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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > December > 22
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
West Carrollton councilman applies for state House vacancy
By Kristin McAllister
West Carrollton City Councilman Harold Robinson has applied for appointment to the Ohio House 37th District seat being vacated by Rep. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering.
A screening committee Dec. 13 recommended Lehner for the state Senate seat being vacated by Jon Husted, according to Senate President-elect Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond.
A formal vote, however, won’t take place until January, Niehaus said.
Robinson, 67, is the second person to seek the post since Lehner first became a candidate for Husted’s seat.
Attorney James L. Butler, Jr., 37, of Oakwood, last week threw his name in the hat.
Butler is an attorney with the Thompson Hine law firm in Dayton and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Robinson has deep roots in the Miami Valley, having grown up on the city’s east end and graduated from Patterson Cooperative High School in Dayton.
Robinson is the owner of Camelot Printing Consultants, Inc. in West Carrollton, where he is a printing consultant/broker. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Robinson for 30 years was manufacturing manager of New York-based Scholastic Inc., a large educational publisher.
Among having served and currently serving on several other community and regional organizations, Robinson was on the West Carrollton Board of Education for 16 years, first from 1978 to 1990, then again, from 1997 to 2001.
He is now in his second term and fifth year as a city councilman, seated now as deputy mayor.
Asked why he’s the right person for the job, Robinson said he has the proven depth of background needed for the post and stands on a reputation for being candid in tackling tough issues, head-on.
“My background and experience is what sets me apart,” he said. “I have the right experience for what is needed to be effective in this position.”
In his application to Greg Gantt, Montgomery County Republican chairman, Robinson states, “If I were to be appointed to the House, my primary interests would be public education, local government, economic development for the region and, of course, balancing the state budget.”
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TweetUPDATED with reaction: Supreme Court OKs diversion of $258 million in anti-smoking money
The Ohio Supreme Court Wednesday, in a 7-0 decision, ruled that Gov. Ted Strickland and the state legislature did not violate the Ohio and U.S. Constitutions by diverting $258 million in anti-smoking funds to other uses, including expanded health care for kids.
The ruling appears to end a long-running legal battle that started after Strickland and the legislature in 2008 agreed to divert the anti-tobacco money to help pay for an economic stimulus plan.
Later, the money was slated to be used for expanded health care and other uses.
Cheryl G. Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking group opposed to the diversion, said in a press release that the decision was “devastating for Ohio.”
Gov. Ted Strickland, however, praised the ruling in a press release:
“This is a great victory for children’s health care in Ohio. Now, Ohio has the resources to ensure that all children in Ohio have access to quality, affordable health care coverage, regardless of their financial situation.”
Anti-smoking groups challenged the diversion in court and in June 2009 Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Fais ruled against the state. Fais said legislation in 2000 intentionally created a permanent, dedicated endowment outside the state treasury that only could be used for future smoking prevention and cessation programs.
The 10th District Court of Appeals reversed Fais’ decision, setting the stage for the Supreme Court decision Wednesday.
“No constitutional amendment was adopted in Ohio restricting the use of the tobacco settlement money,” Justice Paul Pfeifer wrote in the decision.
“In the absence of a constitutional provision, the General Assembly had the power to change the use of the settlement money….”
The money is part of Ohio’s share of the agreement Ohio and 45 other states reached in 1998 in a settlement with leading tobacco manufacturers, resolving multiple lawsuits filed against the companies.
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TweetGov. Strickland, Senate escalate appointments squabble; Rhine McLin named to Lottery Commission
The Christmas spirit eluded the Ohio Statehouse Tuesday as Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and the Republican-controlled state Senate escalated their squabble over lame-duck Strickland’s appointments to state boards and commissions.
The Senate rejected 78 Strickland appointments.
Strickand later made 14 new appointments, including former Dayton Mayor and state legislator Rhine McLin to the State Lottery Commission. The lottery commission job pays $5,000 annually, as well as expenses incurred in the discharge of official duties.
Those rejected included high-profile Strickland aides such as budget director Pari Sabety and Kent Markus, the governor’s chief legal counsel.
Senate leaders said they wanted to give incoming Republican Gov. John Kasich the chance to appoint people to key policy positions.
Strickland erupted in a press release, calling it an “unprincipled action by the Senate that undermines the institutional integrity of a body steeped in tradition ….”
“Put simply, today’s action was a raw power grab wrapped in a patina of principle,” he said.
Strickland later made the 14 new appointments, including McLin.
The Senate has left town for the year. Incoming Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, said, however, that the new Senate that begins work in January has the authority to approve or reject the 14 appointments.
Niehaus said it was “not safe to assume” that all appointments would be rejected.
“We have the constitutional responsibility to advise and consent and that’s what we’ll do,” he said.
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