Arab Americans

Mary Rose Oakar

Mary Rose Oakar (born March 5, 1940) is an American Democratic politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, the first Democratic woman elected to the United States Congress from that state. She is currently a member of the Ohio State Board of Education.

Early life

Oakar, who graduated with a B.A. from Ursuline College in 1962 and an M.A. from John Carroll University in 1966, taught at Lourdes Academy, a Catholic high school for women, directed plays, taught at Cuyahoga Community College from 1968 to 1975 and served on the Cleveland City Council from 1973 to 1976 before winning election to the House from Ohio’s 20th congressional district in Cleveland’s West Side and the surrounding suburbs. She took office in 1977, succeeding James V. Stanton.

Political career

Oakar, one of very few Arab-American members of the House, became regarded as an increasingly powerful member. She was a high-ranking member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service and the House Administration Committee. Oakar’s high placement on these committees allowed her to bring home to Cleveland large sums of money for urban renewal. Oakar forged strong relationships with Jewish groups in Cleveland. From 1985 to 1989, she was elected to a position in the House Democratic leadership, as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.

In 1991, she was one of nearly 100 Members of Congress involved in the widespread House banking scandal involving multiple overdrafts and bounced checks. The House Bank, not a normally operating financial institution, was used to pay members of the house. However, members were allowed to take advances on their pay checks without overdraft charges or repercussions to their credit.^[3]\ Oakar was indicted on seven counts, including lying to the FBI, filing false financial statements and using the House bank to convert public money for personal use. Her nephews were also indicted on conspiracy charges, one pleaded guilty. If sentenced, she could have received 40 years in prison and a $1.7 million fine. In a plea agreement, she pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges; conspiracy and violation of election law. She used the names of straw donors on federal documents to conceal illegal contributions amounting to $16,000. Three counts against her were thrown out by the Supreme Court because members of the House cannot be prosecuted for lying to congress, the others were dropped after she entered a plea bargain.

In 1992, her district was renumbered the 10th and redrawn to include more Republicans, though it was still solidly Democratic. Oakar withstood a challenge fromCuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan in the Democratic primary — Hagan had been endorsed by Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White — but lost to businessman Martin Hoke in the general election.

She won a 1999 libel settlement against Cleveland’s newspaper, The Plain Dealer after seven years in court. In April 1992 the Cleveland’s Plain Dealer released articles alleging that Oakar was forced to resign from a congressional task force after the House banking scandal. The paper acknowledged that the eight-term Democrat “was rightfully upset that erroneous information” had been printed.

Oakar unsuccessfully ran in the 2001 Cleveland Mayoral Primary and served a single term in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2000 to 2002.

In November 2012, she was elected to a four-year term on the Ohio State Board of Education where she represents District 11.

Personal

Oakar served as president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) from 2003 through 2010. ADC describes itself as the largest Arab-American grassroots civil-rights organization in the U.S.