Persistence pays off for former legislator

When Anthony Latell first started talking about the problems inherent in having motor vehicles sharing the same roads with horse-drawn buggies in Amish country, his colleagues in the Ohio General Assembly thought he was, well, buggy. But they changed their minds when Latell aired a videotape that he had made showing just how little attention is paid to the Amish with their non-motorized mode of transportation by drivers of trucks and cars.
Latell, who served in the Senate and House, kept the issue of buggy safety alive for years by sponsoring bills aimed at separating the old from the new. The long-time officeholder from Girard -- his 26-year political career took him from Girard council to the county commissioner's office to the state Senate and finally the House -- pushed the idea of a special highway lane for buggies and advocated other safety measures to alert motorists to the presence of buggies.
His persistence paid off. Last year, the House and Senate passed his bill that would allow local governments to apply for state grants to improve safety on roads traveled by horse-drawn vehicles. Gov. Bob Taft is scheduled to sign the bill into law on Monday. Latell will be on hand -- even though he is no longer a state legislator.
Congressional race
His last day as a member of the House was Tuesday. Latell chose not to seek re-election in 2002 and, instead, made a bid for the Democratic nomination for congressman from the reconfigured 17th District. However, he was unable to persuade Democrats in the district, which includes Trumbull County and a portion of Mahoning County, that his experience in office would stand him in good stead in Washington. They picked Tim Ryan of Niles, who had served 22 months in the state Senate and had no legislative record.
Indeed, Ryan defeated a member of Congress, Tom Sawyer, in capturing the nomination. He went on to win the general election by overcoming a challenge from the Republican nominee, Ann Womer Benjamin, and former Congressman James A. Traficant Jr., who ran as an independent from his federal prison cell. Traficant was expelled from the House after he was convicted by a federal jury of 10 criminal charges. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Traficant had served as this region's representative for 17 years and 7 months.
Monday's signing of the horse-drawn vehicle safety bill is a fitting end to this phase of Latell's political career.
Once the measure becomes law, local governments near Amish communities will be able to apply for grants through the Ohio Public Works Commission to improve roads that were previously ineligible for such money. Low traffic volumes and the failure to meet other criteria governing the distribution of these state funds meant that safety measures could not be implemented.
"It's a safety issue for the driving public as well as for the slow-moving animal-drawn vehicles," Latell said recently. In 1999, four people were killed in crashes involving buggies, and 144 were injured. A total of 161 crashes involved animal-drawn vehicles.