland?  Do you agree, and why?

Tavares – Absolutely, and I know that Sen. Miller has been to Africa several times.  And he shared back here with friends and supporters how important that was to him.  Absolutely, I agree.  If we are not, again, as Minister Malcolm X, shared, if we are not going to be advocates for our people and our history, who will?  So if you know, all of life started in Africa, and I am hearing more and more people of Caucasian descent acknowledging that, then why wouldn’t we identify and uplift and support the needs of our brothers and sisters on the continent and acknowledge that’s where we are from.  That’s important.