House District 9: Janine Boyd takes control of an audience
By Billy McCaffrey
When Janine Boyd entered the stage at Brush High School for the League of Women Voters’ Greater Cleveland Candidate Night on Sept. 22, one could immediately see that she takes control of an audience. As she approached the microphone for questions, she was able to clearly articulate her stand on issues like advocacy for underprivileged children.
Boyd is a native Clevelander, who, according to former Ohio State Rep. Ed Jerse, was from a political family. Jerse mentioned that Boyd’s mother held a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives some years earlier. When Boyd spoke at Brush to the League of Women Voters’ forum in September, she informed the audience that she attended St. Ann Elementary and Beaumont High School for Girls.
As she told those in attendance
“This is my home. It’s very important for me to represent it as a progressive Democrat.”
Prior to representing District 9, she held a seat on the Cleveland Heights City Council. She’s always been a person who wanted to better her community, Boyd said, and saw politics as being a way to do more than she could do in her former career as a speech pathologist. During her time on City Council, she was a mentor for a juvenile diversion program, an advocate for members of the LGBTQ community, chaired a board for a food bank program in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights community and constantly advocated for groups associated with underprivileged children and the elderly, according ohiogov.org.
Boyd talked a at Brush High School, about the personal experiences that led her to politics. While working as a speech and language pathologist, she related how she tried to advocate for children who, in a hospital setting, were on public assistance. She felt that they were given lesser-quality service than children whose parents had private insurance. This observation prompted her to try to treat this unfairness by entering politics to help pave the way for better treatment for those less fortunate than others, especially children needing medical care.
While waiting for Boyd to speak to the audience, this student reporter was struck by the fact that he was one of the only men in attendance. Upon seeing Boyd, he focused on the quiet trajectory of her voice. She has a calming presence, and this pairs in an unusual way with her youthfulness and passion. Somehow her passion and soft-spoken nature complement each other. This demeanor helps her message come across as convincing.
Boyd did run for the office of State Representative for District 9 two years ago, for the first time, and she won. She worked to represent a diverse constituency, one of the most diverse in the state according to her comment about her work.
“My district is one of, if not the, most diverse districts in the state. It includes Shaker, Cleveland and University Heights as well as parts of City Council districts in the City of Cleveland. As such, I have among the highest wealth and some of the worst poverty in the district I represent.”
In speaking with Boyd, she said she has two bills she wants to continue working on — bills that she began during her first term. These bills involve gun owners being required to carry liability insurance, and the issue of equal work for equal pay.
While on the phone with Boyd, she projected the same sense as when she was talking at Brush High School. She sounded confident, well-spoken and wanting to make sure you were comfortable with her. That’s exactly how the interview started. She didn’t rush for the questions to be asked, but wanted get to know this student as a person, rather than another journalist asking her questions about her campaign.
When asked if her vision has changed during her time in office, Boyd said, “My vision, has not changed really. I still have the same goals. The thing that I would say that has changed is my strategy.”
She was lobbying at the federal and state level before running for elected office. She already knew how to create and make bills and get them passed. She went into the first term as State Representative thinking she was going to use a lot of the same skills and steps.
“It’s a lot different than I initially anticipated, from lobbying to being a State Rep,” Boyd said. As a lobbyist, she could get bills talked about and as a lobbyist she was seen as an expert on the issue. As a State Representative, she is seen, not as an expert, but more as a member, one of them, who just has an opinion. Boyd has had to adjust her strategy and focus on doing one or two bills at a time. She came into the house with six bills she wanted to get passed, she said, and only three of them have been assigned bill numbers so far. However, she noted, this hasn’t stopped her from still trying to make a difference in the city she loves most.
When talking with Jerse, this student reporter decided to find out what it takes to introduce new issues to legislation. Boyd is coming up for re- election in November and if re- elected, there will be issues she will want to get into legislation.
“While she is getting ready for re- election, running a campaign is what Janine Boyd needs to do well right now,” Jerse said. He proceeded to list the items you need, which would begin with a treasurer. Second comes the campaign committee. He said those were the first major steps in getting a campaign started. He finished off by stating how well Boyd’s energy and background are going to lead her to what he thinks will be another term.
Boyd has thoughts of providing more to help to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and getting them the correct support. She finished up the interview stating how she wants to help those who don’t have the correct education, and implement training for a career in which they will be successful.
Boyd is a representative that doesn’t like to take the word no for answer, and when she pictures herself completing a task, that makes her work worthwhile. When the interview with Boyd was over, this student felt he had known this lady much longer than the 20-minute phone interview. She shows obvious passion for her career responsibilities and making a difference, whether it’s helping as a speech pathologist or creating new laws for District 9. She also gave this student a greater appreciation for the legal process in this country.
