From the Statehouse 2005 No. 23
by Jennifer Garrison
Aug. 19, 2005
From the Statehouse Article 23
Well it has been a very sad week for Ohio. Ohio is in the national news not because of the excellence of our government, but because of the corruption of our government.
I believe for good government to exist issues have to be debated, ideas have to be nurtured, parties have to work together, legislators need to focus on representing their constituency, not their party, or special interests.
Since being elected, I have often voted no on legislation because it violated the single subject rule, which is a constitutional mandate. I have worked towards transparency, and have reported my votes in a weekly column to you, the voters. Accountability restores integrity to the process. I have sponsored legislation that would add each member’s floor votes on the Ohio House website.
On Thursday, Governor Taft was convicted of 4 counts of failure to disclose gifts on his disclosure statement. Taft is the first Ohio Governor to be found guilty of a crime related to his responsibilities of office. My question is if Governor Taft is taking full responsibility for his crime, why did he plea “no contest” instead of “guilty”?
Honestly, this scandal is far bigger than accepting free golf outings. This is the tip of the iceberg. The problem is the corrupt pay-to-play culture at the Statehouse. Dollars are buying access to state contracts and special favors.
This is costing Ohio a fortune. It is time for real reform. Since taking office, many small businesses have contacted me in regard to the high cost of workers compensation premiums. The employers could not afford to expand their work force and in some cases have let employees go because of the workers compensation premiums. This mismanagement of the BWC fund is costing Ohio jobs.
I believe we need to change this culture of corruption. I want to start with a bi-partisan committee, co-chaired by a Republican and a Democrat to get to the bottom of this mess.
Also, I support Reform Ohio Now (RON). RON is a constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot getting some of the special interest money out of government. In December, 2004, the Governor called a lame duck legislature into special session for the purpose of quadrupling the amount of money special interests can give to political candidates, raising the limit to $10,000. The Reform Ohio Now amendment would lower the limit to $2000.00. I support the proposal to take special interests out of politics. The lure of money and power overwhelms the discipline of holding the principles of good government close to the heart.
My concern when writing this column was to not bash Republicans. This culture of corruption is a result of one party having so much power in Ohio. When either party, Republicans or Democrats, have unbridled power it is not good for the people. There does not exist an effective checks and balances. It is time to restore balance in Ohio. It is time to restore the public trust.
I still have a passionate and undying belief in the power of good government. My hope is the people of Ohio will elect officials, Democrats and Republicans who care most about reaching across the aisle to bring about good legislation for the people of Ohio.
You can reach Jennifer Garrison at her Columbus office at 614-644-8728 or in the district at 740-373-2414 or by e-mail at jennifer@jennifergarrison.com. Her website is www.jennifergarrison.com