Shirley Smith

Shirley Smith may refer to:

Shirley Smith (politician)

Shirley A. Smith is a former state Senator for the 21st District of the Ohio Senate. Previously, she was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She is a Democrat.

Life and career

Smith has worked in sales and marketing, and as a radio talk-show host for a major radio station in Cleveland, and has also served as an independent consultant for Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

When incumbent C. J. Prentiss decided to run for the Ohio Senate, Smith and four other Democrats sought to replace her in the 1998 primary election. Smith won the District 8 nomination with 35.29% of the vote. She won the general election against Republican Dominic Rini with 86.15% of the vote. Smith won reelection in District 8 in 2000 against Republican Ronnie Jones with 87.2% of the vote.

In 2002, Smith again faced a primary challenge from four other Democrats, due to redistricting. However she won the District 10 nomination with 43.66% of the vote. She went unopposed in the general election and was unopposed for the 2004 general election. For the 126th General Assembly, Smith served as secretary of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC).