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2018 was a big election year in Ohio. Republicans held onto all five statewide executive offices including governor and super majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there were a few bright spots for Democrats, among them the reelection of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the election of two Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court.With election 2018 over, the focus now shifts to governing. Stay connected with the latest on politics, policies and people making the decisions at all levels affecting your lives.

Mayors Want Next Ohio Governor and Lawmakers to Help with Opiods and Infrastructure

photo of Ohio Mayors Alliance
JO INGLES
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
The mayors want help with managing the opioid crisis, in addition to a new state fund for local governments.

Mayors from the 30 largest cities in the state laid out an agenda they’d like to see Ohio’s next governor and new legislature follow.

The Ohio Mayors Alliance wants a home rule compact and a new state fund to benefit local governments. 

Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther said cities have lost important state dollars. At the same time, he noted more than 86% of the wages in the state are in Ohio’s metro areas.

“So think about this, for the past 18 years, Ohio city metros have accounted for all, all of the state’s job gains and 87% of its economic output gains,” he said.

The mayors also want a state level Office of Drug Policy to deal with the opioid crisis. And they want the state to revamp its transportation infrastructure.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.