The Observer, March 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 19
Center for Policy Studies hosts panel on Strickland
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On Monday, the Case Center for Policy Studies held a panel discussion featuring likely scenarios facing Ohio's newly elected governor, Ted Strickland.
The event, held in Ford Auditorium, was titled, "What Can the New Governor Do? A Discussion of Prospects for the Strickland Administration." With many viewing Strickland's election results as a mandate, the discussion about how his administration will proceed proved timely.
The panel was moderated by Joseph White, Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Center for Policy Studies at Case. The panelists were Joe Hallett, politics editor of the Columbus Dispatch since 1999; John Corlett, Senior Fellow of the Public Policy and Advocacy team at The Center for Community Solutions, which manages issues including tax policy, education, and health care; and Jim Trakas, who served four terms in the Ohio General Assembly as a Republican legislator from Independence, Ohio.
Hallett began by first discussing the dramatic change in voting trends in Ohio counties that brought Strickland into office. While John Kerry carried urban counties with a wide margin in the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush matched that success in rural areas, a focus that won him the state of Ohio. Hallett contrasted that with maps with 2006 election results by county, making the point that Strickland, the Democratic candidate, handily won against Republican candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell by focusing on these same rural, "red" counties.
Hallett continued to explain that by choosing not to ignore these rural voters, Strickland had secured himself a mandate. A defining moment early in Strickland's governorship occurred on his first day when he vetoed a bill capping damages from predatory lending at $5000. Strickland wanted to "send a message," explained Hallett, to the Republican-controlled Ohio General Assembly.
Corlett agreed that this was an early part of a mutual "testing phase" between the legislature and the governor as they established a working relationship. He noted that many Republican leaders and legislators seem eager to work with Strickland. He also pointed out Medicaid as a critical area for Ohio, as well as how Strickland may gain support with a somewhat conservative tax budget.
Education was a critical topic leading up to the gubernatorial election, and Corlett sees early care to be the area most likely represented in Strickland's budget for education. Corlett was not so sure of the prospects for higher education, however, noting that funding actually decreased at points during Governor Bob Taft's administration. He cited it as a difficult issue for legislators.
Trakas echoed the comments on the higher education issue, saying that it was not vital in Ohio's economy previously but has now shown itself to be critical to economic development. He said that when "voters demand change" on the issue, legislators will provide it, but until then, reform is difficult to support. He pointed to Strickland's State of the State Address on March 14 as a good indicator of what to expect from the Strickland administration.
Corlett and Trakas pointed out that Strickland was eager to establish a good working relationship with legislators, with his office actually in the Statehouse. Overall, there was consensus that Strickland wanted the best for Ohio and was ready to work on "strengthening Ohio's strengths." Trakas conceded that "games will be played by both sides in the legislature," but he also predicted that Strickland would go to work bettering Ohio for the voters who trusted him to do so.
The discussion is available as a downloadable podcast from http://policy.case.edu.
