Former Ohio treasurer and attorney general Richard Cordray announced that he’s stepping down as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - that’s thought to be the first major step toward a run for governor next year.Also this week – two resignations at the Statehouse, and a lot of questions about what “inappropriate behavior” can mean. Republican Rep. Wes Goodman of Cardington in north central Ohio stepped down immediately on Wednesday, two days after the resignation of Michael Premo, the chief of staff for the Senate Democrats. Sen. Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) talked about her letter on the issue, signed by 30 Democratic women lawmakers and staffers. And the state’s third scheduled execution of the year was scrapped after a 20 minute attempt - it's only the third time in history an execution has been called off after it started.
There are two new books out that may appeal to political junkies and Ohio history buffs. The first, a biography of Ray Bliss, the Ohio man who became chair of the Republican National Committee in 1965 and rebuilt the party after Barry Goldwater’s catastrophic loss to President Lyndon Johnson. Former Dayton Daily News reporter Bill Hershey teamed up with the Bliss Institute’s John Green to write “Mr. Chairman: The Life and Times of Ray C. Bliss”.
And for a little more modern political history, there’s a book of short stories from campaign strategists and operatives from around the country. Jerry Austin is a nationally known Democratic consultant who’s worked with candidates from Cleveland to the White House. He says his new book “True Tales from the Campaign Trail” are stories only political consultants can tell.