Another Asian American leader may soon vault to the very top.
AAA-Fund Honorary Board member Jay Goyal, Majority Whip of the Ohio House of Representatives, is on the shortlist for Ohio Lieutenant Governor (via OhioDailyBlog, hat tip to our friends at IALI):
OhioDaily has learned that Governor Ted Strickland’s search for a Lt. Governor may be nearing completion and his short list includes at least two members of the House leadership team : Mansfield-area Representative Jay Goyal, and Toledo-area Representative Matt Szollosi. Goyal is the House Majority Whip and Szollosi serves as the Speaker Pro Tempore.
In 2006, Goyal became the first Asian-American elected to the Ohio Legislature, and at his current age of 29 would likely become one of the youngest (if not the youngest) Lt. Governors in the country. In addition to serving as Majority Whip, Goyal is Vice President of Goyal Industries, a manufacturing firm in Mansfield specializing in metal fabrication and transportation equipment. His full bio appears on his campaign website here, but it doesn’t mention that Bibi Magazine, “the largest-circulated South Asian fashion magazine in the country,” named Goyal as one of the Bibi Sexy 7 : the 2007 Sexiest Men of the Year.
Ohio’s current Lieutenant Governor, Lee Fisher, will be stepping down to challenge GOP Sen. George Voinovich in 2010.
We commend Gov. Strickland for putting Rep. Goyal on his shortlist, and salute Rep. Goyal for his inspiring leadership and proven commitment to public service.
– Gautam Dutta
