Author
Police hiring database measure gets hearing
More than a year after its introduction, a measure establishing a statewide database for police officer hiring got its first committee hearing. Still, the proposal may be a longshot in the GOP-controlled House. For years, reformers have called for such a database. They invoke officers like Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Tamir Rice in […]
In Ohio Republican Senate debate, candidates draw sharper distinctions
In the race’s first statewide televised debate, the five leading Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidates sparred over a handful of major issues. Unlike last Friday’s forum, actual sparring didn’t come up. Still the confrontation between former state treasurer Josh Mandel and investment banker Mike Gibbons hung over the evening. The moderators opened by asking both […]
Ohio Republican Senate candidate forum devolves into near fight
The leading candidates for the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate nomination met in Gahanna Friday. Two of them nearly came to blows. The candidate forum hosted by FreedomWorks didn’t make it through opening statements before former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel began attacking investment banker Mike Gibbons. The other candidates, state Sen. Matt Dolan, former GOP chair […]
House GOP leader on Supreme Court impeachment: ‘All options are on the table’
A ranking House Republican left open the possibility of impeaching the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, which this week rejected Republicans’ third proposed legislative redistricting map. During a private GOP caucus phone call Thursday, House Majority Leader Bill Seitz and Rep. Jon Cross voiced support for impeaching Justice Maureen O’Connor, according to a […]
Fresh off Senate bid, Bernie Moreno to lead Congressional term limits push in Ohio
Erstwhile U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno is putting his efforts behind a bid to impose term limits on Congress. In a press conference Thursday, Moreno announced he’ll serve as Ohio’s state chair of U.S. Term Limits. The longshot campaign would require a constitutional amendment. In Moreno’s description, term limits are part of an ongoing political […]
Four months from launch, Ohio lawmakers debate costs of new 988 mental health line
Ohio is working on legislation to set up 988, a new suicide and mental health support line. The number, which will accept calls and texts, launches nationwide in July thanks to federal legislation signed by former President Donald Trump in 2020. Service providers see the transition to a simple, three-digit number as an important step […]
Lawmakers begin reappropriations for capital projects
Ohio lawmakers are beginning the capital reappropriations process this week. The legislation funds projects like new buildings or facility improvements that often stretch beyond the state’s two-year budgeting cycle. “This reappropriations process is not intended as a vehicle for new capital appropriations, nor is it intended to raise new issues,” Office of Budget and Management […]
Senate candidate Matt Dolan hosts law enforcement roundtable in Columbus
In Columbus, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan hosted a roundtable Friday with law enforcement officials to underscore his record in the Statehouse and his plans for Washington. The Chagrin Falls senator touts his ability as finance chair to deliver funding for police training, fighting human trafficking and stemming the opioid crisis. He, like many […]
Gov. DeWine turns down debate invitation without explanation
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine won’t participate in a primary debate later this month hosted by the Ohio Debate Commission. “No reason was given,” according to a commission statement. The decision comes as more conservative elements of the GOP express growing skepticism with the governor’s administration. Last month at the central committee meeting, a contingent within […]
Despite criticizing federal spending, some GOP Senate candidates accepted PPP loans
The field of Republican Senate candidates is crowded, and the elbows are sharp. Candidates lash out at one another for not being Trump-y enough, for being part of the “establishment” or for being willing to compromise. But their favorite punching bag, unsurprisingly, is the Biden administration. With inflation at record levels and the price of […]
Cranley, Fedor tout social justice platform in Columbus campaign stop
“There’s no bull crap with them. They tell the truth. They tell it like it is.” That’s the one good thing about prison, Robert McClendon explained. You get a good radar for bull crap. You can see it coming from around the corner, he said, and there’s none of it when it comes to the […]
Timken touts Portman endorsement in three-stop campaign swing
At least 60 people packed themselves into a room that would feel full with 20 at Jane Timken’s campaign headquarters Friday. Good thing the former chair of the state GOP isn’t running for fire marshal. The crowd was an interesting mix of young and old. Many of the fresh-faced among them were campaign staffers sporting […]