MAUREEN O'CONNOR has more than a decade of judicial experience. As a Common Pleas Court Judge, she sentenced murderers and other violent felons to ensure the safety of Ohio families. As a Probate Court Magistrate, O'Connor protected Ohio's most vulnerable citizens… children and the elderly. As Summit County Prosecutor, O'Connor successfully prosecuted murderers, serial rapists, and child molesters. She increased child support collections to unprecedented levels and provided legal counsel to all county offices. As Ohio's 62nd Lieutenant Governor, and Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, O'Connor is currently responsible for Ohio's Homeland Security efforts.

EDUCATION…
Lt. Governor Maureen O'Connor graduated from Seton Hill College in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. After participating in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at the State University of New York at Binghamton, she went on to receive her J.D. degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1980. Upon graduation, O'Connor began practicing law, handling both criminal and civil cases. For more than two decades as an attorney, Maureen O'Connor has seen the law from almost every possible angle: criminal and civil, prosecution and defense, public and private.

AS SUMMIT COUNTY PROBATE COURT MAGISTRATE…
Maureen O'Connor was appointed Magistrate in 1985. During her nine years in Probate Court, she handled thousands of cases involving adoption, guardianship of minors, the elderly and incompetents, decedents' estates, and involuntary commitment proceedings.

AS SUMMIT COUNTY COMMON PLEAS JUDGE…
In 1993, O'Connor was appointed to the bench by Governor George Voinovich. As a Common Pleas Court Judge, she handled hundreds of cases involving capital murder, felonious assault, rape, drug trafficking and domestic violence. In addition, she was elected by her peers to serve as Administrative Judge where she oversaw day-to-day court operations. In this role, she was responsible for the hiring of personnel and probation officers and other administrative matters. In 1994, O'Connor was rated "Highly Recommended" by the Akron Bar Association and was endorsed by AFSCME. She won election with 68% of the vote.

AS SUMMIT COUNTY PROSECUTOR…
Maureen O'Connor was a no-nonsense prosecutor who built an impressive record of criminal convictions. Appointed county prosecutor in 1995, O'Connor instituted strong anti-crime measures, including career criminal prosecution and direct indictment programs. In 1996, Summit County voters elected her with 57% of the vote.O'Connor is best known for her successful prosecution of David Bellomy, known as the "Goodyear Heights Rapist," who terrorized women in the Akron area for more than 14 years. Through aggressive plea negotiations, O'Connor was able to get the defendant to plead guilty on all rapes committed within Summit County, regardless of whether the statute of limitations had expired or not.O'Connor also utilized the prosecutor's office to become a vocal advocate for children. As Director of the Summit County Child Support Enforcement Agency, O'Connor instituted sweeping reforms which increased the establishment of paternity by more than 25%, expanded the number of cases with administrative and/or judicial support orders and improved the collection rate of child support to 40%, a figure which exceeds the state and national average. She also referred for prosecution deadbeat parents for failing to support their children.

O'Connor actively lobbied Ohio's General Assembly for stricter criminal legislation. In 1996, she testified before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in support of redefining sexual conduct in order to strengthen Ohio's rape laws. She was also a strong advocate for Sub. H.B. 2, a measure designed to establish mandatory jail time for violent offenses resulting from gang activity.

Because of her work as Summit County Prosecutor, O'Connor received numerous civic and professional awards, including the 1997 MADD Law Enforcement Award and the 1997 Cleveland State Distinguished Alumnae Award for Civic Achievement.

AS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FOR THE STATE OF OHIO…
As Lt. Governor, O'Connor serves as Governor Bob Taft's chief policy advisor on criminal justice issues. Accordingly, she is involved in the policy decisions for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Department of Youth Services, the Office of the Adjutant General and the Office of Criminal Justice Services. As second-in-command, she would succeed, by constitutional authority, to the Office of the Governor should Taft be unable to perform the duties of the office.

In her role as policy advisor for criminal justice issues, O'Connor has assisted with legislative efforts to provide a safe and productive learning environment for Ohio's children. She spearheaded efforts to enact Senate Bill 181, which strengthens the consequences for school truancy and encourages parents to become involved in the rehabilitation of youthful offenders. An additional component of the legislation created 'School Safety Zones' and increased the penalties for crimes committed within those areas.

Lt. Governor O'Connor remains actively involved with the Ohio National Guard and Ohio First Responders. Following the September 2001 terrorist attack, Lt. Governor O'Connor led a delegation to "ground zero" in lower Manhattan to visit Ohio's Task Force One, our urban search and rescue team. After Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua in 1998, Lt. Governor O'Connor traveled with the Ohio National Guard who proved to be indispensable in providing aid and resources. She has continued to be instrumental in cultivating and maintaining morale by visiting troops and training sites throughout the state.

As Lieutenant Governor, O'Connor contributes to numerous conferences and seminars regarding roadway safety, seat belt usage and school safety. She also has participated in Governor Taft's OhioReads program as a tutor for children at Kent Elementary School.

AS DIRECTOR OF THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY…
As director of Public Safety, O'Connor oversees a staff of over 3,900 with a biennium operating budget of more than $800 million. The Department houses five sub-agencies, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which regulates drivers licenses and vehicle registrations, the Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates the state's responses to manmade and natural disasters, the Investigative Unit, which conducts investigations into food stamp and liquor violations, and Emergency Medical Services, which develops and enhances a statewide, comprehensive, systematic response to injury, illness and fire.

During O'Connor's term as director, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles implemented online vehicle registration. Within months of its introduction, the BMV expanded online services to include Spanish translation and a live online help line. In addition, O'Connor effectively sought state legislation, in compliance with federal mandates, prohibiting the routine release of personal information from an individual's driving record to bulk mail distributors, and thereby protecting the privacy of Ohio's drivers.
In her relations with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state, Director O'Connor has confronted the problem of racial bias. To that end, the Department awarded the law enforcement community a training development grant designed to examine policies, produce strategies and establish safeguard mechanisms to stop the practice of racial bias.

O'Connor has also combined forces with local communities and corporate sponsors to promote safety on Ohio's roads. Buckle Down Cleveland targets low safety belt usage through community health partnerships and workplace safety programs. In addition, for the first time, the Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with Honda of America, developed the Ohio's Safest Young Drivers Campaign designed to encourage safe driving habits among teenagers. The What's Holding You Back? seat belt campaign increased usage rates statewide. She continues to work on several initiatives to reduce injuries and deaths on Ohio's roadways.

LEADING OHIO'S SECURITY EFFORTS…
Lieutenant Governor Maureen O'Connor is spearheading Ohio's safety efforts as the chair of the State of Ohio Security Task Force. As chair, Lt. Governor O'Connor is Ohio's point-of-contact with the Office of Homeland Security, headed by Governor Tom Ridge.

The State of Ohio Security Task Force is in the process of developing a coordinated, comprehensive state strategy to address security issues. Every day, the task force holds a daily conference call to address time-sensitive issues affecting Ohio and to initiate proactive steps to enhance security efforts. The task force recently provided free training videos to state agencies and Ohio businesses on how to assess, identify and handle suspicious letters and packages when hand sorting mail. The training also outlines how and who to contact in the case of a mail emergency.

O'Connor, as chair of the State Building Security Review Committee initiated the review and evaluation of current security measures in buildings housing state employees. The Committee presented its 19 recommendations in a report given to the General Assembly and Governor Taft in October 2001.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE TAFT/O'CONNOR ADMINISTRATION…
Maureen O'Connor has worked alongside Governor Taft to move Ohio forward by rebuilding Ohio's schools, helping every child learn to read, attracting new jobs, positioning Ohio as a leader in technology, improving services for seniors, and restoring cities and rural communities.

She has also worked effectively with the Ohio legislature to pass laws that benefit Ohioans such as the Trauma Bill that sets a triage protocol to match Ohio trauma patients with hospitals best equipped to treat their injuries.

FAMILY…
Lieutenant Governor Maureen O'Connor was born August 7, 1951 in Washington D.C. and raised in Strongsville and Parma, Ohio. She has two college-age sons, Alex and Ed, and is a member of St. Vincent Catholic Church in Akron.