Rotunda Rumblings
Union boss: AFL-CIO President Tim Burga is fighting a subpoena to appear as a defense witness for former Speaker Larry Householder in his corruption trial, Jake Zuckerman reports. A court filing from Burga newly discloses that the unions took $1.4 million to pay for political ads from a nonprofit that prosecutors say was central to Householder’s bribery scheme.
State of the State preview: Gov. Mike DeWine will deliver his 2023 State of the State address today at noon, in what he’s indicated will double as a rollout of his new two-year state budget plan. Jeremy Pelzer has more on what to expect from the speech, including new proposals to significantly broaden children’s services, revamp the state’s mental health system, expand education programs and offering affordable housing tax credits.
Home school hate: Ohio politicians and education officials are condemning a Telegram home school channel run by an Upper Sandusky couple who emphasize neo-Nazi content. Laura Hancock writes that the channel features handwriting practice sheets with Adolf Hitler quotes, and racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic content about Martin Luther King. Democrats at the Statehouse say this demonstrates why Ohio needs to tighten rules on home schools.
Back at it: Mike Gibbons, who self-funded an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate last year, has a new political project. As Andrew Tobias writes, he’s repurposing his political action committee to try to recruit and support candidates to run against Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens and the Republican House members who helped Stephens get his leadership position. Gibbons finished fourth in last year’s Republican Senate primary, but spent over $18 million of his own money.
Even Stephens: New Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, in his first extensive sit-down with reporters, indicated Friday that he’s open to some ideas that have been more closely associated with his political nemesis, state Rep. Derek Merrin. As Pelzer writes, Stephens said he doesn’t think the proposed constitutional amendment to raise the vote threshold to pass future proposed amendments is dead, though he said it won’t be passed in time for the May primary. Stephens also said he may “perhaps” support abolishing the state’s income tax.
All rise: After a six-day hiatus, the corruption trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and his alleged conspirator Matt Borges is scheduled to resume on Tuesday with additional testimony from an FBI agent who oversaw the investigation. The trial has been on hold since Wednesday after a juror tested positive for the coronavirus.
Paying the piper: The Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s AFC championship game means U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, will have to make good on bets he made with Senate colleagues. He’ll deliver ribs from Cincinnati’s Montgomery Inn to Missouri Republican Josh Hawley and have to spend a day wearing a Kansas City Chiefs necktie that belongs to Kansas Republican Roger Marshall. “Heartbreaking,” Vance posted on Twitter after the game. “But very proud of our team. Congrats to the Bengals coaches and players on another incredible run.”
Sworn In: U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, held a ceremonial swearing-in over the weekend in the auditorium of the Firestone Community Learning Center, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. “We have a unique opportunity before us, one that requires laser focus and hard work and also compassion,” Sykes said of her commitment to increasing opportunities for the district’s residents. Attendees included her GOP colleagues in Congress, Max Miller of Rocky River and Mike Carey of Columbus.
Real Time with Tim Ryan: In a Friday appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan blamed his defeat in last year’s Ohio Senate contest on the Democratic party’s brand being “toxic” in Ohio. He said that’s happened because instead of saying “I don’t want that stuff taught to my kid” when Republicans bring up issues like critical race theory, “some Democrats will take the bait” and get into a fight about it. He also criticized national Democrats for channeling money into North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race instead of his own on the grounds that it has a higher ratio of college educated voters than Ohio, arguing it should have financed his effort to appeal to working-class voters “because that will help us shift the brand of the party.”
Full Disclosure
Five things we learned from the March 25, 2022, financial disclosure of Ohio Rep. Adam Holmes, a Muskingum County Republican.
1. Along with his lawmaking, he reports earning income as a CEO of industrial machine company Frueh Enterprises and military retirement through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service
2. Aside from his personal residence, he owns no real estate in Ohio
3. He has owed at least $1,000 to three creditors at some point during calendar year 2021
4. He received an award and breakfast from AMVETS in Ohio worth about $140 combined
5. He disclosed about 85 different stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and others in which he has invested at least $1,000 in each.
Straight From The Source
“I’ve got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor: Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni.”
Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, responding to earlier smack talk from Democratic Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game. Kelce is a Cleveland-area native.
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