State leaders plan for change

In 2019, Lorain city and county will see a transition with three of the four state legislators that represent Lorain County in Columbus.

Democrat Joe Miller, an Amherst city councilman, will join the Ohio House of Representatives. He will succeed Dan Ramos representing the 56th House District.

State Sen. Gayle Manning and state Rep. Nathan Manning, her son, both Republicans from North Ridgeville, will trade seats in the Ohio General Assembly. Voters gave the nod to Gayle Manning to represent the 55th House District and Nathan Manning will represent the county via Ohio Senate District 13.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Dick Stein, a Republican from Norwalk, finished his first term representing District 57 in the House. He has become an advocate for expanding nuclear power for consumer electricity and medical use.

Joe Miller

At Firelands High School, Miller keeps a number of campaign signs posted on the wall among family photos, maps and class and sports schedules.

In early December, representative-elect Miller, 49, was guiding freshman students of modern world history in their research on the Industrial Revolution. They were to consider what it would take to bring an 18th century factory to Lorain County.

“That’s what learning should be about, experimenting and try to problem solve, instead of all this multiple choice assessment,” Miller said.

The week before that, the three-term Amherst councilman was in Columbus for orientation on taking his seat in the Ohio House.

Miller will resign from Council on Dec. 31,become state representative as of Jan. 1 and be sworn in Jan. 7. After that he said he anticipates a retreat with House and Senate Democrats so the group can get to know each other and begin considering their policy goals for the upcoming term.

Technically his last day at the high school will be Jan. 11 so he can finish out as the students’ teacher of record through the end of the semester. He will have a two-year leave of absence from Firelands, where he has taught since 2001.

“It’s enjoyable,” he said. “I’m going to miss the classroom, there’s no doubt about it.

“I just think I can do more for public education and more for Ohioans by stepping out of the classroom and into a different arena,” Miller said.

He spent years teaching about civic activism, voting more, such as helping on campaigns, writing letters to the editor and joining special interest groups.

“If I’m going to preach that and if I’m going to teach that, I want to set that example,” Miller said.

He first was appointed to Amherst Council in January 2013, then ran and was elected in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

“It seems like all I’ve been doing is running,” Miller said. “It’s been a grind on family, friends and everybody involved, myself included. It’s been tough but it’s been an amazing opportunity to serve your residents.”

The orientation in Columbus presented so much information, it is like trying to drink from a firehose, Miller said.

Incoming lawmakers learned basic details such as where to find the House and Senate chambers, committee rooms and the Legislative Service Commission, the nonpartisan research board that helps legislators draft new laws.

The new lawmakers have to think of logistics. Miller said he likely will spend three days a week in Columbus, staying with family there and returning to the district Friday through Mondays.

He also had to hire a legislative aide and find his desk.

“I just want an office where we can get the job done,” Miller said.

Along with preparing for Columbus, Miller discussed issues including the need for more Local Government Funding for communities; representative districts instead of gerrymandered ones; improving conditions for small businesses; balanced, bipartisan policies; the need to retool Lorain County with energy and healthcare jobs.

Lorain County has a lake port, rail back and forth, the Ohio Turnpike, Interstate 90 and Ohio Route 2, Miller said. He suggested using steel made in Lorain to upgrade state and local infrastructure — a move that would create jobs and improve the economy if Ohio lawmakers will invest.

“There’s a lot of great things that can happen in our area,” Miller said. “We’re ready for a revitalization and it’s up to the people and the leadership at the local and state to help make that happen.

“I’m just a cog in the wheel, one of 99 in the House,” he said. “But if I can do like I do here in this classroom, just bring these ideas to my colleagues and to anyone who will listen, bring the needs of the constituents to my colleagues, I think we can make some positive change and I hope to be a part of that.”

Gayle Manning

Gayle Manning, 68, will represent the 55th House District, which includes the communities of Avon Lake, Sheffield Village, Elyria, Grafton, Carlisle Township and the western area of North Ridgeville.

“I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the great people of Northeast Ohio in the House of Representatives,” Manning said. “In everything I do, whether it is in Columbus or back at home, I will continue to make your priorities my priorities.”

With that goal in mind, Manning said she welcomes constituent feedback and opinions. She invited residents to contact her office.

Her House district will be smaller than the Senate district she represented, which included all of Lorain and Huron counties.

“I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve the constituents that make up Ohio’s 13th Senate District,” she said. “My colleagues and I have worked hard to move our state forward, improving the lives of those we represent.”

A retired teacher, Manning said educators know now more than ever how critically important early childhood education is to the development of our youngest Ohioans.

Manning said that is why she is proud of the work the legislature accomplished through the “SAFE Act,” which limits suspension and expulsion of students from pre-kindergarten through third grade and will train administrators to use positive behavior intervention and support.

Recently, legislators came together to work on House Bill 491, which reestablishes temporary alternative graduation pathways to ensure students have a fair opportunity to meet the minimum high school graduation requirements.

“These efforts and more have inspired my teacher heart to continue doing what I can in the House to help meet the education needs in our community,” Gayle Manning said.

“We also have made great strides in helping to combat the opioid crisis facing our state but I know there is much more we can do,” she said. “I am focused on continuing to work alongside our local leaders and community to help increase access to treatment for those who need it.”

Nathan Manning

The year 2018 was interesting, with a number of things happening in the House and a tough election, Nathan Manning said. He added he is looking forward to the challenge of the Senate after facing a tough election.

The Senate will not be as new as the House was when he first arrived in Columbus, said the 36-year-old Manning. Then, he did not know anyone among the representatives.

“You’re lucky if you can find a bathroom, let alone pass a bill,” Manning quipped.

The Ohio Senate has 33 members, compared to 99 in the House of Representatives, so it will be easier to get to know his fellows, Manning said. Plus, among the state senators, eight were previously state representatives.

“I really think the transition will be pretty smooth,” Manning said. “Don’t get me wrong, there will be a learning curve. I’ll be a low man on the totem pole.”

In 2018, the campaign trail was different than in previous years because the economy has gotten better and the unemployment rate has gone down, Manning said. Those issues were more prevalent in earlier campaigns.

Area residents still have concerns about healthcare and prescription drug costs, he said.

“Unfortunately, the heroin epidemic has always been one of the top things,” he said, noting the opioid crisis is improving, but slowly, and state lawmakers must help it continue in the right direction.

He opposed State Issue 1, a constitutional amendment to reform drug laws in Ohio.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t agree with the overall premise or the talking points they had,” Manning said.

For example, he said he supported treating certain offenses as misdemeanors and making it easier for some offenders to have their records sealed or expunged.

But he said he opposed amending the state constitution for drug laws, particularly eliminating the possibility of jail time for some offenders. The threat of incarceration sometimes is needed to urge people to get the help they need, he said.

The state issue “started a great conversation,” and instead of being tough on crime for low-level offenders, Ohio lawmakers need to be smart on crime, Manning said.

With all of Lorain and Huron counties, the Senate territory is considerably larger than the 55th House District. The travel time across the district will increase, but he said it is exciting and his learning started in the summer and fall.

“The best way to get to know a new district is to run in a very competitive election,” Manning said.

For years, mayors have complained Columbus has turned off the stream of Local Government Funds that help communities.

Manning said he understands Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s reasons for wanting to build a state surplus. But Lorain also was featured in a New York Times report about local communities that are struggling, he said.

As for education, Manning said he reminds people he voted against House Bill 70, the state law governing how Lorain City Schools deals with its state ranking of academic distress.

“So I was against it from the start,” he said.

Manning said he is rooting for the Academic Distress Commission and CEO David Hardy Jr. to improve education for students.

But there is tension in Lorain right new because of it, he said.

HB 70 is not the best policy in the world, but even if it was, it was forced on Lorain without input from teachers or elected officials in the schools, Manning said.

“They’re not going to take it very well and I think that’s what we’re seeing right now,” he said.

Dick Stein

Stein, 64, worked for years as a professional photographer running his own business and color printing service.

He was elected in 2016 and this year was elected to a second two-year term in the Ohio House of Representatives. His 57th House district includes Avon, the east side of North Ridgeville, the villages of LaGrange and Wellington, and the townships of Columbia, Eaton, Grafton, LaGrange, Penfield, Wellington, Huntington and Rochester.

“We’re happy to have made it through our first term and we had an opportunity to learn a lot about state politics,” he said.

Stein has become an advocate for using nuclear technology for energy production and for medical use.

“It’s an area where we think we can make some huge inroads with the help of the federal government,” he said. “We need to get the federal government to be on our side to allow Ohio to do what we basically already allow China to do.”

In December 2018, the House voted 73-2 for legislation known as House Resolution 518.

“The resolution petitions the United States Department of Energy to promulgate rules and establish programs allowing states to develop new nuclear designs and technologies, under federal authority, and to construct a prototype reactor,” said Stein’s official description of the bill. “Ohio, ranked number two in the American nuclear supply chain, has the engineering, materials, and talent to support the advancement of these technologies far into the future.

“This resolution sends a clear message that Ohio has been, and should continue to be, a leader in nuclear technology development,” the official summary said.

Ohio already is strong in the fields of medicine and technology, Stein said. Adding nuclear power to Ohio’s economy, there is “huge potential possible,” he said.

There are about 320,000 procedures a week involving nuclear medicine in the United States, where it has grown to a $10 billion industry, Stein said. Yet, none of the isotopes needed in medicine are produced in the western hemisphere, he said.

For the environment, nuclear energy is the largest producer of power without also producing carbon, Stein said. He acknowledged it is not renewable and produces nuclear waste, but technology has improved so that nuclear production can a safe and productive part of Ohio’s energy portfolio.

Stein sponsored legislation known as House Bill 168, the Cemetery Restoration and Improvement Act. It establishes a grant program funded with $100,000 to help Ohio townships maintain more than 2,400 cemeteries in the state.

The money will pay for larger repairs and maintenance that go beyond the ordinary work that townships perform, Stein said.

The bill had support of the Ohio Township Association, Cemetery Association, Catholic Cemeteries, and Funeral Directors Association.