Would-be Apportionment Board members express desire to adjust partisan process

COLUMBUS — “If the candidates for governor, auditor and secretary of state live up to their words, the state Apportionment Board could take a new, politically fairer approach to drawing legislative districts next year.

Will Ohio really see the end of the hyper-partisan process, where the key goal is maximizing the number of seats the majority political party can win? Will politicians do away with districts that look like they could have been shaped by a 4-year-old?

State lawmakers failed to agree on a plan for reducing the politics involved in drawing Ohio’s legislative districts before the Aug. 4 deadline for placing a Constitutional amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot.” Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch.

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COLUMBUS — “If Ohio is to end the ludicrous practice of letting partisan politicians draw legislative districts to suit themselves, the state legislature must approve a ballot measure in the next week, for the November election.

On Wednesday, July 28, one newspaper declared the hope dead. After that, however, phone calls and meetings among the various players did happen, with the expressed goal of revival. There is no excuse for failure.

The legislature is in recess and would have to be called back to Columbus. What’s needed is an agreement among leaders of both parties and some urgency.” The Columbus Dispatch.

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Redistricting mired in politics

Brad Bauer, Marietta Times.

COLUMBUS — “Yesterday the State Bullfrog traveled back to Columbus, Ohio. She stopped briefly to hop around Ashland, home of Ohio Senate President Bill Harris. This morning letters from constituents urging both Houses to get back to work were delivered to the Senate President’s office. On Tuesday, the Bullfrog visited the law office of Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish in Beechwood.

The Bullfrog has become an icon used by advocates to highlight misplaced legislative priorities. One June 3rd, the day before both chambers left for a five-month vacation, they were able to come to a compromise and pass House Bill 393, which made the bullfrog the State Frog and the spotted salamander the State Amphibian. Unfortunately, our legislature left without addressing gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering, or manipulation of district lines, has been a problem for a long time and this is our last opportunity for a fairer system or we will have to wait until 2021. Congressional and legislative districting occurs every ten years following the Census and will take place in 2011.

The Ohio General Assembly has identified gerrymandering and its impact on voter choice as a real problem. The Ohio Senate passed a redistricting measure to address gerrymandering— Senate Joint Resolution 5. The Ohio House passed their own resolution— House Joint Resolution 15. Both the Ohio House and Senate need to come back to Columbus and pass identical measures by August 4 or redistricting reform will not be on Ohioans’ ballots this fall,” Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.

Background on redistricting reform

The state Bullfrog ventured away from the Ohio Statehouse today to the Cleveland law office of Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish. The purpose of the visit was two-fold: to thank the House for passage of important bills that have since lain dormant in the Senate; and to call on the House and the Senate to return before August 4th to pass important redistricting legislation.

The Bullfrog has become an icon used by advocates to highlight misplaced legislative priorities. One June 3^rd, the day before both chambers left for a five-month vacation, they passed a bill making the Bullfrog the state frog of Ohio. A queue of unfinished business was left hanging, including redistricting, foreclosure and payday lending reform.

“The Bullfrog is now the state frog, the spotted salamander the state amphibian. But what about the Gerrymander?” said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money and Politics Project for Ohio Citizen Action. “It takes two to Tango and we need both chambers to come back.”

“The House passed comprehensive foreclosure prevention and payday lending reform. Now it’s the Senate’s turn to work,” said Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO). “We’re calling on the House to come back to session to force the Senate to come back as well.”

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Background on redistricting reform

All the ‘Baby Come Back’ campaign youtube movies

BEACHWOOD — “Members of the watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action tried Tuesday to get the Ohio General Assembly to jump back to work with a unique idea….

Hodges, a Cleveland resident and employee of Ohio Citizen Action, said she and her group want lawmakers to complete unfinished work on redistricting, foreclosure, payday lending and anti-discrimination legislation.

‘If we don’t get redistricting reform by Aug. 4, Ohio will have to wait 10 more years to get it,’ Hodges said. ‘If the Ohio General Assembly can make the bullfrog the state frog and the salamander the state amphibian like they did June 3, they can address the gerrymander. Those major issues need to be put on the November ballot.’… Catherine Turcer, director of the Money In Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, said Budish’s office was targeted because the House should come back into session to force the Senate to return.” Pat Galbincea & Aaron Marshall , The Plain Dealer.

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Picture Gallery

Activists protest House speaker

Shannon Bowens, The News-Herald

All the ‘Baby Come Back’ campaign youtube movies

CLEVELAND — “The legislature fled Columbus for the summer early on June 4. Now it turns out they won’t meet again until after November’s election, although lawmakers earmarked two September days “if needed.” (“If needed” for Columbus fundraisers, experience suggests.)…

Then there’s the constructive effort by state Sen. Jon Husted, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, to reform how Ohio draws General Assembly and congressional districts. The GOP-run Senate (in a September party-line vote) and Democrat-run House (in a bipartisan May 27 vote) passed rival plans. To put a plan on November’s ballot, the Senate and House must settle on one by Aug. 4.

Senate President Bill Harris, an Ashland Republican, and House Speaker Armond Budish, a Beachwood Democrat, have indicated they’ll summon legislators back to Columbus should Husted broker a compromise. But a compromise requires hard work from more Ohio legislators than just Jon Husted.” Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Bullfrog on the steps of an empty Statehouse

COLUMBUS — “Statehouse advocates got together sending a stern message (lightened by dancing in a frog dress and video blaring tuneless singing) to the state legislators to return to serious work. They are out of the town enjoying summer break – a pause that could drag on till the elections in November if they are not motivated to return earlier and take up the legislation lying pending

A conference was convened by The Liberal Progress Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action as well as Ohio Coalition for Homelessness and Housing. They urged the legislators to come back and start getting busy on some important legislation that were left incomplete when they went off on their break over three weeks previously…. Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action said, ‘We all admit this is a problem. Yet we’re stuck. It’s time for compromise and time to work together.’” Foreclosurerepos.com.

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Pending legislation requires action, activist groups say

Legislators are out of town on a summer break that could last through the November election, if they do not find motivation to come back sooner.

The liberal ProgressOhio, Ohio Citizen Action, Common Cause/Ohio and the Ohio Coalition for Homelessness and Housing in Ohio held a Statehouse news conference to urge lawmakers to return and get busy on some major legislation that was not completed before they departed more than three weeks ago. The bills involve redistricting, foreclosure assistance, payday-lending restrictions, corporate campaign disclosure and anti-employment discrimination for gays, among others….

‘We all admit this is a problem,’ said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action. ‘Yet, we’re stuck. It’s time for compromise and time to work together.’” Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch.

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Special interest groups calling on lawmakers to get back to work

Mark Kovac, Wooster Daily Record.

“Baby Come Back” Campaign Background Information pdf

COLUMBUS — “With the help of a bullfrog and two videos, four advocacy groups on Monday, June 28, urged state legislators to cut short their vacations and come back to Columbus to tackle tough issues such as payday lending and redistricting reform….

“We are here, unfortunately, because the legislature is not. The legislature has not been able to get anything meaningful passed,” Brian Rothenberg, executive director of ProgressOhio, said at a Statehouse press conference.

Other groups represented were: Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics project; Common Cause/Ohio and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.” William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.

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Bull frog claims lawmakers croaked on big issues

Emily Riemer, ABC 6.

“Baby Come Back” Campaign Background Information pdf

COLUMBUS — “Humor may have been vehicle, but the message to Ohio lawmakers couldn’t have been more serious: Get back to work.

Representatives from ProgressOhio, Ohio Citizen Action, Common Cause/Ohio and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) chided the legislature for leaving on vacation before effectively dealing with some of the state’s biggest issues, including foreclosure, payday lending, redistricting and anti-discrimination legislation.

They unveiled their ‘Get back to work’ campaign with a spunky video based on the 80’s hit tune, ‘Baby Come Back;’ and a giant frog in a homemade costume. Advocates wore T-shirts that read, ‘My lawmaker went to the Statehouse and all I got was this Bullfrog,’ in reference to HB 393, a bill that passed June 3^rd making the Bullfrog the state frog and the Spotted Salamander the state amphibian….  

‘They managed to compromise and make the bullfrog the State Frog and the spotted salamander the State Amphibian,’ said Catherine Turcer from Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics Project.  ‘But what about the gerrymander? We need the legislature to come back and address redistricting reform as soon as possible or it won’t be on this November’s ballot.’”

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“Baby Come Back” Campaign Background Information pdf