John A. Begala

Who is John A. Begala?

John Begala is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. Prior to his election, he was a Councilman-at-Large in Kent, Ohio. As a member of city council, he was part of a coalition that successfully campaigned to amend the city charter, creating a council-manager form of government. As a state legislator, he worked primarily on health and social legislation and oversight, authoring legislation on social service planning and nursing home reform. In the field of senior services, he led initiatives to subsidize geriatric medicine programs in state-supported medical schools and establish a statewide network of multi-purpose senior centers.

After his third term, Begala became deputy director and chief of staff at the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Disabilities and director of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. He developed budget initiatives increasing state funding for special education, expanding home and community services, and stabilizing finance of residential facilities.