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Something old, little new
On the side
A GOP Christmas: The Mahoning County Republican Party is holding a chairman’s Christmas party at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center in Boardman.
Chairman Mark Munroe said he plans to make the party an annual event.
The party is seeking nominations for Republican man, woman and couple of the year. The winners will be honored at the event. The nomination deadline is Dec. 11.
Tickets for the event are $35 each.
Those wanting to buy tickets can send checks to the party at P.O. Box 9012, Boardman 44513. Republicans can also submit nominations for the awards to that same P.O. box.
Youngstown Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th, isn’t wasting any time in his re-election bid next year.
Drennen is circulating nominating petitions for the May 2011 primary and expects to turn them in to the Mahoning County Board of Elections shortly. The deadline to file for next year’s primary is in early February.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
Following the clueless decisions of Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate, who left their failed leadership in place, Democrats in the Ohio House and Senate did the same.
It was a terrible election for Democrats in Ohio and nationwide.
You would think that alone would be enough for what’s left of the incoming Democratic caucuses in the Ohio House and Senate to make changes.
But you’d be wrong.
Outgoing Speaker of the House Armond Budish of Beachwood, D-8th, was elected minority leader by the incoming House Democratic caucus.
After helping Democrats gain control of the House as a result of the 2008 election, Budish was rewarded with the speaker position.
Democrats will see that 53-46 majority over Republicans evaporate in January to at least a 58-39 deficit — the results of two races remain too close to call — because of what happened this past Election Day.
The caucus rewarded Budish for losing the majority.
He wasn’t alone.
Speaker Pro Tempore Matthew A. Szollosi of Toledo, D-49th, was elected assistant minority leader, and Majority Floor Leader Tracy Maxwell Heard of Columbus, D-26th, was elected minority whip. The only new member of Democratic leadership is state Rep. Debbie Phillips of Athens, D-92nd, as assistant minority whip.
Ohio voters were very clear about Ohio Democrats: status quo was status no.
Even after this election, Democratic state legislators still don’t understand voters.
There were challengers to Budish and Szollosi from the more liberal wing of the caucus, but they were soundly defeated.
State Rep. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, a supporter of the opposition, said: “I felt very strongly that a new direction was needed by the caucus. That wasn’t the feeling of most of the caucus.”
The “minority of the minority” opted not to challenge for the Nos. 3 and 4 positions after losing the first two races, Hagan said.
As for a fallout for his opposition, Hagan said, “When we’re so deep in the minority, what can they do? They could deny me minority leadership on committees.”
But it’s the ranking minority members on committees who are the most ignored, he said.
At least some House Democrats tried to make leadership accountable for the election results.
The Senate Democrats elected its four leaders without any opposition. Three of the four were re-elected. The fourth couldn’t be re-elected as he is leaving the Senate on Dec. 31 because of term limits.
Losing two seats in the Nov. 2 election, Democrats will have only 10 of the 33 members come January, the party’s smallest number of senators since 1967.
Rather than make changes, Democrats in the Senate did nothing.
Apparently when you have so few members, there is no motivation for change.