A prolific fundraiser

When Maryellen ran for Congress in 2000, she raised $1.3 million. At the time, the individual contribution limit for federal elections was $1,000. Maryellen can raise more than ten times that amount per individual in her Secretary of State's race. Maryellen O'Shaughnessy is exactly the type of dedicated fundraiser who can close the gap with her opponent's war chest.

An expansive political base

For over a decade, Maryellen was a Columbus City Councilwoman, representing the 15th largest city in America. Now, as a Franklin County official, she represents 845,244 registered voters – four times as many as her opponent represents in the State Senate. About one in every nine registered voters in Ohio lives in Franklin County.

A strong ballot name

Maryellen has been on the ballot seven times in central Ohio, giving her one of the most well-known ballot names in the region. She has earned nearly one million votes during her campaigns for public office. In addition, her last name will boost her ballot performance in vote-rich Northeast Ohio.

A battle-tested winner

Maryellen is battle-tested, knows how to win tough elections, and has demonstrated throughout her career that she is not afraid of a fight.  She defeated one of the last remaining Republicans on Columbus City Council in 1997.  After seven campaigns, she is well-known as an experienced and relentless campaigner.

A top vote-getter

Maryellen was the top vote-getter in both the 2001 and 2005 campaigns for Columbus City Council, finishing atop fields of nine and six candidates, respectively. In 2008, she was the top vote-getter of any countywide candidate, and she outperformed President Obama by seven points in Franklin County – winning 67 percent of the vote to his 60 percent.

MARYELLEN O'SHAUGHNESSY'S BIOGRAPHY

The daughter of two World War II veterans, Maryellen O'Shaughnessy comes from a long line of public servants. From the time her great-grandfather first ran for office in 1910, members of the O'Shaughnessy family have served in a variety of elected roles from the state legislature to the Columbus City Council. Her father was a state senator.

O'Shaughnessy currently serves as Clerk of Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. In this position, she oversees a vast system of county records, as well as a staff of 231 and a budget of $12.5 million. She has improved turnaround time for document processing and provided more responsive services. She has also boosted transparency in that office by ensuring that court documents are quickly available online for public viewing.

Prior to serving as Clerk, O'Shaughnessy was elected three times as a Columbus City Council Member, representing the 15th largest city in the nation. She was committed to providing excellent constituent services, listening to neighborhood concerns and providing the resources necessary to keep her community thriving. Serving as the Columbus City Council's Labor Liaison, O'Shaughnessy wrote legislation that required the city's contractors and vendors to meet the basic needs of the city's workers, including safety standards, proper training, good benefits, and base wages.

As Chair of the Public Service and Transportation Committee on the Columbus City Council, O'Shaughnessy worked to restore "Complete Streets" to the city's transportation grid, advocating comprehensive sidewalk policies, safe bikeways and better public transit options. As former chair of the Utilities Committee and chair of the Development Committee, she worked toward better, more sustainable growth policies, including the city's "21st Century Growth Strategy."

Maryellen is running for Secretary of State because she is passionate about our democracy and wants Ohio to continue to have free, open, and fair elections. As Ohio's next Secretary of State, she will advocate greater participation and more civic awareness. She will push to make it easy for Ohioans to register to vote by allowing applicants for driver's licenses and social services to be provided assured voter registration, unless they opt out, and promote changes to make it possible for citizens to securely register to vote on the Internet. She will also enhance programs targeted at increasing voter participation among Ohioans of all ages, particularly young people.

O'Shaughnessy is a fifth-generation resident of central Ohio and a fourth-generation funeral director and owner of O'Shaughnessy Company Funeral Directors, which was established in 1889. O'Shaughnessy is a graduate of Bishop Watterson High School, and received a B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University. O’Shaughnessy is active in her church and is a past recipient of the Diocesan Service Award.

In her spare time, O’Shaughnessy enjoys many sports and outdoor activities. She lives in the O'Shaughnessy family's ancestral neighborhood of Victorian Village with her son, Colin, and dog Fly.