Hagan quits as caucus minority whip

By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- State Sen. Robert F. Hagan resigned as assistant minority whip of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus.
Caucus rules "preclude members actively running for non-Senate seats from serving in leadership positions," said Hagan of Youngstown, D-33rd, in a prepared statement Wednesday.
Hagan is among seven Democratic candidates running in the party's May 2 primary for the open 60th Ohio House District seat. State Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr., a Youngstown Democrat, cannot seek re-election to the post this year because of the state's term-limits law.
Hagan can't run for re-election this year to his state Senate seat for the same reason.
Hagan began serving in the leadership role in January 2005. It was the first leadership role for Hagan, who served 10 years in the Ohio House and is in his eighth year in the Senate.
State Sen. Tom Roberts of Trotwood, D-5th, was sworn in Wednesday to replace Hagan in the fourth-most-powerful position in the Senate Democratic caucus. There are 11 Democrats in the Senate compared with 22 Republicans.
Hagan couldn't be reached late Wednesday to comment on why he didn't resign the position last year when he unsuccessfully ran for Youngstown mayor.
Making a point
In one of Hagan's last moves as assistant minority whip, he issued a co-sponsorship request to Senate members for proposed legislation to ban Republicans from adopting children in Ohio.
The request wasn't a serious one. It was done in response to a bill formally proposed in the Ohio House by state Rep. Ron Hood of Ashville, R-91st, and formerly of Canfield, to ban homosexuals, bisexuals or transgenders from adopting children in Ohio.
Hagan said he won't introduce a bill, but the co-sponsorship request was done to make a point about concerns regarding Hood's bill. Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted of Kettering, R-37th, has publicly stated Hood's bill will not pass.
Hagan's request received national attention with the state senator appearing on talk shows on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel in recent days.
skolnick@vindy.com