Democratic Women of Erie County

09/15/2026

🌟 CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT 🌟
Democratic Women of Erie County is proud to spotlight Allison Russo, Democratic nominee for Ohio Secretary of State! 🗳️
Representative Russo has spent nearly a decade serving Ohio families. First elected to the Ohio House in 2018, she flipped a longtime Republican seat and went on to represent District 7, covering Upper Arlington and parts of Columbus. She holds a doctoral degree in health policy from The George Washington University and a master's degree in public health epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and built her career as a health policy analyst before stepping fully into public service. 🎓
Her colleagues elected her House Minority Leader in 2022, a role she held until she resigned last year to focus on a bigger fight: protecting Ohio's elections. During her time in the legislature she also served as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Legislative Children's Caucus and Policy Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, work that speaks to her commitment to families and to the women who power this party. 💙
Representative Russo announced her campaign for Secretary of State in August 2025, saying she wants Ohioans to trust that when they cast a ballot, it counts. She has been outspoken about ensuring ballot language stays clear and honest, free from manipulation by those in power, and she has promised an office defined by non-political, non-partisan leadership.
In May, Erie County and the rest of Ohio's Democrats gave her a resounding vote of confidence, as she won her primary with 67% of the vote.
This November, Representative Russo is asking Ohioans to send her to the Secretary of State's office to safeguard our democracy for everyone. Erie County, let's get behind her.

09/07/2026

🌊 Exciting News, Erie County! 🌊
The Democratic Women of Erie County are proud to spotlight Mindy Kayl, who has officially announced her candidacy for Erie County Commissioner!
Mindy's roots here run deep. Her grandmother, Ruth Bluhm, opened the very first licensed home day care in Sandusky back in 1950. Her mother walked the halls of Sandusky High School. Her family has been woven into the fabric of this community for generations — and that matters.
🔬 Mindy brings real-world experience to the table. She spent 10 years with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation, serving in Antarctica and across the Pacific Ocean. She went on to launch her own environmental consulting firm, successfully completing contracts with the U.S. Forest Service, county government, and the State Department of Transportation.
🌱 As a small farmer, lifelong 4-H volunteer, and environmental scientist, Mindy understands the delicate balance between economic growth and protecting the land Erie County families depend on.
🤝 Her commitment to community service is not new — she has volunteered for senior meal programs, helped expand the local food bank, preserved critical habitat, and ensured public access to our waterfront and trails.
Mindy says it best: "It will be my job to represent the needs and concerns of ALL people in Erie County — and that will be my highest priority."
💙 Transparency. Accountability. Cooperation. That's the Kayl commitment.
Stay tuned — Erie County, something good is coming. 💙🔴

09/07/2026

💙 DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF ERIE COUNTY SPOTLIGHT
Erie County — we want you to meet Paul Meisel, and we need you to pay attention! 🗳️
This man spent 40 years mastering the world of industrial finance at the highest levels. We are talking Ford Motor Company. Tower Automotive. Thyssen Krupp. Paul did not just work there — he managed accounting and financial reporting for some of the most demanding operations in American manufacturing. That is a track record that speaks for itself. 💙
Paul holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS from Heidelberg University. He is a proud graduate of Vermilion High School — one of our own, right here in Erie County.
Off the job, Paul is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He and his wife Becky have been married for over 40 years and are blessed with three children and five grandchildren. Their family has deep roots right here in Vermilion schools. 💙
Paul is running because he believes Erie County deserves a County Auditor who is a real financial adviser — someone who can look at the numbers, ask the hard questions, offer real alternatives, and advocate for the most effective and responsible use of YOUR tax dollars. Not the cheapest. The best. 🗳️
His vision is a more transparent and responsive Erie County government. One where the books are open, the conversation is honest, and the people always come first. 💙
Democratic Women of Erie County is proud to spotlight Paul Meisel, Democratic candidate for Erie County Auditor!

09/07/2026

✨ Candidate Spotlight | Judge Myron C. Duhart
Sixth District Court of Appeals — Re-Election 2026
Erie County — this one is personal. 💙
Judge Myron C. Duhart isn't just a name on a ballot. He's a familiar face to the Democratic Women of Erie County, and we are proud to shine a spotlight on him today.
The Sixth District Court of Appeals serves eight counties — including ours. That means every woman in Erie County has a voice in who sits on that bench. Let's use it.
⚖️ Who He Is:
Army veteran. JAG Corps officer. Career attorney. Presiding Judge. A man who has spent his entire life showing up — in uniform, in the courtroom, and in this community.
🎓 Wright State | U of Toledo College of Law | Duke University (LLM) | Harvard Kennedy School
🏛️ Appointed to the bench by Governor Ted Strickland in 2011. Elected to the Court of Appeals in 2020. Honored by UAW Civil & Human Rights, ABLE, LAWO, and recipient of the Martin Luther King – Drum Major Award.
He has fought for fairness his entire career — and now it's our turn to fight for him.
Re-elect Judge Myron C. Duhart. Erie County, let's go! 💙🗳️

09/07/2026

💙 Meet Easton Retzke — Running for Ohio House District 89! 💙
The Democratic Women of Erie County are proud to spotlight one of the most exciting new voices in our region — Easton Retzke, candidate for Ohio House District 89!
At just 21 years old, Easton is proof that the next generation is not waiting on the sidelines. He is stepping up, showing out, and ready to fight for the working families of this district. 💪
A lifelong Sandusky resident, Easton knows firsthand what families here are dealing with — rising housing costs, underfunded schools, aging infrastructure, and limited economic opportunity. These are not talking points for him. They are the everyday realities of the community he grew up in and loves.
🎓 Easton graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, with experience in public policy, constitutional principles, and communications through his work with the Ohio State Political Science Department Alumni Advisory Board. He has also worked in the service industry — which means he knows what it means to work hard and still feel like the system is not working for you.
🏠 His priorities are clear: stronger public education, expanded economic opportunity, improved infrastructure, affordable housing, and a government that is transparent and accountable to the people — not to special interests or political insiders.
🌟 Easton's campaign recently earned an endorsement from the Ohio Young Democrats, and the energy behind his run is only growing!
He says it simply — government should work for the people it serves. That is exactly the kind of leadership Erie County needs in Columbus.
💙 Let's show Easton some love, Democratic Women! Share this post and help spread the word! 💙

09/07/2026

🌟 CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT 🌟
Democratic Women of Erie County is proud to spotlight Justice Jennifer Brunner, running for re-election to the Ohio Supreme Court! ⚖️
Justice Brunner has spent her career in public service to Ohio. She earned her undergraduate degree from Miami University and her law degree from Capital University, then built a career that took her from private practice to the bench in Franklin County. In 2006 she was elected Ohio Secretary of State, serving from 2007 to 2011, where she worked to protect access to the ballot and restore public trust in Ohio's elections. She went on to serve internationally with the U.S. Agency for International Development before returning to Ohio to serve as a judge on the Tenth District Court of Appeals from 2015 to 2020.
In 2021 Justice Brunner took her seat on the Ohio Supreme Court, where she now stands as the lone Democrat on the seven-member bench. 💙 She has continued to fight for fair elections, filing suit to challenge a state law requiring partisan labels on judicial ballots, arguing that justice should never be about party but about the rule of law applied equally to everyone.
Justice Brunner has said what drives her is simple: democracy and the rule of law have to work together, and she wants to be part of the foundation that holds that balance steady for Ohio voters.
This November, Justice Brunner is asking Ohioans to keep her on the court she has served since 2021. Erie County, let's make sure her voice on the bench continues.

08/31/2026

Democratic Women of Erie County Candidate Spotlight 🗳️✨✨
This week we are spotlighting Annette Blackwell, Democratic nominee for Ohio Auditor of State.
Mayor Blackwell's story starts far from Ohio. She moved to the state from Selma, Alabama at just two years old and grew up in the Cleveland area, where she still calls home today.
Her path to public service was not a straight line. She worked in banking at Key Bank, spent time at University Hospitals, and put in sixteen years at Deloitte and Ryan focusing on property tax issues. That hands on financial experience became the foundation for everything that came next.
In 2015, she was elected Mayor of Maple Heights, becoming the city's first woman and first Black mayor. She stepped into office right as the city was in a state declared fiscal emergency. Rather than step back, she turned her own living room into a war room, dug into the numbers herself, and wrote the five year plan that turned the city's finances around. That work earned Maple Heights the State Auditor's Clean Audit Award three years running, from 2021 through 2023.
Now she is asking Ohio voters to trust her with the entire state's books. As Auditor, she wants to hold corruption accountable, protect our tax dollars, and make sure every community, urban and rural alike, has the resources to thrive.
Annette Blackwell's campaign is a reminder that leadership rooted in service and real financial know how can turn things around, whether it is one city or an entire state.
Learn more about her campaign and make your voting plan today.

08/24/2026

🌟 CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT 🌟
Democratic Women of Erie County is proud to spotlight Judge Marilyn Zayas, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court! ⚖️
Judge Zayas' story starts in Spanish Harlem, New York, where she was raised by parents who migrated from Puerto Rico. Her father worked in a printing shop and her mother worked as a seamstress in a garment factory. They taught her that hard work, education, and integrity were the path forward.
She earned a college degree in computer science and made Cincinnati her home after Procter & Gamble hired her as an IT Manager. In 1994 she left that career behind to pursue a dream of becoming a lawyer, and in 1997 she graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. 🎓
For nearly 20 years she served the community as an attorney, including founding her own boutique law practice where she helped business owners, asylum applicants, and families navigate the complex immigration system.
In 2016 Judge Zayas made history as the first person of Latino heritage elected to a Court of Appeals in Ohio, winning a seat on the First District Court of Appeals in Hamilton County. She was re-elected in 2018. Since then, Ohio's Chief Justice has called on her repeatedly to sit by special assignment on the Second, Sixth, Eighth, and Tenth District Courts of Appeal, and even on the Ohio Supreme Court itself.
Her judicial philosophy is simple: apply the law fairly and impartially to everyone, free from outside influence and politics. 💫
Now Judge Zayas is running for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court, term beginning January 1, 2027.
Democratic Women of Erie County is honored to introduce her to our community. Learn more about her record and her campaign, and get to know the person who could be shaping justice in Ohio for years to come.

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

What a night at Strickfaden Park for the Democratic Women of Erie County's Annual Picnic ✊🏾 Great food, great company, and a lineup of leaders who came out to meet us
Justice Jennifer Brunner, Ohio Supreme Court, brought her decades of service and her fight to protect our courts
Allison Russo, candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, spoke with clarity about protecting every Ohioan's vote
Judge Myron Duhart, Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals, reminded us why fair judges matter
Judge Marilyn Zayas, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court, shared her story and her commitment to justice that answers to the law, not politics
Easton Retzke, candidate for Ohio House District 89, showed us what a fresh voice for our region looks like
Paul Meisel, candidate for Erie County Auditor, stood with us and shared his vision for our county
Thank you to Blue Ribbon Catering for the homemade bratwurst dinner, and to everyone who came out to support the 50/50 drawing for the Dorothy Deering Memorial Scholarship Fund. Erie County, this is what it looks like when we show up for each other