BIOGRAPHY
Worked for a True Prevailing Wage
Commissioner Kilroy led the effort to institute the Quality Contractor policy in Franklin County, which requires that contractors on Franklin County building projects pay a true prevailing wage, provide health care to their employees, make contributions to a pension or retirement plan, and employ only those who have completed or are enrolled in a skilled trades apprenticeship training program or have greater than five years of experience in the craft. Additionally, under the Quality Contractor policy, the contractor must be free from any violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act within a five year period and have no more than three prevailing wage violations in a two year period. This policy included other safety and employer responsibility measures. Commissioner Kilroy works hard to ensure that living wages are paid to all employees of the county or the companies who do business with the county.
Fought for Affordable Health Care and Prescription Drugs
Commissioner Kilroy led the effort at the county to pass a resolution supporting the AFL-CIO's prescription drug legislation because she believes that we need to make prescription drugs affordable and available to all. She also led the effort to involve the county in improving access to health care for uninsured, low-income families. As a result, the county has provided funding to Access Health Columbus, which has helped to open a new health care office on the south side, has organized medical specialists to provide voluntary care to the uninsured, and has brought needed improvements to the Neighborhood Health Centers.
Pushed for Affordable Housing
Recognizing a need for adequate affordable housing in Franklin County, Kilroy helped create the Columbus/Franklin County Affordable Housing Trust Corporation. The Trust Fund acts as a broker in our community for the construction of affordable housing by using a combination of grants and loans, while leveraging other public and private funding sources. Since she has been a Commissioner, the county has contributed $1 million per year to the housing trust and she has supported the use of Community Development Block Grant funds for the construction of additional affordable housing projects.
Worked to Improve Child Care Programs
Kilroy has spent many hours working to improve the quality and quantity of child care for working families. She pushed to restore child care for low income children whose families had been cut from the program by the state legislature. She leads a Task Force that has already caused improvements in county child care programs.
Commissioner Kilroy is an OSU law school graduate and a partner at Handelman and Kilroy with her husband Robert Handelman. Together, they have two daughters, Julia, a graduate of Oberlin College and Rosa, a recent graduate of Columbus Alternative High School, and three active dogs, two from the Franklin County Animal Shelter and one from Capital Area Humane Society. For her service on the school board, Kilroy received the Public Official of the Year award from the Central Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
