DDN: Jacobson may be next president of Ohio Senate

By Laura A. Bischoff
[email protected]

COLUMBUS | State Sen. Jeff Jacobson is in a strong position to become Senate president in January 2005, with the next legislative session, three well-placed Republican sources said.

Jacobson, R-Butler Twp., is up against state Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, for the presidency, one of the most powerful elected positions in state government. The Senate president has the ability to block legislation, craft policy and shape the state budget.

Current President Doug White, R-Manchester, will hold the post through 2004.

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"I believe the leading candidates in those (five term-limited) races are leaning toward Jacobson today," one Republican source said.

Another said Jacobson is seen as tougher, more conservative and a better fund-raiser — all of which carries weight with a General Assembly that has shifted to the right over the years.

Republican political consultant Scott Borgemenke said counting votes at this point is tough because there are a lot of fence-sitters, and "I think a lot of members are telling both guys they're for them."

"Some people are talking about Bill Harris (for Senate president) as well, which has just come to light recently," he added.

Jacobson, who chairs the Montgomery County Republican Party, is No. 4 in the Senate Republican Caucus, while Gardner holds the No. 2 leadership position.

State Sen. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, a Jacobson supporter, said he expects Jacobson and Gardner to work out a deal so that they take the top two slots — president and president pro tem. Jordan said he would guess Jacobson would get the presidency.

State Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, a Gardner supporter, also expects the next president to be either Jacobson or Gardner.

"I don't think this will be settled until the fall," he said. "Chatter" about who would be the next president started right after the budget bill passed in late June, he said.

The formal vote comes in early 2005, the first day of business for the new legislative session, but most of the vote counting is expected to occur well before the November 2004 elections.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
It seems more than a little inappropriate to be considering new leadership positions for an Assembly that will not convene for another 18 months. But since they are, so too will we...

In the past six months, two serious efforts to recognize Ohioans' civil right to self-defense have been dealt major set-backs by Senate Republican leadership. HB274 died under then-Pres. Dick Finan, and HB12 is suffering delay because, according to media reports, Pres. Doug White is refusing to appoint conferees to work out differences and send a bill to the governor.

If concealed carry reform fails to materialize in the 125th General Assembly, it is obvious that a serious change in the Senate will need to be effected by voters in 2004, or else concealed carry reform efforts may have to wait until Gov. Taft leaves office.

As this DDN reporter observes, "counting votes at this point is more than a little tricky. For one thing, the makeup of Senate in the next session is uncertain. Five current Republican Senators won't be returning after 2004 because of term limits. Eight others — including Jacobson and Gardner — are up for re-election in 2004."

The media elites seem all too eager to hand the reins to Sen. Jeff Jacobson, who chaired the committee which amended HB274 to it's destruction last December. Jacobson is now Majority Whip, responsible for rallying votes on legislation important to the majority caucus. Since Pres. White has said he does not have the votes to override a Taft veto of HB12, the issues of these leaders' job performance and ability to lead is most certainly in focus. We believe it would be much more appropriate for Senators to hold off on discussions about appointing the next president until after the November elections. Why?

A total of thirteen Republican seats in the Senate are up for re-election in 2004 (including Jacobson's). If the majority leadership continues to be seen as a stumbling block to passage of self-defense rights legislation, OFCC PAC is committed to working to change the face of the Senate in the 2004 election to one more friendly to the defenseless, law-abiding Ohioans.

Click here to read the entire story in the Dayton Daily News.