Jason Williams

jwilliams@enquirer.com

Cincinnati's Alicia Reece will play a key role in helping to shape the direction of a divided national Democratic party.

The state representative from Roselawn is one of six people chosen by likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to be on the 15-member platform drafting committee during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer.

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has proposed five members to the committee as he continues to fight the establishment and attempt to shape the party around his progressive agenda.

"It is time to unite as a party focused on winning this November," Reece said. "I am looking forward to listening and providing key input."

Sanders has grabbed headlines with his committee appointments, particularly for naming well-known academic and socialist Cornel West. The party selected the other four members, and national politics watchers claim progressives hold a majority of the committee seats.

Reece's strong leadership on issues important to African-Americans helped her receive the committee appointment, political insiders say. It also helps that Reece is a respected politician from a key swing state. She is president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, which interviewed both presidential candidates ahead of the March primary and endorsed Clinton.

Reece has led the effort to collect 100,000 signatures to initiate a constitutional amendment to protect Ohio voters' rights and reject attempts by Republicans to reduce the early voting period.

"She has stood on the front line on so many key issues – from voting rights to economic opportunity to infant mortality to criminal justice reform," Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper told The Enquirer. "I can't think of a better person to help draft our party's platform than someone who's been in the trenches, fighting for progress on these and other issues for years."

Reece has held a committee seat during the convention before. In 2004, she was on the credentials committee, which vets delegates and helps resolve disputes at the convention.