Ohio Supreme Court: New rules sought for justices’ campaigns
By Pamela Engel and Jim Siegel
Tuesday November 13, 2012 6:38 AM
Following an election that left many scratching their heads as to why a pair of incumbent Ohio Supreme Court justices were ousted, some are asking whether the campaign and election process should be modified.
The incumbent justices didn’t lose because they were badly outspent. Neither justice had his or her qualifications called into question. Sharon Kennedy, a Republican domestic-relations court judge who was given a “not recommended” rating by the Ohio State Bar Association, defeated “highly recommended” incumbent Democratic Justice Yvette McGee Brown, who was well-regarded by even the GOP members of the high court.
Process of drawing legislative and congressional maps may change
By Jim Siegel
The Columbus Dispatch Monday November 12, 2012 6:44 AM
Issue 2 is dead, buried deep by Ohio voters last week.
But over and over again, opponents of the redistricting plan, be they Republicans or editorial-page writers, noted that their opposition was not based on the belief that the current system of drawing legislative and congressional districts is good.
In fact, most acknowledged that it remains badly in need of an overhaul.
Legislative abuse
Changes to puppy-mill bill would pull its teeth, prolong animal suffering
Sunday November 11, 2012 6:41 AM
After seven long years, Ohio is the closest it has ever come to finally regulating high-volume dog breeders, aka puppy mills, and cracking down on neglect and cruelty.
A state law is sorely needed: Ohio has earned a reputation as the easiest state in which to get away with severely mistreating animals in the pursuit of profit. Notorious dog breeders have set up shop here after being driven out of other states.
Senate Bill 130, sponsored by state Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, passed in the Senate but has been stalled for months in the House agriculture committee. The committee chairman, state Rep. Dave Hall, R-Killbuck, has introduced radical departures from Hughes’ bill that animal-welfare advocates say they cannot accept — and with good reason. A committee vote on the amended bill is scheduled for Tuesday.
Ohio voters don't toe anybody's line: Thomas Suddes
Published: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 12:01 AM Updated: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 12:03 AM
In Ohio, you don't need a focus group to know which way the wind blows: Ohioans are pick-and-choose voters. They shop for products, not brands.
Nationally, campaign contractors, in the wake of Tuesday's GOP losses, will charge a fortune to figure out Republicans' "problem." But that's no mystery.
Guess who said this to fellow Republicans who were bucking public-welfare legislation in Congress: "If you deny the Republican Party's interest in the welfare of the low-income people of this nation, there soon won't be any Republican Party." (Answer: Sen. Robert A. "Mr. Republican" Taft -- in 1949.)
Husted wants law on early voting
The Columbus Dispatch Friday November 9, 2012 5:30 AM
Secretary of State Jon Husted urged lawmakers yesterday to take a deep breath, tone down the rhetoric and put election-law reforms on hold for a bit to find bipartisan solutions to issues such as early voting and provisional ballots.
“Let’s find some common ground here,” Husted said during a panel discussion at the Impact Ohio post-election conference. “If it’s about doing what’s best for turnout models for each political party, then we can’t. This is not hard, folks.”
Lawmakers will return to the Statehouse next week to begin the frantic lame-duck session, the period when members try to pass pending legislation before everything resets at the start of 2013.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/09/husted-wants-law-on-early-voting.html
3 GOP state legislators cruise to victory
3 GOP state legislators cruise to victory
Filed by Steve Grazier November 6th, 2012 in News.
Medina-Gazette
Incumbent Republicans representing Medina County in the Ohio General Assembly swept to easy wins Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Medina County Board of Elections.
Ohio House District 69
Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder won re-election against Democrat Judith Cross, a former Medina County common pleas judge.
Batchelder, 69, will be entering his fourth and final term as representative of Ohio House District 69. This is his second stint in the Ohio House. He served from 1969 to 1999, when he was forced to leave because of term limits.
The speaker returned to the Ohio House in 2007 and was named house speaker during the 129th General Assembly.
http://medinagazette.northcoastnow.com/2012/11/06/3-republicans-in-ohio-legislature-cruise-to-victory/
Hannah Report 11/9/12
GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE
Filling in for House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) at Thursday's Impact Ohio conference, Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) said Thursday that puppy mill legislation is a priority for the lame duck session, but most of the other issues she mentioned will likely be handled next year, such as municipal income tax uniformity and energy taxes. Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina), the presumptive Senate president for the next session, said tax reform, school funding and Medicaid reform are among priority topics for the 130th General Assembly.http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191136
Filling in for House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) at Thursday's Impact Ohio conference, Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) said Thursday that puppy mill legislation is a priority for the lame duck session, but most of the other issues she mentioned will likely be handled next year, such as municipal income tax uniformity and energy taxes. Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina), the presumptive Senate president for the next session, said tax reform, school funding and Medicaid reform are among priority topics for the 130th General Assembly.http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191136
Gongwer 11/6/12
Statewide ballot issues on a redistricting reform proposal and a state constitutional convention were both soundly defeated, according to unofficial election returns.
Issues 1 and 2 received roughly 32% and 36% of the vote, respectively. Both issues were losing right out of the gate, as early voting tallies showed roughly two-thirds of voters in opposition.
Issue 2, the more prominent of the two ballot questions, would have handed control over drawing the state's congressional and legislative boundaries to a 12-member citizen commission selected by appeals court judges.
Backers of the plan, which included the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Democrats and unions, said it would stop elected officials from gerrymandering boundary lines, resulting in more competitive districts.
Gongwer 11/6/12
Even with three House races still too close to call on election night, both sides agreed that about a dozen hard-fought contests resulted in no major power shift in the lower chamber this year.
Democrats, who currently hold 40 of the 99 House seats, knocked out at least one Republican incumbent, Rep. Casey Kozlowski (R-Pierpont), who was one of Republicans' surprise victories two years ago. Democrat John Patterson, a retired teacher, won the district with nearly 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state's office.
Meanwhile the GOP won one Democrat-held seat left open by Rep. Jay Goyal (D-Mansfield), who declined to run for re-election. Mark Romanchuk, owner of a local manufacturing plant, beat Mansfield City Councilwoman Ellen Haring with nearly 58% of the vote.
Rep. Craig Newbold (R-Columbiana) also lost by 383 votes to Democratic Columbiana County Treasurer Nick Barborak, but the outcome could be subject to a possible recount.
Rep. Al Landis (R-Dover) beat former Rep. Josh O'Farrell by an even narrower margin of 260 votes and Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) edged out former Rep. Matt Patten by a similarly slim margin, with a few precincts yet to report.
Two years ago Republicans rode the national GOP wave winning 13 House seats and recapturing the majority after Democrats' brief two-year control of the chamber.
Gongwer 11/7/12
Republicans easily maintained control of the House in Tuesday's election, but provisional votes in three tight races will determine whether or not Democrats weakened the GOP's current 59-40 majority in the chamber.
Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) and Rep. Al Landis (R-Dover) edged out their Democratic challengers, but Democrats are hopeful that a large number of provisional ballots and outstanding absentee ballots will ultimately tip the scales in their favor in coming weeks.
By the same token, the roughly 1,500 outstanding provisional and mail-in ballots could also upset Democrat Nick Barborak's 383-vote victory over Rep. Craig Newbold (R-Columbiana). However, provisional voters have historically leaned Democratic.
Rep. Landis defeated former Democratic Rep. Josh O'Farrell by 270 votes, but there are nearly 2,000 provisional votes and more than 500 absentee ballots uncounted, according to unofficial results. Rep. Dovilla beat former Democratic Rep. Matt Patten by 305 votes in the Cuyahoga County district, where there are still more than 60,000 uncounted provisional and absentee ballots countywide.
County boards of election now have 10 days to attempt to verify provisional ballots and will begin counting them on Nov. 17, a spokesman for the secretary of state said. Local officials have until Nov. 27 to forward the results to the secretary of state's office, which must then certify the official count by Dec. 7.
GOP Leaders See Possible Lame Duck Action On Puppy Mills, Elections Law; Next Year It's ‘Tax Reform'
Gongwer 11/8/12
Legislative leaders were vague about next year's agenda, but some kind of broad action on taxes appears to loom large on Republicans' to-do list.
As for the upcoming lame duck session, the only certainty is passage of a bill designed to crack down on puppy mills (SB 130
Rep. David Hall (R-Millersburg), chairman of the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, said he planned to hold a vote on the puppy mill bill Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Republicans are still considering tackling elections law legislation - something that makes minority Democrats very nervous.
Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) said in an interview that it was still "wide open" as to what would be in a lame duck election bill.
The president said he convened a working group chaired by Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) to study the issue but he wasn't sure if that group has met. He said he's seen no election proposal yet.
Sen. Niehaus compared his approach to election reform to the way he's run a business: go back and see what's worked and what hasn't worked.
No Major Shakeups Anticipated In Upcoming Leadership Elections
Gongwer 11/9/12
With the general election in the past, and no major losses for any of the four legislative caucuses, House and Senate members are preparing to elect their leadership rosters for next session in the coming weeks.
While caustic leadership battles sometimes emerge during lame duck session, this year's contests portend relatively little drama, according to some of the legislators directly involved.
The most significant leadership change will occur in the Senate majority caucus since President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) is leaving the chamber at the end of the year due to term limits.
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