Former Ohio Rep. Brigid Kelly, 40, dies

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Former Democratic State Rep. Brigid Kelly, 40, died Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer, according to her family.

“Brigid was a one-of-a-kind public servant and a one-of-a-kind person,” Rep. Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) said. “She made everyone she interacted with feel better about the world.”

Kelly served in the state legislature from 2017 until 2022. She left the statehouse in 2022 to directly serve her community by running for and becoming the Hamilton County auditor. She stepped down from that position just last week due to her health.

During her time at the statehouse, she sponsored several bills ranging from legislation to increase the state minimum wage and make feminine hygiene products exempt from sales tax to a bi-partisan bill to legalize and regulate sports gaming, and some lighter legislation like a bill to designate the sugar cookie as the state cookie.

“It didn’t matter if they were Republican, Democrat, non-profit leaders, lobbyists, everyone had a story about how they had worked successfully with Brigid with something, how much they respected her and really adored her,” Isaacsohn said.

On both sides of the aisle, lawmakers said she was always straightforward and easy to work with. In a statement, Speaker of the House Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said Kelly was a “fearless advocate” for what she believed in.

“Whether she agreed with you or not, you always knew where she stood,” Stephens wrote. “Before she decided to run for auditor, she would ask questions about the job and how best to do it. That’s who she was, a true public servant.”

In a statement, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said Kelly was “one of the best lawmakers I have had the honor to serve with.” Russo said her leadership embodied the best of politics.

“Brigid’s leadership on issues, from paid family leave to better wages and stronger communities, improved the lives of working Ohio families and charted a course for the next generation of Democratic leadership in our state,” Russo wrote.

Isaacsohn said Kelly was known for her “signature hugs” and “signature Kelly green.” He said beyond that, she was also known for always putting the community and constituents first.

“Everyone has a Brigid Kelly story about how she made them feel ten feet tall and how she taught them something about courage and kindness,” he said. “No one was better than her, no one was worse than her and she brought that into everything she did. So, we are really going to miss her as a person, a friend and a public servant.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued an order for the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Hamilton County, the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower from sunrise to sunset on the day of her funeral. No funeral arrangements have been made public as of Wednesday.

“Like many who worked with her, I knew Brigid to be cordial, collaborative, and willing to work with both parties to help advance the interests of Ohioans,” DeWine wrote in a statement.

“We need to honor and recognize her legacy but also bring the spirit that she brought to public service and to everything we do which is not seeing everything through a partisan lens, always, always, always putting the community and constituents first,” Isaacsohn said.

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