Only one real choice in Ohio House speaker mess
The unprecedented breakdown of leadership in the Ohio House of Representatives is about one thing — serving one member’s ambition to be speaker come January — and it’s time for it to stop.
Rep. Kirk Schuring, the Canton Republican who is acting speaker of the House, has given members until 5 p.m. Friday to tell him which of two choices they prefer: to vote next week on a speaker to serve out the remainder of the year or to change rules to allow Schuring to continue in the temporary role until a newly constituted House elects a speaker in January.
They should take the vote on the next speaker as soon as possible. There is no legitimate reason to go seven months without an official speaker.
The only reason anyone is talking about avoiding a vote on a speaker is because Rep. Larry Householder, R-Glenford, wants the job but doesn’t have the votes now. He believes he will in January, when new members are seated, and he doesn’t want his rival occupying the seat until then.
Setting aside the unseemly gamesmanship, Householder is a terrible choice for speaker. He held the job once before, from 2001 to 2004, and quickly earned a reputation for strong-arm fundraising tactics and bullying.
His own caucus fired his two top aides when details of their unsavory style became public. The FBI investigated allegations that Householder and the two aides engaged in bribery and kickback schemes. The bureau declined to prosecute, but allegations of ethical violations followed Householder to his next elected post as Perry County auditor.
This is not the man to restore dignity and competence to the Ohio House.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ryan Smith, R-Bidwell, well-regarded for policy expertise and ethical character, also wants to be speaker and has the support of at least 47 of the chamber’s 65 Republicans. To be elected speaker of the 99-member House, one needs the votes of a majority of those present.
Smith likely could pick up the additional votes he needs from Democrats or fence-sitting Republicans. Hence the ferocious effort by Householder and his supporters to delay the vote until January.
But Ohio voters will have a say in this, too. In November, every House seat will be on the ballot. Voters can do their part to improve the state’s future by denying a place in the General Assembly to Householder loyalists. Ohio desperately needs more statesmanship and less powermongering at the Statehouse.
For now, Ohio needs House members who will put the people’s business before their own political concerns. While some Republicans, including Anne Gonzales of Westerville and Jim Hughes of Upper Arlington, have bucked tradition and not backed the candidate with a plurality of Republican votes, the House has been idle since April 10 and important legislation is going unaddressed.
Nor should Democrats be sitting back enjoying the Republicans’ embarrassing dysfunction. They, too, owe the people of Ohio their best effort at governing, and thanks to the Republican Householder holdouts, they can and should play a role in choosing the next speaker. They will have to work with that person — or be run over by him, if the ultimate choice is Householder.
The true options are a legislator with integrity and a political bully. Any move other than calling for a speaker vote now only improves Householder’s chances of regaining power in January. The choice should be clear.