Columbus Post

Governor’s race could impact Obama

Race will hinge on who voters hold accountable for the state’s miserable economy

By Michael Edwards
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

The state’s top Democrat officially kicked off his reelection campaign recently, naming well-known and respected community leader, Yvette McGee Brown as his running mate.
Ending months of speculation, Gov. Ted Strickland named the former Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge McGee Brown as his choice for lieutenant governor. They will face Republican challenger John Kasich and his running mate, current State Auditor Mary Taylor in November.
McGee Brown had served as a judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, from 1993 to 2002. She was the first African American and the second woman to be elected to the court.
In 2002, McGee Brown retired from the Franklin County Common Pleas Court to create the Center for Child and Family Advocacy (CCFA). The CCFA is a multi-disciplinary child abuse and family violence program that identifies prevention, assessment, treatment, research, advocacy and education services for children and families experiencing abuse.
Ohio Republican Party leader Kevin DeWine has issued a statement calling the selection of Brown as “uninspiring.” Dewine goes on to say that Brown is “merely” a “social worker with no experience in public finance or state government.”
If those sound like fighting words, it’s because they are.
Ohio is considered a battleground state again and it’s on the frontline of the 2012 redistricting fight. The state is expected to lose two of its 18 congressional seats during reapportionment after the Census is complete, and whichever party holds the governor’s mansion will have leverage.
The governor is one of five members of the state’s Apportionment Board, which redraws the state’s congressional and legislative districts. The plan ultimately has to be approved by the state Legislature and then signed by the governor.
The governor can use the threat of a veto to influence the way the Legislature draws up the new districts, said Douglas Johnson, a fellow at the Rose Institute who studies redistricting. “Veto power gives them negotiating power.”
Should Ohio swing Republican in 2010, it could also spell trouble for Obama’s 2012 reelection bid.
McGee Brown dismisses the statement as political rhetoric. “I am hardly a newcomer to state government. I have served as an assistant attorney general and legal counsel to two state departments.” She serves on the boards of Ohio University, The Ohio State University Medical Center, the Columbus Academy and the Community Shelter Board. She also serves on the boards of M/I Homes, Inc. and Fifth Third Bank of Central Ohio.
Strickland made no secret of his admiration of McGee Brown’s charisma and charm.
“She’s a city girl from Columbus, the daughter of a single, teenage mom who worked two jobs to help her daughter succeed – she comes from humble means and knows the importance of a solid education; and, she fights for those who can’t everyday,” said an almost gushing Strickland.
Charisma and charm are elements that are hoped to kick-start and bring much excitement to the campaign. Strickland roared into office three years ago with nearly 61 percent of the vote; however, currently trails Republican John Kasich 51-45 percent in a Dayton Daily News/Ohio Newspaper Poll released Sunday, Jan. 24.
During his initial gubernatorial campaign, Strickland1 said it would be necessary to make tough choices for the long-term betterment of the state.
Still, Strickland became public enemy number one to many across the Buckeye state last June after suggesting that it may be necessary slash childcare subsidies and library funding by up to 50 percent in order to balance the state budget. In addition, Strickland proposed cutting alcohol and drug addiction services by 28 percent and community-based mental health services by 34 percent.
Such drastic cuts were avoided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) or stimulus funding. The measure contained a total of $135 billion in state fiscal relief, of which Ohio received around $4.8 billion, including $3.01 billion in additional federal Medicaid funds, $1.46 billion to cover education shortfalls, and $326 million from the general government portion of the Fiscal Stabilization Fund.
“The great recession has put voters in a sour mood and left them open to change,” said Eric Rademacher, poll director.
Fortunately for Strickland, within political terms, November is still light-years away. Furthermore, McGee Brown is seen as someone who will help bring out the African-American vote as well as independent voters and professional women – all core to the democratic base.
Ultimately, the race will hinge on whom Ohio voters decide to hold accountable for the state’s sour economy. Kasich blames Strickland.
Strickland said that in the 38 months since he has been governor, Ohio has been “confronted with an economic storm not of our own making that started on Wall Street, that hit us harder than anything we’ve seen in our life time.”
Without naming Kasich directly, Strickland took several swipes at Wall Street. Kasich, a former U.S. House member from suburban Columbus, also worked as a managing director for Lehman Brothers, the investment bank that collapsed in 2008 helping trigger the economic slump.
Further acknowledging the state’s current dismal economic outlook and an unemployment rate reaching 10.9 percent, Strickland and McGee Brown said they will work to connect with the common man and families dreaming of better days.
Strickland said his platform will continue to support public education, make higher education more affordable, and tweak Ohio’s business taxes to help lure jobs for a better-prepared workforce once the recession lifts.
“McGee Brown is a living example of the importance of education and how it can improve one’s situation in life,” said Strickland, pointing toward his creation of the University System of Ohio. The University System of Ohio is a network of services designed to improve access to the state’s 14 public universities, 24 branch campuses, 23 community colleges, and more than 120 adult workforce education centers and training programs.
“Ohio’s the only state that’s frozen tuition for two years, and the result of that is that 65,000 more students are enrolled in a college today than they were when I was elected governor… we have balanced its budget while cutting taxes, and held the line on business taxes while cutting red tape so business can grown and be competitive,” said Strickland.
McGee Brown added that she believes Ohio is on the right track in navigating the national downturn in the economy and looks forward to traveling the state to learn how she can better help serve all Ohioans.

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