Ryan rebounds in fundraising

July 31, 2020

Raising money for elected office really hasn’t been U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s thing. Some politicians have no problem asking for money while others just aren’t that good at it. Ryan, D-Howland, hasn’t really needed to raise a lot of money over the years as he’s rarely had serious competition for his seat since he first won it in 2002. During his ill-conceived presidential bid, Ryan’s inexperience with raising money was highlighted. When he was an active candidate, he raised the second-least amount of money among those seeking the Democratic nomination. He even collected ...

Valley corruption seems puny

July 24, 2020

One lesson I’ve learned covering politics is when something leaves you wondering why, follow the money. That’s what federal prosecutors did in uncovering what they said could be the largest public bribery scheme in Ohio history. When the state Legislature chose last year to bail out two failing nuclear power plants with $1.3 billion coming from ratepayers while ending requirements that utility companies use more wind and solar, it made little sense. Some legislators told me they supported it to save jobs at two nuclear plants, but that was a flimsy argument because it cost ...

Cheerleading won’t save Ohioans

July 17, 2020

Those who were expecting Gov. Mike DeWine to make a major pronouncement — such as mandatory face masks or rolling back some of the business reopenings — as Ohio faces record numbers of COVID-19 cases were likely disappointed at his pep talk Wednesday, urging people to be careful. But with pressure from members of DeWine’s own Republican Party who don’t want any more restrictions — some believing the pandemic is a hoax or an exaggeration — and business owners who don’t want to shut down or scale back, the contents of his speech, little more than a plea for Ohioans to make ...

My brief time in the jury pool

July 10, 2020

I’ve long wanted to serve on a jury, and the idea of being part of secret grand jury proceedings is even more intriguing. But to do it during a health crisis didn’t sound good. So when a letter arrived in late May stating I was chosen for grand jury selection with the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court — the first new grand jury since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — I wasn’t thrilled. About a week later, a sheriff’s deputy came to my door — without a mask and seemingly oblivious to social distancing — with a summons ordering that I appear as a possible grand ...

Adventures with Mike Pence

July 3, 2020

It’s always exciting covering presidential or vice presidential visits, and my time as pool reporter for Mike Pence’s recent stop in the Mahoning Valley fit the bill. I’ve been selected as “pool reporter” about a dozen times and have never been a fan of it. The pool reporter’s responsibilities are — to quote the White House Correspondents’ Association — to be “eyes and ears of the press corps.” You travel in the motorcade and go to certain restricted events. You then write reports as quickly as possible and send them to other media who may quote you verbatim ...

Police reform likely a nonstarter

June 26, 2020

Just as he did with his gun reform plan last year, Gov. Mike DeWine isn’t going to get a warm welcome from the state Legislature to his proposed changes to law-enforcement policies. It appears the latest proposals aren’t being embraced by his fellow Republicans, who have super majorities in the state House and the Senate — or even by Democrats in the Ohio Legislature. DeWine is dealing with Republicans who seem to lack interest in making sweeping changes when it comes to gun or police reforms. He also has to deal with vocal gun-rights advocates and police organizations, that have ...