(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
Dorothy Teater, a former Columbus City Council member, Franklin County commissioner and Columbus mayoral candidate who opened doors for women in central Ohio politics, has died at age 94.
Teater died the morning of July 29 at Ohio State University Hospital from heart failure, her family confirmed. The longtime Republican officeholder was known as a “trailblazer” in central Ohio politics who paved the way for women to become more involved in politics, according to Mike Curtin, a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives and a former Dispatch editor and associate publisher.
“What I will always remember Dorothy for is being a pioneer and trailblazer for women in politics,” Curtin said. He recalled Teater’s nature of never mincing words and being a “blunt, plain spoken” person. Others remembered Teater as a down-to-earth person who wasn’t afraid to get involved in community issues.
Andy Teater, 63, one of Dorothy’s four sons and a Hilliard City Council member, said that both his parents lived great lives filled with public service, ultimately influencing him to pursue a career in public service and politics.
“As their children, we’re so lucky to have parents that raised us and modeled honesty, integrity, faith and generosity,” Andy Teater said. When The Dispatch spoke with Andy Teater on July 29, he said that no concrete funeral plans had been made.
Friends, political opponents remember Teater’s commitment to service
Teater was elected in 1979 to the Columbus City Council and later re-elected in 1983. In 1984, she was elected as a Franklin County commissioner, becoming the first woman elected to the commission. In that race, she beat Fran Ryan, a Democrat, and served in that position for 16 years.
“She was an excellent officeholder,” Ryan said. “We might have been on opposite sides of the fence, but we always got along and respected each other.” Ryan also said that her husband, Dick Ryan, and Dorothy’s husband, Bob Teater, were good friends who all got along like family. Ryan said that while they all had their political differences, their goals were always to improve Columbus.
Ron O’Brien, a Republican whose tenure at the city and county overlapped with Teater when he served as Columbus city attorney and later Franklin County prosecutor, said she was diligent in performing her public duties.
“She was always fully prepared, insightful and understood and asked the right questions that a council member or commissioner should ask,” O’Brien said. “She was always very responsive and direct and diligent when speaking with citizens appearing and speaking before the City Council.”
Former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft picked Teater as his running mate during his first run for governor in 1990; they dropped out ahead of the primary. Taft said in 1989 that he picked Teater, then a county commissioner, because she was qualified for the job of lieutenant governor and because Franklin County was a battleground in the race.
Teater became the first woman to run on a major political ticket in Columbus when she ran for mayor as a Republican against Michael Coleman in 1999, a race that “broke the glass ceiling.”
According to Coleman, that particular race was a big deal for Columbus at the time because the city was choosing between having its first African American mayor or its first female mayor.
“That was unheard of in Columbus at the time,” Coleman said. While they were political opponents on opposite sides of the aisle, Coleman said he always had “deep admiration” for Teater and her values.
Even though Coleman ultimately took the victory in the mayoral race, he recalled one competition where he lost to Teater: a horse and buggy race at Scioto Downs.
“Now that loss (to Teater) was decisive,” Coleman chuckled. He revealed that they always laughed about it together after the mayoral race.
Dorothy and Bob remembered as ‘dynamic duo’
Friends and former political opponents also remember Dorothy and her husband, Bob Teater, as a power couple committed to public service. Bob Teater served in the United States Army, the Ohio Army National Guard and later directed the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
He was also founded The Wilds animal preserve in Muskingum County and served on the Columbus Board of Education.
“She and Bob were a dynamic duo,” said Jeff Cabot, who worked for Dorothy for 20 years while she served on Columbus City Council and as Franklin County commissioner.
Bob Teater also served on the Columbus Board of Education for three terms, including three years as president.
He was a member of the Ohio Agricultural, Veterans, Natural Resources, National Guard, League of Ohio Sportsmen and Ohio State Fair halls of fame and was Conservationist of the Year, awarded by the National Wildlife Federation.
Bob Teater died July 21, 2013, due to complications from Parkinson’s, according to his obituary.
Leaders pay tribute to Dorothy Teater
In a statement, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, all Democrats, said:
“Dorothy was widely admired for her civility, integrity, and ability to work across political lines. She led with respect, treating everyone with fairness regardless of background or viewpoint, an example that is especially meaningful today. We are grateful for the example Dorothy set and the impact that she had on Franklin County.”
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, a Democrat whom Teater endorsed for mayor in 2015, said in a Facebook post:
“Dorothy Teater was a matriarch. A mother, yes, but also a person who broke open the doors for women in Central Ohio politics and public service. As a member of Columbus City Council and the first female Franklin County Commissioner, she inspired all of us who strive to navigate a life of public service with a common sense, bipartisan approach. I’m grateful to Commissioner Teater and her family for their commitment to service and vision for a better Columbus.”
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, said:
“Dorothy Teater was the kind of leader who didn’t just earn respect — she commanded it, with grace and grit,” Beatty said. “She was candid, grounded, and deeply committed to her community. Whether you agreed with her or not, you couldn’t help but admire her strength and ambition. Even her toughest political opponents spoke of her with respect — and that says it all.”
Reporter Jordan Laird contributed to this story.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, @ShahidMeighan on X and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dorothy Teater, remembered as a ‘trailblazer’ for women in central Ohio politics, dies at 94
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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