Ohio House District Appointments

Release:

COLUMBUS – Speaker William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today announced the appointment of three new members of the Ohio House of Representatives, each of whom were sworn in during Tuesday’s House session. The House Republican Caucus members have unanimously approved of the three appointments.

 

“While it is ultimately the responsibility of the House of Representatives under the Ohio Constitution to make an appointment in these instances, we rely heavily on the input of the constituents and local leaders of the individual House Districts,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Thanks in no small part to the efforts put forth by the constituency in each of these districts, we are privileged to welcome three excellent new members to our caucus.”

 

The appointments are as follows:

 

House District 37: James Butler, Jr.

Rep. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) was recently appointed to fill the remaining two years of former state senator Jon Husted’s term due to his election as Ohio’s Secretary of State.  The Montgomery County Republican Party unanimously recommended local attorney Jim Butler (R-Oakwood) to fill the remainder of Rep. Lehner’s term.

 

“Jim’s record of service to Montgomery County and our nation is outstanding,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “His service and intellect will be a tremendous addition to our caucus.”

 

Rep. Butler is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in history and a graduate of the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in history.  He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the top 10 percent of his class and then entered flight training at the Naval Academy where he graduated first in his class.  He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and is currently an associate at Thompson Hine, LLP in Dayton.

 

The 37^th House District, located in Montgomery County, includes the cities of Kettering, Miamisburg, Oakwood, West Carrollton, and several townships.

House District 77: Jim Buchy

Recently, Governor John Kasich announced that Representative Jim Zehringer (R-Fort Recovery) would lead the Ohio Department of Agriculture, creating a vacancy in the 77^th House District.  Former State Representative Jim Buchy (R-Greenville) has been selected to fill the remainder of Rep. Zehringer’s term.

 

“Jim is a wonderful man with an exemplary record of service in the legislature and in the private sector,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Having the support of all three county Republican parties, Rep. Zehringer, Senator Faber, Congressman Jordan and the constituents of the district made this an easy choice for our caucus and I look forward to working with Jim again.”

 

Rep. Buchy served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1983 to 2000 and served as the assistant director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004.  He is the President of Buchy Food Service in Greenville, Ohio and serves on the NFIB-Ohio statewide leadership council.

 

The 77^th House District includes all of Mercer and Preble Counties and the western portion of Darke County.

House District 98: Richard Hollington

Rep. Dick Hollington (R-Hunting Valley) has been re-appointed to the 98^th House District seat after a unanimous recommendation by a legislative screening panel. 

 

“After interviewing a dozen well-qualified, thoughtful applicants for this vacancy, we believe Representative Hollington’s previous service in the legislature coupled with his private sector work experience will be best suited to work with our caucus during these challenging economic times,” said Rep. Lou Blessing, who chaired the legislative screening panel in December.

 

Rep. Hollington served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1967 to 1970 and recently served the 98^th House District during the 2010 legislative session after being appointed following the resignation of former Representative Matt Dolan. He is a senior partner in the Cleveland Law Firm of Baker Hostetler LLP and finance director for the Village of Hunting Valley.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

 

The 98^th House District encompasses all of Geauga County and portions of Cuyahoga County.

DDN Endorses Lehner for 37th Ohio House

Our good friend Peggy Lehner, who was gracious enough to sit in and guest host an episode of the cable access show that Mark and I did back in '04, has won the endorsement of the Dayton Daily News in her race for the 37th District of the Ohio House:

Peggy Lehner's qualifications are exceptional. Being about as well-known to her district as its needs are known to her, she is a natural choice to represent it in Columbus.

She could be the strongest of the new crop of Republicans to emerge from the suburbs this year and the most likely pick for the Senate.

The set-up is fantastic as editors run through Peggy's distinguished resume:

the Republican candidate is Kettering City Councilwoman Peggy Lehner. She's held that position for a decade. She has worked on projects beyond municipal lines, including as founder and president of the First Suburbs Consortion of Dayton. That organization is a good idea, wherein older — or first-tier — suburbs come together to confront some of the same issues that central cities confront.

She's also worked on county task forces and otherwise been a presence in local affairs. She founded the Frail Elderly Task Force.

And she's been chairman of the Ohio Ethics Commission, which oversees politicians on ethics issues.

She first came to public attention in the 1980s, when she was president of Ohio Right to Life. That has put some people on guard over the years. But she has forged a reputation as a pragmatic, moderate person. Symbolically, in 2006, she was a state co-chair for the relatively moderate Jim Petro for governor, not the fire-breathing conservative Ken Blackwell.

She focuses her presentation of herself on such down-to-earth issues as predatory lending, health care, transportation and economic growth, not the old hot-button social issues. She represents the brand of Republicanism that seems to offer the most hope for that party in Montgomery County.

The conclusion about Peggy's Democratic opponent is right on target:

The Democratic candidate is political newcomer Andi Eveslage.
...
Her qualifications don't measure up to her opponent's.

Peggy is a top-notch candidate and deserves the support she will get in this election.

Dems Pick Jane; Lehner Has Dem Opponent

Before I forget, I wanted to mention that the Dayton Daily News has reported that the Montgomery County Democrats have decided on who is going to lose in the OH-03 race against Mike Turner. Their sacrificial lamb, back for her second skewering, is none other than Jane Mitakides. It is exactly for this reason that I didn't close down Gem City Journal...we still have plenty of time to take a few strolls down memory lane.

That same article had a throw away sentence at the end that told us who WMDtv guest Peggy Lehner will be squaring off against in the 37th District Ohio House race..."party activist" Andrea Eveslage of Dayton gets the nod.

Mottley for OH-15?

The Ohio Republican Party seems to be having trouble recruiting a candidate for Deb Pryce's US House seat. There is some speculation that former State Rep. Don Mottley may throw his hat in to the ring. Mottley had wanted to run for his old Ohio House seat, but the Montgomery County Republican Party has endorsed Peggy Lehner for that race. Since then, Mottley has changed his voter registration to Franklin county and has established residency in the Columbus area.

An Ohio House run in his new home seems unlikely as the Franklin County GOP has already endorsed a candidate, but check this out (Dayton Daily News):

He is not sure if a Ohio House seat is an option for him because the Franklin County Republican Party has endorsed Bill Schuck for the 22nd Ohio House seat. But Mottley said no one is endorsed for Pryce's 15th Congressional District seat.

"No one in authority has asked me to consider that," he said.

That sounds like he's sending up a trial balloon.

In a story about the Lehner endorsement, DDN's Ellen Belcher says this about Mottley:

Don Mottley is smart, digs into complicated issues and is paying a price in the party because he and state Sen. Jeff Jacobson don't get along. Both men had to leave the House at the same time because of term limits and both wanted the Senate seat that Jacobson now has. Mottley is the only candidate running in the three contests who has legislative experience.

He is experienced and irritates some of the right people...

More Speculation on Husted's Successor as Speaker

Awhile back, we learned that Peggy Lehner was most likely to replace John Husted in the Ohio House of Representatives, but now there are names being tossed about on who might replace Husted as Speaker. The Dayton Daily News has a few names:

Among the contenders to replace Republican Jon Husted (HYOO'-stehd), the fund-raising front-runner is Representative Matthew Dolan from suburban Cleveland.

Besides Husted, Dolan is the representative who has raised the most for fellow Republicans running for the House in 2008.

Semiannual reports show Republican lawmakers Mark Wagoner of Toledo and Bill Coley of West Chester are right behind in the fundraising stakes.

This is the first time I've seen Coley's and Dolan's names in this race, although I'm not surprised to see Dolan. One name not mentioned in the piece was Bill Batchelder.

This race hasn't been settled yet. And to be perfectly honest, I think we have to acknowledge the possibility, however remote, that this may very well be a race for minority leader instead...

Lehner to Run for Husted's Seat - UPDATE: Montgomery County Endorsements

I caught this tidbit in the Dayton Daily News:

[Kettering City Council Member Peggy] Lehner was endorsed Monday by the Montgomery County Republican Party's central committee to fill the 37th House district seat being vacated by Jon Husted, R-Kettering.

Peggy was a guest for an hour on the WMDtv cable access show a few years ago and I found her to be an able politican with plenty of smarts and skill. She should do well in that race. I would be proud to support her in this race.

UPDATE: Another article (H/T: Jill) has a few more names to add to the list:

The Montgomery County Republican Party's central committee endorsed Kettering Council Member Peggy Lehner for the seat, but former state Rep. Don Mottley and Miami Twp. Trustee Deborah Preston said they are considering running in the March primary. They have agreed that only one of them will run, avoiding a three-way race, but have not decided which of them will withdraw.

And in two other races:

The central committee also endorsed Huber Heights City Council Member Seth Morgan for the 36th House seat now held by state Rep. Arlene Setzer, R-Vandalia, and endorsed Washington Twp. Trustee Terry Blair for the 38th House seat being vacated by state Rep. John J. White, R-Kettering.

Morgan was selected over German Twp. Trustee Greg Hanahan, who is also Miami Twp. administrator.

Blair was chosen over financial planner Tom Young, the only candidate who came to the night's meeting having been recommended by a screening committee set up by Party Chairman Greg Gantt.