Action expected on redistricting

COLUMBUS

Random thoughts now that the 2014 election is over:

Apportionment: Lots of people from both sides of the political aisle are making public comments about the need to reform the way Ohio draws its congressional and legislative districts.

Republican House Speaker Bill Batchelder mentioned the issue during a post-election conference in Columbus this week. The voter-created Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission also appears to be close to offering a recommendation on how to make the process less partisan.

Whether any of the talk actually ends up in lawmaker action remains to be seen. And even if lawmakers decide to finally act, the final decision will rest in the hands of voters.

On the campaign trail, Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted said he wants to move forward with a ballot issue if Statehouse dwellers didn’t do something soon.

He has proposed a seven-member bipartisan board that includes the governor, secretary of state, auditor and four members of the Legislature (two from each political party), with any resulting maps requiring minority party support for passage.

“There’s no reason to hold off doing this,” Husted said last month. “... I do intend, if they don’t do something by the end of the year, to develop a ballot initiative that we can begin to work on in 2015, if the Legislature fails to act.”

Charter schools: Democrats have been vocal in their opposition to how Ohio regulates charter schools, which receive public money but which aren’t subject to the same types of checks and balances and rules that cover conventional public schools.

I’ll be watching in the new year for what Republican state Auditor Dave Yost has to say about that subject.

IMPROVING ACCOUNTABILITY

Yost said last month that more should be done to ensure charters are fulfilling their obligations to students and taxpayers.

He also said his office is completing a performance audit of the Ohio Department of Education and special audits on a number of charter schools. He’s going to use the resulting information to offer recommendations for law changes.

“Ohio’s structure is inadequate for proper oversight,” he said, adding that he will be able “to offer some very useful insight to the legislature on reviewing and revising and improving the structure of accountability here in Ohio.”

Presidential rumblings: There will be much speculation about Gov. John Kasich’s presidential aspirations.

A bitter Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, promised on election night that members of his party in the state were ready to counter any such efforts.

“We’re going to be there following every step along the way, because the firefighters in this state, the teachers in this state, the police officers in this state, the workers at Ormet in this state expect the same kind of attention paid to John Kasich’s miserable record that you all have paid to Ed FitzGerald’s driving license,” he said.

On the one hand, you’d think that a bitter, vengeful Ohio Democratic Party will be out for blood if Kasich decides to run for president.

On the other, Redfern lost his legislative seat on Tuesday and announced his resignation as party chairman later in the evening.

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.