Strickland threatened to call session on holiday

December 23, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS (AP) — If history is any test, Ohio wasn’t about to hold a session on Christmas Day as the governor threatened.

A spot check of records in the Ohio House and Senate last week turned up only one time, 1819, when lawmakers met on the holiday. One other time, in 1804, Ohio lawmakers met on Christmas Eve, legislative spokespeople said.

Some might say the mere suggestion of convening on an important holiday had its desired effect: A lengthy logjam was broken when legislators agreed to Gov. Ted Strickland’s proposal to delay a tax cut, and Ohioans now head into the holidays with their state budget balanced.

On the other hand, Strickland may need to tread carefully with such threats in the future.

This was the second time in six months that he suggested lawmakers shouldn’t take time off on a holiday when budget negotiations weren’t going well.

The previous time, he scolded lawmakers and said they should work through Independence Day to resolve a stalemate — then was spotted competing in a gelatin-eating contest that day at a county fair. (The Legislature had opted not to meet.)

Elsewhere, legislative turmoil did affect some holidays this year.

The regular session of the West Virginia Legislature ended at midnight prior to Easter morning.

During its 2009 budget fight, California’s Legislature met on Valentine’s Day — forcing members to miss out on dinners with their sweethearts.

New York’s Senate was gridlocked for months this summer in a power struggle between the Democratic conference that had won a majority in the November 2008 elections and a Republican- dominated coalition joined by two dissident Democrats.

Democratic Gov. David Paterson compelled the New York Senate into extraordinary session for weeks to try to force a resolution of the conflict that arose from a June coup. Many lawmakers were forced to skip local Independence Day parades, which are major see-and-be-seen events for politicians.

Part of the reason Strickland’s plea for Ohio lawmakers to work through July Fourth was greeted with such shock this year was that holiday’s association with political glad-handing. In the year before a big election that may see leading Democrats’ fortunes change, some Republicans thought it devious that he was using the budget fight to keep would-be opponents away from a big campaign opportunity.

It is rare, though, for religious holidays such as Christmas to be brought into the debate.

Michigan’s Legislature met on Christmas Eve once in 1993.

When Minnesota’s budget was in rough shape in 1981, the Legislature met in session during the traditional Christmas break — on New Year’s Eve — to make sure the state had enough money to pay its bills.

Strickland’s point, despite the county-fair appearance, is not lost on those who are following the Statehouse this year. Only a handful of bills have been passed since January. When a bill comes through, it is often laced with complicated policy decisions and political risk.

But the Ohio budget drama is echoing almost exactly the themes Democrats and Republicans will be pitching nationally in 2010.

Strickland’s holiday pronouncements send the subtle message that the GOP is not working and is “the party of no ideas” as his national counterparts like to say. Republicans will point to the tax change he championed to say he’s a big- government Democrat.