The group backing Issue 3 scored a win in the Ohio Supreme Court this week. The justices ruled part of the wording voters will see on the ballot describing ResponsibleOhio’s proposal to legalize marijuana along with ten growing sites and a system of taxes and regulation is misleading. That brought the state ballot board scrambling back into session to revise sections of the wording. But the Court let stand the title, which includes the contested word "monopoly".
Last week, it was Hillary Clinton in Ohio. This week, the presidential campaign trail brought possible candidate Joe Biden to Ohio State University in Columbus. In a controversial and very narrow ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court says equipment bought with state funds by operators hired to run charter schools belongs to the operators, and if the schools want it, they have to buy it back. And it was a tough week at the Ohio Department of Education, as board members grilled Superintendent Richard Ross over the scandal involving eliminating failing grades from charter school performance ratings.
State lawmakers are coming back to work soon, and there are a lot of issues they could talk about as we head toward this fall’s election – and next year’s presidential contest. Two experts in state government and Statehouse issues look forward to what they think will - and should - be discussed. Keary McCarthy is the President and CEO of Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank. He’s the former chief of staff for the minority Democrats in the Ohio House. Mike Gonidakis is the president of Ohio Right to Life and a Republican activist and strategist. He’s a former senior deputy attorney general under former AG Jim Petro.