Fallsnewspress.com - Capital News: A lot of talk but no action on redistricting reform

by Marc Kovac, Capital Bureau Chief

Columbus -- You didn't really think lawmakers were going to break their summer recess and move on a redistricting reform, did you?

Because few people around the Statehouse believed that was going to happen, regardless of the merits of implementing a system of drawing legislative district lines that removes partisan politics from the process.

Yes, I know we had last-minute pleas from folks on both sides, talking about the need for change.

Republican state Sen. and Secretary of State candidate Jon Husted, sponsor or one of the resolutions, said last week that he hadn't given up hope on a compromise.

"The phones have been lighting up with both the good government groups and others who are interested in getting this done, seeing if we can't get a compromise proposal on the table," he said. "We've got counter offers and offers out there right now and hopefully they're going to gain some traction."

He added, "I'm not optimistic [about reaching an agreement by next week], but I think there are important people that understand the need to get this done. Hopefully, we can get people's attentions off of the campaign trail for just a few days and back involved in the public policy aspect of their responsibilities."

But then those few days passed, lawmakers weren't called back into session, and redistricting reform died for another decade.

In a released statement afterward, Democratic House Speaker Armond Budish said, "Over the last 12 months, House Leadership has been working to place a measure on the November ballot that would remove partisanship from the process of drawing legislative district lines and end, once and for all, the practice of gerrymandering. Ohioans deserve a better system that creates more accountable and competitive elections, and now was the time to make this happen."

It's all a lot of talk, and it's the kind of stuff politicians have to say in an election year.

But, again, no one I talked to around Capitol Square believed anything would really be done.

Flashback to February, just after Gov. Ted Strickland gave his annual State of the State address. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist, appeared before a group of reporters attending a conference in Columbus.

And neither one of them thought redistricting reform would happen.

"Every so often, the dialogue begins that it's time to change the way we draw the lines," Weaver said at the time. "That dialogue goes on for a while, and a lot of smart people make a lot of good arguments on both sides. And then nothing happens."

Redfern added, "It's an issue most Ohioans don't understand or care to understand. The Legislature on the Democratic side and the Republican side will both offer reform packages ... We'll have a lot of discussion, and then we'll focus on the economy, as we should."

Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.