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David Skolnick

Redistricting reform sought

With a number of organizations still angry about the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s approval of General Assembly maps, the effort to change how federal and state legislative districts took a step forward. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost approved summary petition language as “fair and truthful” for a constitutional amendment that would take the power to draw those districts away from politicians and give it to a 15-member citizens commission. The approval from Yost, a Republican, came after he twice rejected petition language from an organization called Citizens Not ...

Valley gets 1 competitive district

When Democrats on the Ohio Redistricting Commission cut a deal with their Republican counterparts, the Mahoning Valley didn’t come into play. The seven-member commission unanimously voted in favor of state legislative maps that give Republicans 61 state House seats to 38 for Democrats with eight Democratic and three Republican toss-up districts. The compromise gave Democrats one more seat in the House than an initial Republican proposal did, but it keeps the GOP supermajority. Not much changed in the state Senate map proposed last week by Republicans. The GOP would still retain a ...

Language likely won’t impact abortion vote

Except for a minor tweak, the Ohio Supreme Court decided to keep ballot language for the reproductive rights constitutional amendment that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot intact. But no matter what the court decided, many people are unlikely to read the ballot language before they vote or understand it. Voters know the proposal would make abortions accessible in Ohio if it passes. Also, we will be inundated with ads from both sides telling what they see as the impact of the constitutional amendment. There will be those swayed by what they read and see. Why else would there be a need ...

Frenchko political plan brings intrigue

While several candidates are expected to file for two Trumbull County commissioner seats up in next year’s election, there is nothing more intriguing than what Niki Frenchko, one of the incumbents, plans to do. Frenchko, a Republican, has nominating petitions for both the seat she holds, as well as for the seat currently held by Democrat Mauro Cantalamessa, seeking re-election. To be polite, the two don’t get along. Frenchko will face a Republican opponent in the primary regardless of her decision. Not only does Frenchko have to figure out which Republican is easier to defeat, ...

Abortion issue goes back to court

The abortion rights constitutional amendment is heading back to the Ohio Supreme Court — this time over the summary language that voters will see on the Nov. 7 ballot. The Ohio Ballot Board recently approved language for the amendment that supporters of the proposal say is misleading. Opponents of the abortion rights ballot issue say the summary language from the ballot board is more accurate than what pro-choice supporters propose. The board consists of five members: two Republican state legislators, two Democratic state legislators and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a ...

Mistakes keep candidates off ballot

Running for local elected office, such as township trustee or for a seat on the board of education, isn't easy. It's particularly challenging if you've never done it before. So it wasn't surprising that 22 candidates who turned in nominating petitions in Mahoning County and 12 in Trumbull County didn't qualify for the ballot because of various problems with properly completing those documents. However, what is surprising is that of 34 who didn't qualify, 11 were incumbents. The front page of each nominating petition has a statement of candidacy at the top and a nominating statement ...