Local Government Reform Mandated by State of Ohio Update

Previously on WMD, we talked about the proposal put forward by a Cuyahoga County Democrat and endorsed by the Republican Speaker of the Ohio House. The idea was to consolidate some positions and make them appointees rather than electeds. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has an update on their blog OPENERS:

Slipped in as an amendment to the state capital spending bill, which passed 94-2, the language would allow Cuyahoga County commissioners to put a government restructuring plan on the ballot as soon as November. A two-thirds vote of the commissioners would be needed to place the plan before voters. Whether that would happen remained in doubt Thursday.

The amendment applies only to counties with populations the size of Cuyahoga County, a restriction that had House Democrats, including Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, upset.

Redfern, a state representative from Catabwa Island, offered an amendment in committee to apply the restructuring option everywhere. It was tabled Thursday morning on a party-line vote, with majority Republicans killing the idea to take it statewide.

"Some elected officials -- hold your breath -- are hiring supporters and relatives for jobs in Cuyahoga County. I'm not sure it's happening anywhere else in the nation, but it's happening in Cuyahoga County," Redfern said sarcastically when he offered the amendment Thursday morning.

"If we're going to point the self-righteous finger at some, we should point it at others," he said. The Democratic Party chief cited county government scandals in Butler County, a Republican-dominated area, as an example of how other counties could benefit from reforms.

Redfern is all smart about nepotism...which is NOT what this proposal was about. What the provision does is take the positions of Auditor, Recorder, and Treasurer in to a single position which would be appointed rather than elected. Also on the chopping block are the elected positions of Engineer, Coroner, and Sheriff...all of which would become appointees.

Now, remember, Redfern was all ticked off about nepotism, right?

That guy is an idiot.

Ohio Republicans finally got one right by blocking as much of this nonsense as possible. Read the OPENERS piece for more details...