In November 1983, Sawyer defeated the incumbent Republican Mayor of Akron, Roy Ray, in a close election.[5] Sawyer was the first Democrat to be elected Mayor of Akron in over 18 years.[5] No Republican has held the mayor's seat in Akron since Sawyer upset Ray in 1983.[7]
On December 20, 1984, during Sawyer's first year as mayor, an explosion at the Akron Recycle Energy System plant caused the deaths of three people.[8] Sawyer helped manage the aftermath of the tragedy and assisted in the investigation.[8] Speaking to the New York Times, Sawyer noted that S&W Waste, of Kearny, New Hersey, had sent the Akron plant waste materials containing highly flammable chemicals on the day of the explosions.[8]
United States Congress
Sawyer successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in the 1986 midterm elections and took office on January 3, 1987.[9] He would then serve eight terms in Congress.[9]
Congressman Sawyer gained notoriety as Chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing the 1990 U.S. census.[10] He made national news with his study of the 1990 census and subsequent determination that it had failed to count at least two million black Americans.[11] Sawyer and others attempted to readjust the census figures to include a more accurate count of black Americans and the U.S. population as a whole, but their efforts were opposed.[11][12] When the Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher refused to adjust the census totals, Congressman Sawyer called the decision a "gerrymander on a national scale."[12] The national undercount in 1990 was eventually estimated to exclude around 1.6% of the population.[6]
One of the most controversial votes cast by Tom Sawyer during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives was his vote for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).[17][18][19] Sawyer called his vote "the toughest decision I've ever had to make in public life."[19]
Sawyer voted against authorization for the deployment of United States armed forces in Iraq in 2002.[20]
Exit from Congress
2002 primary campaign
A round of redistricting following the 2000 census redrew Ohio's congressional map. The state lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[21] A newly configured district, the 17th, placed large parts of Youngstown in the same district as parts of Akron.[21][22] The new district most closely resembled the one recently vacated by U.S. Representative Jim Traficant, who had been convicted on corruption charges and sent to federal prison.[23] Traficant's protege, State Senator Tim Ryan, defeated Sawyer in a late upset.[18] Sawyer outspent Ryan 6-1, but ultimately lost the election.[18] Despite maintaining high pro-union ratings throughout his career, Sawyer's vote for NAFTA is often credited at the reason Tim Ryan defeated the 8-term Congressman.[17][18][22]
Sawyer again sought to return to Congress during the 2006 Democratic primary. He aimed to replace then-Congressman Sherrod Brown in the 13th district, after Brown vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. However, former State Representative Betty Sutton won an 8-way primary and went on to win the general election with support from national Democrats and EMILY's List.[24]
Ohio Senate
When Akron-based State Senator Kim Zurz was appointed to run the Ohio Department of Commerce in Spring of 2007, Sawyer was selected by legislative leaders to fill the vacancy.[25]
As a member of the Ohio Senate Controlling Board, Sawyer voted to adopt Medicaid expansion in Ohio.[26][27] Ohio's Medicaid expansion covered thousands of Ohioans who previously did not have insurance.[28] The state share costs were offset by small insurance and sales taxes.[28]
During the 130th and 131st General Assemblies, Sawyer jointly sponsored resolutions with Republican Senator Frank LaRose to reform the drawing of legislative district lines in Ohio.[29][30][31] The House and Senate eventually passed a version of the senators' proposal and sent it to the Ohio voters as State Issue 1 in November 2015.[32] The resolution passed with 71% of the vote.[33] This law, once implemented, will end the practice of gerrymandering (partisan drawing of legislative district lines) for Ohio legislative districts.[32] Senators Sawyer and LaRose at one time were working on a measure that would end gerrymandering at the Congressional level in Ohio as well.[33][34][35]
During the 131st General Assembly, Senator Sawyer helped the legislature adopt House Bill 2, which was a version of Sawyer's Senate Bill 148,[36] to reform Ohio's charter school oversight laws.[37][38][39][40]
In the November 2008 general election, Sawyer held his Senate seat by defeating Republican James Carr.[41]
In 2012, Sawyer was elected to a second full term, defeating Republican Robert Roush 71.5% to 28.5%.[42] He served as Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee from 2012-14.
In 2015, he considered running again for Akron mayor after the abrupt resignation of longtime incumbent mayor Don Plusquellic. Sawyer eventually decided against the run.[43]
Sawyer's tenure in the Ohio Senate concluded at the end of 2016. The state's term limit rules barred Sawyer from seeking the seat for a third consecutive term.[44] He was replaced by Democrat Vernon Sykes.
Sawyer lived in Akron. He and his wife, the former Joyce Handler, had a daughter.[46] He died from complications of Parkinson's disease at a care facility in Akron on May 20, 2023, at the age of 77.[6][47]
^Steinberg, Nichole M. Christian, John H. Cushman Jr, Sherri Day, Sam Dillon, Neil A. Lewis, Robert Pear, Terry Pristin, Philip Shenon, Jacques; Report, Leslie Wayne Contributed To This (November 7, 2002). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: MIDWEST; OHIO". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved June 7, 2016.((cite news)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
