Political Beginnings
Campbell's political career began in 1984, when she was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. She was reelected five times, and chosen by her colleagues as the majority whip and later the assistant minority leader. Legislative leaders across the country elected her to serve as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures in 1996. Campbell authored numerous laws that included tax incentives for economic development, financing for Cleveland Browns Stadium, Gateway complex (now Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena), authorizing prosecution of abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled people, creating a state wide review of child deaths, reforming juvenile justice, and establishing child support guidelines and penalties.
Campbell was also appointed to work with the Clinton administration on a small intergovernmental group made up of governors, mayors, county officials, and state legislators on the Welfare Reform effort of the mid 90s.
In 1996 she was elected Cuyahoga County commissioner, a position to which she was reelected in 2000. As commissioner, she transformed the county welfare department into Cuyahoga Work and Training, the agency charged with implementing the federal welfare reform law. This reformed agency assisted over 20,000 families in moving from welfare to work between 1997 and 2001. Campbell also brokered a new public–private alliance for workforce training, and developed training academies at Cuyahoga Community College to provide job training to dislocated workers. She also led the drive to create Cuyahoga County’s first Brownfield Loan Fund in conjunction with seven local banks to redevelop abandoned industrial and commercial sites. To date, this fund has generated over $50M in private investment.
While serving as commissioner, she continued her national involvement, presiding over both the Welfare Reform: Next Step Task Force for the National Association of Counties and the association’s Human Services and Youth committee.
Read more about this topic: Jane L. Campbell
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