LeVeck Enters Race for State House District 16

Todd LeVeck

I am ready to be the next Representative of the people of the 16th State House District.  I have watched for the past six years as our schools, local governments, and essential services have been slashed to pay for handouts to special interests. I am running for state representative because I know we can do much better for our schools, our communities, and the families of the 16th District.

I was born in Cleveland and spent the first 22 years of my life in Northeast Ohio. I spent eight years on active duty in the Navy, serving in the first Gulf War and earning my B.A. in Sociology and M.S. in Education. I left active duty in 1998 and have served in the Navy Reserve for most of the past 15 years, as the Senior Enlisted Leader in my last two unit assignments. Along the way, I earned three Navy Achievement Medals and was chosen as the Navy Reserve Sailor of the Year for the Cleveland Reserve Center in 2005. I will officially retire this summer.

In 1998, I began teaching computer science in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. During my teaching career, I have been a department head, peer coach, and in numerous leadership positions.  I have always been an outspoken voice for public education. In 2011, I was chosen to be among a select group of teacher leaders to represent the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in the First Ring Leadership Academy, and I recently earned my Master Teacher credential and Teacher Leader endorsement. In addition to teaching, I am also the Athletic Director at Max S. Hayes High School.

My wife Naomi and I have been married for 22 years, and our three young children attend Westlake schools. Like many of my neighbors, we chose to raise our children in Westlake because of the excellent reputation of our public schools. Unfortunately, our current representative has aligned with special interests and allowed failing charter schools to grow while our local schools are faced with budget constraints. The end result has been layoffs, cuts, and costs being passed to families and homeowners through pay-to-participate fees and the continued overreliance on property tax levies. The current leadership and our representative in Columbus have failed to adequately address an unconstitutional school funding system, instead forcing our schools to continue to ask the community for increased property taxes.

I know that we can fix school funding. Continuing to ignore the problem, or continuing with our current representation in Columbus, is not an option, if we want to see things change. I did not plan my life around a run for state representative, but my life has prepared me for this opportunity. My experience as an urban educator has made me appreciate the importance of investing in our children. My military service has taught me the importance of putting the needs of our country ahead of our personal needs. I know that leadership is about listening to people, hearing their concerns, and seeking ways to work within existing systems to find solutions, while having the courage to look “outside the box” or “across the aisle.”  

I am excited about this race. I’m looking forward to serving my community as the next State Representative of Ohio’s 16th District. The campaign can be reached at 440-253-9406 and at leveckforohio.com.

Todd LeVeck

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Volume 1, Issue 9, Posted 3:33 PM, 03.04.2014