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Sykes quits Civil Rights post over leave policy
'Political back and forth' over issue and loss of Strickland's backing leads to her resignation.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
COLUMBUS — In the end, Barbara Sykes didn't even have the support of the man who appointed her.
Sykes resigned Tuesday as Ohio Civil Rights Commission chairwoman just as her Senate confirmation hearing was set to begin.
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Get latest headlines via RSS feedsBy then, the former state representative had lost the support of Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland, who appointed her last August.
The rift came over her stand on a proposed maternity leave requirement that called on companies with four or more employees to allow pregnant women up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if medically necessary.
Strickland wanted the commission to delay moving ahead with the requirement until business groups had time to study it. But Sykes pushed ahead with a vote on the measure, which passed. However, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review last week remanded the requirement for revision after labeling the commission's analysis of the financial impacts "inaccurate."
In a letter to Strickland released Tuesday, Sykes said the commission's work was detracted by the "political back and forth" over the commission's decision. Her resignation is effective Dec. 31.
"If the commission is going to be successful, it needs the support of the governor and the legislature," she told the Dayton Daily News. "They vote on our (the commission's) budget."
