Thursday, February 3rd, 2022
Rodriguez to run for state rep
By William Kincaid
CELINA - Sophia Rodriguez, a high school teacher, restauranteur and former Celina City Council president, on Wednesday announced her candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives.
Mercer County Board of Elections has Rodriguez listed as having filed to run for Ohio's 84th House District, along with Angie King of Celina, Jacob Larger of New Bremen and Aimee Morrow of Greenville.
The district, though, is part of a map that is under review by the Ohio Supreme Court. Recently enacted state law relaxed some requirements for petitions for candidacy due to delays in Ohio's redistricting process.
"With the unknown status of district lines and boundaries, it was decided to collect the majority of signatures from the county where I reside and plan to stay," Rodriguez said in a news release. "Whichever the district number, we need a voice of experience that comes from the trenches. A voice for the people who seek a good job with a living wage, a safer environment for their families, great public education and affordable healthcare, in a fair and just society."
Rodriguez is a Coldwater High School Spanish teacher and co-manager of her family restaurant of 41 years in Celina, the release states.
She has served on the Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Education Association Board of Directors and National Education Association Board of Directors. She also was president of the Western Ohio Education Association, president of the Coldwater Teachers' Organization, chairperson of the Ohio Education Association Hispanic Caucus, president of Celina City Council and an educational adjunct at the Wright State University Lake Campus, according to the release.
"Sophia, the daughter of migrant workers who became successful entrepreneurs themselves, believes that when we lift one person, we lift all persons in our community," the release reads. "She is a leader who will have a voice for the marginalized and underserved. Columbus needs leaders who find value in religious diversity rather than conflict, value in ethnic differences rather than in suppression, value in public education rather than cuts to funding and value in the experiences and leadership women can bring to Ohio."
