April 27

Let cooler heads prevail on Ohio election reform law: editorial

Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012, 8:34 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board The Plain Dealer

If the Republicans who run the Ohio Senate are willing to go along, there's still a chance that the state can avoid a divisive referendum question this fall and -- far more important -- that voters will be a lot less confused about the rules for casting a ballot.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio House was poised to pass legislation repealing almost everything in a package of election law reforms that passed in 2011 but had been put on ice pending a referendum this November. A coalition of voting-rights groups and their Democratic Party allies had gathered 307,000 valid signatures to put House Bill 194 before the voters.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/04/let_cooler_heads_prevail_on_vo.html

Cincinnati chamber endorses income tax cut

04/26/12 at 12:54pm

Written by pkostyu

COLUMBUS — The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber today endorsed Gov. John R. Kasich’s proposed income tax cut saying it will “provide opportunity for small businesses.”

Chamber president and chief executive office Ellen G. van der Horst sent an endorsement letter to Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, and House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina.

“The proposed 5 percent reduction in the income tax rate is a step in the right direction for small businesses, and the savings can be reinvested directly into those businesses, strengthening the very core of Ohio’s economy,” she wrote.

Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, welcomed the endorsement. “We’re absolutely certain it will lead to job creation,” he said of the income tax cut.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/26/cincinnati-chamber-endorses-income-tax-cut/

Ohio GOP seek deal, stall vote on repeal Senate Bill 295

Marc Kovac

April 26, 2012

By Marc Kovac | R-C Capital BureauRavenna Record Courier

COLUMBUS — Republicans in the Ohio House have postponed a preemptive repeal of a controversial GOP-backed election reform package to be decided by voters in November, hoping to negotiate an agreement with the group behind the referendum and avoid legal challenges to lawmakers’ actions.

The move came in the middle of a floor debate late Wednesday on Senate Bill 295, after House Minority Armond Budish and other Democrats approached House Speaker Bill Batchelder and other Republicans about the possibility.

Fair Elections Ohio, which gathered the signatures to force the issue, could voluntarily pull the referendum from the ballot, though the campaign has indicated lawmakers would have to restore three days of early in-person voting in addition to the election law repeal.
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/5182680

After Death of Home-Schooled Girl Makayla Norman, Ohio Legislature Unlikely to Make Changes

April 26, 2012 | 12:30 PM

By Molly Bloom
State Impact

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and House Speaker Bill Batchelder told homeschooling advocates they see little need to change state laws regulating homeschooling in response to the death of a 14-year old Dayton girl who was homeschooled and starved to death in her home, the Home School Legal Defense Association says. (H/t to Innovation Ohio’s Stephen Dyer for pointing out the report.)

Makayla Norman, who had cerebral palsy and couldn’t walk, talk or take care of herself, was withdrawn by her mother from the Dayton Public Schools in 2004 for homeschooling. The Dayton school district was supposed to track her education. But the Dayton Daily News reports that “school officials admitted they violated their own policies, failing to follow up on Makayla’s progress during her final seven years.”
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/04/26/after-death-of-home-schooled-girl-makayla-norman-ohio-legislature-unlikely-to-make-changes/

Only Agreement on HB194 Repeal is to Talk

Hannah Report 4/26/12

A day after the House suddenly ended debate on a bill to repeal controversial elections omnibus HB194 (Mecklenborg-Blessing), the sponsor of the repeal bill and the group pushing the referendum said there are still a number of issues to sort out.

House Democrats indicated Wednesday that proponents of the referendum on HB194 would be more willing to support repeal legislation SB295 (Coley) if it were to restore the final three days of early voting. (See The Hannah Report, 4/25/12.) Fair Elections Ohio also indicated on Thursday that it wants those early voting days restored.

But Sen. William Coley (R-West Chester) said Thursday that the bill must remain as it is and be a straight repeal of HB194. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189242

Governor Supports Repeal Of Elections Law; Sponsor Says He Wants Language To Remain As-Is

Gov. John Kasich on Thursday voiced support for Republican efforts to repeal a controversial elections overhaul bill, while the legislation's sponsor said he supports the measure's language without additions but would be open to suggestions on a separate voting proposal.

Gov. Kasich told reporters after a Statehouse event that he has encouraged legislators to "go back to the table and try to work things out" to make a "better product" on elections reform.

"It's not an issue that I was intimately involved with, but I think it's the leaders of the legislature that said, 'Let's take another crack at it,' and I think that's good," the governor said.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810810204

Faber Says 2012 Redistricting Issue Still Possible As Task Force Meets

Republicans and Democrats mostly saw eye-to-eye during the inaugural meeting of the Redistricting Reform Task Force Thursday, and the GOP co-chair said he believed the legislature could still act in time to place an issue before voters in November.

There was little sign of the partisan hullabaloo that marked passage of new Congressional maps last year (HB 369 ) and Co-Chairs Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina) and Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) vowed to work together for the good of Ohio voters. But discussions after the hearing revealed that deep differences remain between the two parties.

Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) has expressed doubt that the legislature would adopt a redistricting proposal before the Aug. 8 deadline to place an issue on the November ballot, but Sen. Faber said he thought it was still "very much a possibility."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Senate president pro tem said there was a considerable amount of agreement on certain issues in the three redistricting proposals that legislators of both parties have offered in recent years.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810810203

April 26

GOP, Democrats close to election-law deal

By  Jim Siegel

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday April 26, 2012 6:09 AM

A potential last-minute agreement between House Republicans and Democrats could end a bitter fight over the repeal of a GOP-crafted election-law overhaul.

Just minutes before voting to repeal House Bill 194 — and as House Democrats bombed away on the GOP in floor speeches — House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, and Minority Leader Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, worked out a deal to suspend the vote.

Republicans had planned to repeal House Bill 194 and end the November referendum effort. But Fair Elections Ohio, the coalition of Democrats and progressive groups that worked closely with President Barack Obama’s re-election team to challenge the law, resisted the repeal. The group argued that it would deny people the right to vote against the law and would have blocked early voting in the three days before Election Day.http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/26/gop-democrats-are-close-to-election-law-deal.html

DeWine calls for tweaking JobsOhio

He worries bill could curb public access to records

By  Randy Ludlow

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday April 26, 2012 5:59 AM

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine worries that other agencies’ public records could be converted into state secrets simply by being shared with JobsOhio.

DeWine will ask legislators and the administration of Gov. John Kasich to change a bill passed yesterday by the House to ensure that public records remain available to the public.

In creating Kasich’s privatized economic-development agency, legislators declared that records created or received by the nonprofit JobsOhio are not public, “regardless of who may have custody of the records.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/26/dewine-calls-for-tweaking-jobsohio.html

Election law referendum at issue

Talks may begin soon on new repeal language.

By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau Updated 7:22 AM Thursday, April 26, 2012

COLUMBUS — House Republicans on Wednesday decided not to take the unprecedented step of repealing an election reform law that is set for a voter referendum in November.

Republicans delayed a vote on Senate Bill 295, which would repeal large parts of an election reform package signed into law in July by Gov. John Kasich.

Democrats, unions and voting rights advocates collected 400,000 voter signatures to put that law, known as House Bill 194, up for a referendum. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/election/election-law-referendum-at-issue-1365949.html

House Republicans postpone expected vote on legislation to repeal Ohio elections law scheduled for a referendum

Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 9:37 PM     Updated: Thursday, April 26, 2012, 12:47 AM

By Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday night unexpectedly postponed a floor vote on legislation to repeal a controversial elections bill that is up for a referendum this fall.

Majority Republicans were poised to pass legislation to repeal the elections bill known as House Bill 194, despite objections from Democrats who said the repeal would trample on citizens' right to referendum.

But the vote was delayed after a sudden frenzy of private negotiations between Democratic and Republican legislative leaders broke out during the floor debate over Senate Bill 295, the bill that would repeal the elections law and nullify the voter referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Republican House Speaker William G. Batchelder said he delayed vote on SB 295 to open negotiations with a voting rights advocates who initiated the referendum. http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/04/house_republicans_postpone_exp.html

Published: 4/26/2012 - Updated: 2 minutes ago

Potential deal halts effort to kill referendum on GOP election law

BY JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio House was nearing a vote Wednesday night on killing a controversial, Republican-passed election reform law -- and potentially a voter referendum in November along with it -- when the issue was abruptly shelved.

Talks involving House Democrats and Republicans, the citizen committee behind the referendum, and President Obama's re-election campaign led to the surprise decision.

Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon) was in the middle of talking against the repeal effort when Minority Leader Armond Budish (D., Beachwood) whispered the potential deal in his ear.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/04/26/Potential-deal-halts-effort-to-kill-referendum-on-GOP-election-law.html

Ohio House passes jobs bill sponsored by Hagan

By Robert Wang

CantonRep.com staff writer

Posted Apr 25, 2012 @ 07:45 PM

The Ohio House voted 91-5 Wednesday evening to approve the JobsOhio 2 bill sponsored by State Rep. Christina Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, and State Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea.

Gov. John Kasich’s office and the Legislative Service Commission drafted the bill, which renames the Ohio Department of Development the Ohio Development Services Agency. A staffer for House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, asked Hagan and Dovilla to introduce and advocate for the bill as it moved through committee to the House floor.
http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x596784977/Ohio-House-passes-jobs-bill-sponsored-by-Hagan

Cincinnati chamber endorses income tax cut

04/26/12 at 12:54pm

Written by pkostyu

COLUMBUS — The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber today endorsed Gov. John R. Kasich’s proposed income tax cut saying it will “provide opportunity for small businesses.”

Chamber president and chief executive office Ellen G. van der Horst sent an endorsement letter to Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, and House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina.

“The proposed 5 percent reduction in the income tax rate is a step in the right direction for small businesses, and the savings can be reinvested directly into those businesses, strengthening the very core of Ohio’s economy,” she wrote.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/26/cincinnati-chamber-endorses-income-tax-cut/

The Fight For Planned Parenthood Continues.

Wednesday April 25, 2012 8:58 PM
UPDATED: Wednesday April 25, 2012 9:17 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Tuesday House Republicans changed their minds and removed a provision from a bill that would have stripped $1.7 million dollars from the agency that provides sexual and reproductive healthcare for women.

“It would have obviously reduced our ability to provide services.  It would not make us go away. Planned Parenthood has been around for 80 years and we'll be around for 80 more and beyond that. We're here to provide critical services and that will continue," said Gary Dougherty, legislative director for Planned Parenthood in Ohio.

Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis said that he thought the effort to defund Planned Parenthood was on track.
http://www.onntv.com/content/stories/2012/04/25/story-planned-parenthood.html

HB194 Repeal on Hold as All Sides Agree to Talks

Hannah Report 4/25/12

As a partisan debate over why the Legislature should or should not repeal elections omnibus bill HB194 (Mecklenborg-Blessing) before voters have a chance to weigh in on it raged on the House floor, a bipartisan negotiation happened quietly behind the scenes Wednesday.

When all was said and done, repeal legislation SB295 (Coley) was informally passed and put on hold while all parties to the debate agreed to talk.

House Democrats told reporters that Reps. Michael Stinziano (D-Columbus), Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) and Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) were approached by Fair Elections Ohio, the group behind a repeal effort for HB194, and were told the committee would be willing to consider taking the issue off the ballot if the Legislature would do a straight repeal of HB194, including restoring the last three days for early voting, a contention by Democrats and opponents of HB194.

http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189229

House Backs Off Controversial Election Law Repeal Bill For Now

Gongwer 4/25/12

Just as partisan bickering over a likely election law repeal was shifting into high gear, House Republicans suddenly called off a vote on the contentious measure at the end of a marathon session Wednesday night.

At issue was Republicans' plan (SB 295 ) to legislatively repeal a hotly contested election bill that was approved last year (HB 194 ), but has been stayed by a Democrat-led referendum effort.

House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) told reporters after session that the sudden change in course came after Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) told him that the referendum petition committee was willing to negotiate an agreement where they would request the secretary of state remove the issue from the November ballot.

"It's an option that I didn't think that we had and I think it's an option that should be examined by everybody involved," he said.

Speaker Batchelder said he hadn't spoken with anyone from the Fair Elections Ohio campaign and didn't know what the petitioners wanted in exchange for withdrawing the referendum.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810800201

House Sends Mid-Biennium Budget Bills, Development Agency Measure To Senate

Gongwer 4/25/12

The House signed off Wednesday on three components of Gov. John Kasich's mid-biennium budget update, making them the most likely of several bills derived from his proposals to clear the upper chamber prior to the summer break.

The near-term fate of several other measures that were originally part of Mr. Kasich's ambitious package are less clear, especially given the House has no sessions scheduled for next week. Among the bigger policy pieces lingering in the House for more deliberation is a new tax system for banks and insurance companies (HB 510 ).

Among the numerous measures acted on during Wednesday's session was the "main" MBR measure, which contains all of the appropriations and human services-related provisions (HB 487 ). The bill also served as a vehicle for dozens of other policy tweaks, many of which were added during recent hearings of the House Finance & Appropriations Committee.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810800202

Ohio Business: Timken Breaks Ground, Releases Earnings; Middle Market Growth Rises, OSU Partnership Says; Diebold Income Up …

Gongwer 4/25/12

The Timken Company broke ground this week on a $225 million expansion of its Faircrest Steel Plant in Stark County as state and federal leaders joined company officials to mark the occasion.

The project is aimed at improving the plant's productivity while expanding its product range and increasing capacity to meet growing demand, according to Timken. Gov. John Kasich, House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), along with U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Terrace Park) and other members of Ohioans congressional delegation joined the event.

The centerpieces of the expansion new ladle refiner and large-bloom continuous caster, according to Timken. The new equipment is targeted for startup in 2014 and is expected to increase the plant's shippable capacity by 25% and enable production of a broader range of large-diameter bars.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810800216

April 25

Ohio committee passes election overhaul repeal

By Ann Sanner
Associated Press

Published: April 24, 2012 - 03:10 PM | Updated: April 24, 2012 - 05:27 PM

Ohio committee passes election overhaul repeal April 24,2012 09:27 PM GMT Ann Sanner Associated Press Copyright � 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,broadcast, rewritten or redistributed..

COLUMBUS: A contentious measure in Ohio that repeals a new election law in the presidential battleground state is headed to the full state House for an expected vote on Wednesday.

The bill cleared a Republican-dominated Ohio House panel on Tuesday, despite objections from Democrats who claimed the bill was not a “clean repeal” of the law.

Tuesday’s hearing was the only one for the bill in House. The GOP-led Senate passed the measure along party lines at the end of last month. And the House speaker told reporters the measure would be brought up for a Wednesday vote — the bill’s last hurdle before it goes to the Republican governor.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-committee-passes-election-overhaul-repeal-1.302588

Planned Parenthood cuts dropped from state budget review

Panel ditches that plan, adds nursing-home money

By  Jim Siegel

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday April 25, 2012 7:19 AM

Ohio House Republicans yesterday backed off an effort to block Planned Parenthood from getting federal family-planning funds — at least for the moment.

And House Republicans also are on a collision course with Gov. John Kasich over the decision to give an additional $30 million to nursing homes and potentially spend surplus state revenue.

The moves were part of the latest changes to Kasich’s midbiennium review, which passed the House Finance Committee on a party-line vote. The bill is set for a full House vote today.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/25/planned-parenthood-cuts-dropped.html

House likely to kill elections bill targeted by referendum

By  David Eggert

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday April 25, 2012 6:57 AM

The Republican-controlled Ohio House is expected to vote today to repeal a controversial election law despite criticism that its fate should rest with voters come November.

Democrats and others gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures to put a referendum on House Bill 194 on the statewide ballot. By repealing the law now, Republicans could take away Democrats’ ability to use the issue to help drive turnout in the presidential election in this key swing state.

“Except for the folks who want to use this to affect the outcome of an election, perhaps the presidency, perhaps the U.S. Senate ... it’s doing what everybody wants,” Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said of the repeal legislation. The repeal measure was approved 13-8 along party lines by a House committee yesterday. It already had been approved by the GOP-led Senate.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/25/house-likely-to-kill-elections-bill-targeted-by-referendum.html

House to move ahead on repeal

Published: Wed, April 25, 2012 @ 12:00 a.m.

By Marc Kovac

news@vindy.com

COLUMBUS

Republicans in the Ohio House plan to move ahead on a pre-emptive repeal of controversial election-law changes that are the subject of a November referendum.

“We’re going to pass it,” House Speaker Bill Batchelder told reporters Tuesday, indicating a floor vote could come as soon as today and that he expected a subsequent legal challenge.

Asked whether the House would act on any other election-law changes before November, Batchelder responded, “Pray God, not. ... I’ve had about all those I care to. If we had a court case that undermines something, we would obviously have to respond to that, but at this point, there does not appear to be to be anything like that out there.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/25/house-likely-to-kill-elections-bill-targeted-by-referendum.html

Committee Passes MBR Sans Planned Parenthood Provisions

Hannah Report 4/24/12

The House Finance and Appropriations Committee reported out HB487, the Mid-Biennium Review (MBR), along a party-line vote after taking out controversial provisions that would prioritize federal dollars in a move to effectively defund Planned Parenthood.

The removal was part of a larger omnibus amendment adopted without objection by the committee. Members of the committee did not make any comments about the move, although both sides of the debate over Planned Parenthood were in attendance in the audience, including a number of people wearing green Right to Life T-shirts.

House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) said after Tuesday's House session that they had concerns over unintended consequences of the language. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189212

Elections Law Repeal Heads to House Floor

Hannah Report 4/24/12

House Democrats opposing a referendum-ending repeal of elections omnibus HB194 (Mecklenborg-Blessing) mounted substantially the same arguments Tuesday as their colleagues had during Senate passage one month ago. The minority said SB295 (Coley) denies the will of the people -- or 400,000 of them -- in placing the controversial House bill on the fall ballot, and leaves intact carryover language in HB224 (Dovilla-Stinziano) removing in-person early voting Saturday-Monday before Election Day.

Democrats would not persuade majority members of the House State Government and Elections Committee, however, which went on to approve SB295 on a party-line vote. First, Sen. Bill Coley (R-Middletown) made the case for SB295.

“SB295 is nothing more than a straight repeal of HB194....” he told the committee. “If there were provisions in the bill that were deemed so terrible as to trigger a referendum, then let’s revisit the topic. Let’s hit the reset button in an effort to find common ground.”http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189217

Divided House Committee Advances Elections Law Repeal

Gongwer 4/24/12

Members of the House State Government & Elections Committee split along party lines in sending a controversial elections law repeal measure to the full chamber during the first hearing Tuesday.

The repeal legislation (SB 295 ), which Republicans describe as a good faith effort to respond to concerns about last year's elections legislation (HB 194 ), is set for a vote on the House floor Wednesday.

Democrats describe the measure as a sneaky attempt to bypass a pending referendum on the election law by shortening the in-person early voting period - something that would presumably depress Democratic turnout during the upcoming presidential election.

The bill's sponsor Sen. Bill Coley (R-Middletown) said the legislation as a "straight repeal" of House Bill 194, which will not be in effect during the presidential election due to the referendum.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810790201

House Amendment Sets Stage For Some Relief From Budget Cuts; Planned Parenthood Language Axed

Gongwer 4/24/12

A projected budget surplus could benefit local entities under language House Republicans inserted Tuesday into Gov. John Kasich's off-year spending measure.

In preparing the bill (HB 487 ) for a floor vote on Wednesday, majority Republicans also removed a contentious provision that cut certain funds to Planned Parenthood and inserted language providing for up to $30 million more in all-funds for nursing home Medicaid services.

Less certain is the total that other state funding stakeholders such as schools and local governments may realize at the end of fiscal year 2012 should Ohio's coffers end up significantly in the black as is currently expected. As explained in a synopsis of the omnibus amendment, the related provision simply requires legislative action before any year-end monies are transferred into the "rainy day" Budget Stabilization Fund.

"In other words, it stays in the general revenue fund" pending further action, Finance Chairman Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) said.

With revenues already exceeding estimates by $265 million so far this fiscal year and significant underspending in the Medicaid entitlement, there is speculation around the Statehouse that the surplus could easily exceed $600 million depending on the state's intake during the April tax filing period.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810790202

Cleveland Schools Plan Gets Reintroduced With Changes; Batchelder Says House Version To Take Lead

Gongwer 4/24/12

Sponsors of legislation to implement aspects of the Cleveland education overhaul plan reintroduced their bills Tuesday to reflect changes made through local negotiations.

House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) also said he expects the House to take the lead in moving the legislation and is certain it will pass through the chamber before summer recess begins in June.

"We feel an obligation to the mayor of Cleveland based upon his having brought this to our attention," the speaker told reporters after session. "I think that we're going to have a good vote here."

Co-sponsor of the Senate version and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) said last week the upper chamber would be slower to hear the bill because her committee is busy considering the education mid-biennium review (SB 316 ).

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810790209

House GOP Picks Scherer To Fill Peterson Seat

Gongwer 4/24/12

House Republicans have selected Gary Scherer, a Circleville business owner, to fill a vacancy in the 85^th District seat.

Mr. Scherer, who owns 70 Jackson Hewitt tax preparation franchises in the state, will succeed Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina), who recently left the House for a Senate appointment.

He was selected for the appointment by a House Republican Caucus screening committee. He is the founder of two CPA firms, and is a past member of the Ohio Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.

"During the interview process, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with a number of qualified applicants," said Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), who chaired the screening panel. "In the end, however, it was clear to the panel that the experience and credentials of Gary Scherer made him the most qualified person to fill the seat."

House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said Mr. Scherer's private sector experience will be a benefit to the caucus. "I am confident that he will serve the citizens of the 85th District with integrity and enthusiasm," he added.

The caucus said he has also been president of the Circleville Oil Company since 2006.

Mr. Scherer holds a degree in accounting from Ohio State University. He has been married to his wife, Debbie, for 35 years. The couple has three children and six grandchildren.