CAPITOL BRIEF - Ohio YMCAs

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CAPITOL BRIEF

GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES MAKE LG PICKS With nearly a month to go until the filing deadline, gubernatorial campaigns are coming more into focus this month as candidates select their running mates, and Democrats are putting together a power ticket of their own. This month, Democrat Richard Cordray announced former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton as his lieutenant governor pick as she ended her own gubernatorial campaign. "This is just our first step to building a larger team that will be a leadership team for the future of Ohio," Cordray said at a diner in Akron. "It will not just be Betty and me, but others who will join us to fulfill the high expectations of all Ohioans." "The truth of the matter is that nobody has done more to stand up for everyday Ohioans than Rich Cordray, and we are not afraid to take on the tough fights," Sutton said. "We'll take on the special interests that have been running things too long in Columbus." Current Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor also announced her running mate, Nathan Estruth, who is a former Procter & Gamble executive. At an event at the City Gospel Mission, Taylor said she was "drawing a line in the sand" between herself and Estruth "and the old guard pairing of establishment politicians." She also described Estruth as "someone who will help me break the cycle of career establishment politicians that have always held sway for a long time in Columbus." As lieutenant governor, she said Estruth "will function as the COO to my role as CEO in my administration.” Democratic candidate and Senator Joe Schiavoni also announced his running mate this month. Schiavoni named Stephanie Dodd, District 9 representative for the State Board of Education, as his running mate for the gubernatorial election. "Stephanie is an incredible addition to our team. She's dedicated, driven and makes it clear through her work that she cares as much as we do about Ohio families," said Schiavoni in a statement. "Stephanie and I both worry about what the future will hold for our young kids. Together we can work to give every child a chance at a quality education, a good paying job and a successful life." Meanwhile, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill chose Larkmoor Elementary School Principal Chantelle Lewis of Lorain County to run with him as he pursues the Democratic nomination for governor. “This is a dream come true,” O’Neill said. “I wanted to bring balance to the O’Neill ticket, and I ended up with an articulate, intelligent educator who brings two decades of educational experience to the table. This O’Neill-Lewis ticket is the epitome of balance. I am a white male nurse running with an African-American female educator. The people of Ohio deserve diversity in their leaders. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

In part reported by Hannah News Service

A LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER FOR CEOS, CVOS, STAFF, AND PARTNERS OF THE OHIO ALLIANCE OF YMCAS

IN THIS ISSUE

Gubernatorial Candidates Make

LG Picks

Mandel Leaves U.S. Senate Race

U.S. Attorney General Reverses

Pot Enforcement

2018 Candidates Continue

Race Shuffle

Redistricting Battle Goes On

Ohio Afterschool Network

Conference Set for Feb. 23

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January 2018

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MANDEL LEAVES U.S. SENATE RACE

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel an-nounced this month he was drop-ping his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in Novem-ber, saying his wife has an un-specified medical issue that will require his time and attention. Mandel announced his decision in an email to supporters. He said he plans to serve out the remain-der of his term as state treasurer, and that he hopes “to have the opportunity to serve my state and country again in the future.” “Understanding and dealing with this health issue is more im-portant to me than any political campaign. For as long as that takes, whether it is months or years, it is important that I heed my dad’s advice and be there for my wife and our kids,” Mandel said in his letter, noting his dad’s words of advice of “Be there” when his first child was born. “After recent discussions with our family and health care profession-als, it has become clear to us that it’s no longer possible for me to be away from home and on the campaign trail for the time need-ed to run a U.S. Senate race.”

Reported by Hannah News Service

2018 CANDI-DATES CON-TINUE THEIR RACE SHUFFLE

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL REVERSES POT ENFORCEMENT

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) this month reversed its policy to re-frain from enforcing federal marijuana laws against individuals or businesses in states where the drug is legal for medical or personal use. In a memorandum, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed all U.S. attorneys to “enforce the laws enacted by Congress and to follow well-established principles when pursuing prosecutions related to marijuana activities.” “It is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the laws of the United States, and the previous issuance of guidance undermines the rule of law and the ability of our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners to carry out this mission,” Sessions said in a news release. "Therefore, today's memo on federal marijuana enforcement simply directs all U.S. attorneys to use previously established prosecutorial principles that provide them all the necessary tools to disrupt criminal organizations, tackle the growing drug crisis, and thwart violent crime across our country.” The DOJ had been operating under a policy that did not focus federal re-sources on prosecuting entities complying with state laws regulating marijuana. “This extremely misguided action will enable a federal crackdown on states' rights with regard to marijuana policy,” said Matthew Schweich, interim executive director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). “Attorney General Sessions has decided to use the power of the federal government to attack the ability of states to decide their own laws. A majority of Americans support legalization, and Sessions has simply decided to ignore their views. In the states where marijuana is legal, voters approved those legalization policies at the ballot box. This is a direct attack on the will of the people.” U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also criticized the decision, saying in an email, “The Justice Department should focus on supporting Ohio law enforcement efforts to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic, not wasting valuable time and resources going after families using medical marijuana to treat cancer or Parkinson’s.” Thomas Rosenberger, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association of Ohio, offered the following statement: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind the Justice Department policies allowing legal cannabis businesses to operate without federal interference is disappointing, but not unexpected. It now falls on Ohio's congressional delegation to renew the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment and protect Ohio patients' access to legal medical marijuana.” The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment was extended in a recent short-term funding bill signed by President Donald Trump, but those protections will expire on Friday, Jan. 19. The amendment prohibits the DOJ from using federal dollars to interfere with the implementation of state marijuana laws. Dan Tierney, spokesperson for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, told Hannah News that the Ohio Attorney General’s Office does not have a comment on the action. Stephanie Gostomski, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Commerce, said the agency will continue to follow the legislative guidelines set by House Bill 523. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which regulates medical marijuana dispensaries, issued the following statement: “We are committed to estab-lishing Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program by the deadline estab-lished by the Ohio General Assembly – Sept. 8, 2018. We will continue to monitor any policy changes that occur at the federal level.”

Reported by Hannah News Service

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2018 CANDIDATES CONTINUE RACE SHUFFLE The chess pieces in the 2018 gubernatorial race continued to fall into place this month, as U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) announced he was dropping his campaign in favor of running for the U.S. Senate, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley’s campaign announced she is dropping out of the race and endorsing Democrat Richard Cordray, and former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich launched the beginning of his gubernatorial campaign. Renacci made his announcement to supporters in an email less than a week after Treasurer Josh Mandel dropped out of the U.S. Senate race because of family health issues. (See separate story.) He said he was asked to attend a meeting at the White House in which aides to President Donald Trump asked Renacci to run “to help protect the future of President Trump’s agenda.” “While my strong distaste for Washington and the political establishment is as fervent as ever, so too is my commitment to advancing the president’s agenda for a stronger and more prosperous America,” Renacci said in his announcement. “And for that reason I’ve agreed to answer the call to ser-vice and enter the race for United States Senate.” Renacci said his former running mate, Cincinnati Councilwoman Amy Mur-ray, will now serve as the statewide chair of his U.S. Senate campaign. His entry in the race puts him in a primary with Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons, small business owner Melissa Ackison, and Legislative Service Commission analyst Don Eckhart. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side of the gubernatorial race, the number of candidates will remain at five as Whaley dropped out and Kucinich gets in. At an event at the Dayton Public Library, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley exited the governor’s race, and endorsed candidate Richard Cordray. Whaley ex-plained that “now is the time for unity.” She also praised Cordray, saying: “He believes in issues I care about, and he’s ready to fight for those every day Ohioans who have felt forgotten and ignored.” Whaley’s exit from the race leaves former Rep. Connie Pillich as the only woman on the Democratic side of the race. Cordray, Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman), and Justice William O’Neill, three other Democrats seeking the nomination, have named women as their running mates. Additionally, Dennis Kucinich announced his entry into the Democratic field for governor. "This is the moment when the people must take back their government," Kucinich said during his announcement at the Middleburg Heights Community Center. "This is the moment when there must be a shift of power from an uncaring, unresponsive state government in Co-lumbus to where the power of 'We the People' is claimed and expressed with strength, with experience and with fearlessness."

In part reported by Hannah News Service

REDISTRICTING BATTLE GOES ON The Fair Districts=Fair Elections Coalition’s proposal is vague and would likely result in federal courts drawing congressional districts, Sen. Matt Huff-man (R-Lima) said this month. Speaking to the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee dur-ing sponsor testimony on his SJR 5, Huffman reiterated his belief that the General Assembly is required by the U.S. Constitution to control the drawing of congressional districts. He said the Fair Districts group, which is collecting signatures to place their measure on the 2018 general election ballot, would inappropriately cut the Legislature out of the process and enshrine ambigu-ous and flawed language into the Ohio Constitution. Huffman criticized the coalition’s inclusion of a requirement that the Ohio Redistricting Commission aim to maximize “representational fairness” fol-lowing a statement from secretary of state candidate Sen. Frank LaRose (R-

Copley), who complained that the provision would be a “big re-striction” on those in charge of drawing the lines. The coalition proposal states, “The Ohio Redis-tricting Commission shall maxim-ize representational fairness by adopting a plan whose statewide proportion of districts most close-ly corresponds to the partisan preferences of the voters of Ohio.” Huffman said there have been 17 statewide elections over the past 10 years. “Republicans have won 13 of those 17 elections. Is that the statewide preference of the voters? Should we draw congres-sional districts where 13/17ths of the congressional districts are represented by Republicans? A lot of folks would think that’s a really bad idea,” he said. He said the proposal also doesn’t define whether Ohio Supreme Court races are included in that process, noting that while there aren’t partisan labels on the bal-lot, judicial candidates are en-dorsed and funded by political parties.

Ann Henkener of the League of Women Voters, one of the leading organizations pushing the Fair Districts proposal, told Hannah News that “representational fair-ness is a very well-known term in political science.” She said the process would check to ensure the congressional map drawn is not far out of line with the statewide percentage of Republi-cans and Democrats. “We would look at all the statewide partisan races. You would not look at races for the Ohio Supreme Court, for exam-ple, because they are technically nonpartisan races,” she said.

“Right now what we have is 48 percent of the vote will get you 75 percent of the seats, 50 per-cent of the vote will get you 75 percent of the seats, 52 percent of the vote will get you 75 per-cent of the seats. That’s a parti-san gerrymander,” Henkener said.

Henkener said her organization is continuing to work with Huffman on the bill, and is optimistic all sides will be able to come to a compromise. While that bill was slated for a vote this week, it has been delayed until next week.

Reported by Hannah News Service

Continued from previous column

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OHIO AFTERSCHOOL NETWORK CONFERENCE SET FOR FEB. 23