Last night I was anticipating what I had been told would be a debate between Rose Lounsbury and Andrea White — the candidates for Ohio House District 36. The event was scheduled to be held in the parlor of Christ Methodist Church. As it turned out, the event was not a debate, but a Forum conducted by a League Of Women Voters where candidates answer questions given by a moderator. I was surprised and disappointed by what, evidently, are new LWV rules.

Rose Lounsbury’s mom drove from Toledo to attend the Kettering LWV event

I had hoped to record the event, but, Christine Corba, the LWV Executive Director, started the meeting by politely announcing that no video recording would be permitted. This was surprising. Then, another surprise — Christine said there would be no opportunity for questions from the audience!

These two prohibitions — no recording, no questions — seem contrary to the League’s mission that Christine had quoted in her opening remarks — “to encourage informed and active participation in government and to increase understanding of major public policy …”

After the meeting, I talked with Christine — a very nice person who has been in her position since Susan Hesselgesser retired five years ago. I expressed my disappointment and surprise at the rules. She explained that the two prohibitions apply to all LVW Candidate Forums statewide and were established by the state LWV governing body.

The “no video rule” comes from the fact that the League is concerned that videos taken at a League forum will be altered and the League will be blamed. The “no audience question” rule seems based on the fear that rude audience members will be uncontrollable by a moderator and will cause chaos in a meeting.

Christine Corba, the LWV Executive Director for this region

I diplomatically asked Christine, how in the world these rules — no video, no questions — possibly could help the League fulfill its mission? I asked if she would once again quote the mission statement and, kindly, she did.

To create a citizenry that is informed enough and motivated enough to actively participate in government is a wonderful goal and the LWV advances this mission each election in its highly regarded Voter Guides. But, it seems to me, sadly, these LWV Forums, as structured, have little value. I urged Christine to become an advocate in the LWV organization to restructure these forums so they will be interesting events that the public will want to attend and so that the exchanges between candidates can be shared on social media.

The Kettering Centerville Kiwanis Club sponsored the event — including providing some great molasses cookies — and as I was leaving, I spoke with its President, Bill Pees. I thanked him and the club and told him my disappointment that in the meeting many important topics were not addressed and no audience member had an opportunity to ask questions. I suggested to him that since Kiwanis already is making the effort to sponsor LWV Forums, that his club might consider taking the next step and allow a Kiwanis committee to be in charge of public meetings and to implement a a better format. Pees explained that the central concern of Kiwanis is the welfare of children, so engaging in politics in that way may not be what the members would want.

Not allowing the candidates to question each other, not allowing questions from any audience member, and, not asking the candidates any provocative questions is a good recipe for a dull event.

After the event, I got to meet Rose Lounsbury’s mother — a lovely person with a gracious spirit. She had driven from Toledo. I praised Rose but I told her mom that Rose needs to be stronger in making the case for change. Her mom seemed to agree.

Citizens attending this event heard not a word about these key facts:

• The Republican Party in Ohio has had a super majority in the State Assembly for twenty years — total control — and has repeatedly enacted ever more radical right-wing laws that have caused Ohio’s decline.
• Andrea White voted for the “Constitutional Carry” law — one of the worst and most dangerous laws ever conceived.
• Andrea White voted for tax payers money to pay for the building of religious school buildings.
• Andrea White voted to completely eliminate the income tax bracket for Ohio’s highest incomes.

See:

• The Great Ohio Tax Shift, 2024
• In an Unprecedented Move, Ohio Is Funding the Construction of Private Religious Schools

In only six of Ohio’s 99 House districts do Democratic challengers have a reasonable chance of flipping a Republican held district. To win Republican seats, Democratic candidates must make the case for change. I analyze their efforts as shown in their websites later in this series.

Ohio House District 36, which includes my city, Kettering, is one of the most competitive districts in the state. Republicans are favored only slightly — 51.47%. Republican Andrea White was first elected to the Ohio House in 2020 and then reelected in 2022.

Rose Lounsbury, Democratic candidate to represent citizens in Ohio House District 36 in the Ohio House.

To flip this district, our Democratic candidate, Rose Lounsbury, has organized an impressive campaign engaging a lot of grassroots Democrats, including many youth. To win, the Lounsbury campaign will need to convince citizens who previously voted for Andrea White to change their votes.

The Lounsbury campaign, I feel, can win if it can get the message out that Andrea White, time and again, has voted for radical laws opposed by moderate Republican voters. These unpopular laws deal with:

• Abortion
• Guns
• Vouchers For Religious Schools
• Taxes

My goal is to write articles concerning these unpopular laws and good place to start is Senate Bill 214 — the “Constitutional Carry” bill. It is sad that a person with the caliber of Andrea White would get sucked into voting for such absurd legislation. This hard-right pro-gun bill is so outlandish that, not long ago, it would have been resoundingly rejected by almost every Ohio citizen.

Thanks to this “Constitutional Carry” law, now it is legal in Ohio for any non-felon, age 21, or older, to carry a concealed handgun anywhere — anywhere not expressly forbidden — with no training, no licensing required. Thanks to this law, people who are enraged by rude drivers in traffic now are permitted to keep their fully loaded hand guns in their cars, in easy reach, ready for quick action — just in case they are threatened or disrespected.

Before “Constitution Carry” became law, citizens were protected from gun violence by these provisions:

• To transport a handgun by car, the gun had to be unloaded with “ammunition in a lock box or trunk.”
• To carry a concealed weapon, a citizen was required to take hours of training to qualify for a concealed weapon license.
• A business could prohibit employees from keeping guns in their cars in the parking lot owned by the business.
• A person carrying a concealed gun was required promptly to inform an arresting police officer.

Andrea White and local representatives Phil Plummer and Tom Young abolished these common sense protections and voted for this awful legislation that was opposed by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Republican Andrea White was elected in 2020 and 2022 to represent OHD-36. Previously, she served as Clerk of Courts for Kettering

I would bet that Andrea White when she approved “Constitutional Carry” must have known that statistics show that states that have weakened their firearm permitting system have experienced an 11 percent increase in handgun homicide rates and a 13–15 percent increase in violent crime rates.

White evidently dismissed this statistical evidence. She also must have dismissed her better self. Let’s all bemoan the wretched state of the Republican Party. It has fallen so low. It stinks from head to toe and it has managed to corrupt and deceive individuals who are well meaning. I feel quite certain that traditional conservatives like Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan would never have supported crazy legislation like “Constitutional Carry.”

Andrea White could not have believed that Senate Bill 214 was a good law. White is too smart. Maybe Andrea was afraid that, if she opposed “Constitution Carry,” a pro-gun zealot would seek to oust her in the Republican primary.

Republicans push and push their radical right-wing agenda, but Ohio is one of the few states where citizens can push back. If it were up to this Republican Assembly, and Republicans like Andrea White, right now the “heartbeat bill” would be the law. We need a new grassroots movement that will do the work needed to inscribe sane gun laws.in the Ohio Constitution

I imagine there were Andrea White Republicans in the Oregon district at the 2019 mass shooting where nine people died and 27 were injured. The crowd shouted at our Republican Governor, Mike DeWine, to “DO SOMETHING. DO SOMETHING,” and for a time there was a lot of talk about “sensible gun laws.” Now, the powerful gun lobby in Ohio has gained a total victory.

Opinion polls showed that 88% of Ohioans support requiring training before granting someone the right to carry a concealed weapon. The Assembly members, including Andrea White,  knew they were defying public opinion, but they charged ahead anyway and passed “Constitutional Carry” making no pretense of representing the views of the big majority of their constituents.

Dean Rieck, executive director of the pro-gun organization Buckeye Firearms made a perceptive comment: “I think the only poll that matters is elections. That’s the ultimate poll.”

Yes. Rieck has it right. Our system is so broken that special interests with their big money supporters are electing representatives far out of the mainstream, and, these representatives, time and again, pass laws that defy public opinion and are contrary to the public good.

In 2020, before Andrea was sworn in, the Republican controlled Assembly passed Ohio’s “stand your ground” law. The racists who murdered Ahmaud Arbery tried to use the “stand your ground” defense but were found guilty and Kyle Rittenhouse — the 18 year old who killed two — was found innocent by successfully using the “stand your ground” defense, even without the legislation to back it up.

With “stand your ground” and “Constitution Carry” it would seem the gun lobby in Ohio now has everything, everything, it ever wanted, with a cherry on top. But wait, the gun lobby wants a little more. State Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, introduced a bill a couple months ago that would exempt guns and ammunition from sales tax in Ohio.

Andrea White is a nice person who comes across as thoughtful and well meaning, but she votes in favor of every crazy Republican law. It is sad that a person with the caliber of Andrea White would get sucked into this vortex of right-wing triumphalism and not be as a voice of reason. But as Mike DeWine discovered, a “moderate” Republican, to get along with today’s radicalized Republican Party, must forsake his or her values and common sense.

Rose Lounsbury, I believe, can win this election if her campaign can deliver the message that Andrea White has voted for “Constitutional Carry” — and if the campaign can deliver the message of what this crazy law actually allows.

“Constitutional Carry” defies public opinion and endangers the common good. It is an insult to all of those citizens who in 2019 cried to their governor and elected representatives to DO SOMETHING.  To Flip OHD-36, Rose Lounsbury Must Show Moderate Republicans The Evidence That Andrea White Is Too Radical. “Constitutional Carry” is reason enough for moderate Republicans who previously supported Andrea White to change their votes.

• Signed as Law: Ohio Enacts Permitless Carry Bill Despite Intense Police Opposition
• Fraternal Order of Police president: Ohio lawmakers ignoring ‘concerns of the men and women who keep your family safe’
• Permitless gun carry laws draw opposition from law enforcement
• A recent Suffolk University/USA Today poll shows 92% of Ohioans want mandatory background checks for firearm purchases — including 99% Democrats and 88% Republicans.
• From Trayvon Martin to Ahmaud Arbery—’Stand Your Ground’ Laws Remain Controversial

The attack flyer sent by Jocelyn Rhynard implies that Jyl Hall made, or agrees with, these anti-choice quotes. Jyl has never made comments such as these.

A candidate’s character is revealed in how he or she deals with the truth. In her latest mailing, Jocelyn Rhynard puts her character into question by distributing a flyer that makes false accusations. Jocelyn’s flyer wants readers to believe that Jyl Hall “stands against our community.” This is crazy. The evidence shows the opposite — that Jyl has worked to build and strengthen community and that in Kettering her efforts and her dedication to service has made our community better.

Jocelyn is trying to get votes by misrepresenting the truth. The big “Yes” vote for Issue 1  guaranteed abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution. Jocelyn would have voters believe that Jyl, if elected, would work to undermine these rights. This is not true. Jyl has made clear that though she personally is opposed to abortion, she absolutely will not support any efforts to change the Ohio Constitution to repeal Issue 1. On her web-site Jyl writes:  “I respect the will of the people.” She writes: “I will defend the Constitution of the state of Ohio.”  

This attack mailer implies that Jyl has been endorsed by anti-choice groups, like “Democrats For Life.” This is not true. The mailer gives outrageous quotes implying that Jyl, if elected, would support laws to “prosecute doctors and clinics.” This is crazy. 

The Democratic Primary is March 19. Three Democrats — Jocelyn, Jyl, and Willis Blackshear Jr. — are vying for the Ohio Senate / District 6 nomination. The flyer asks a good question: “Who would YOU rather have representing our community in the statehouse?”   There are two big questions to answer in deciding who to vote for in this contest: 1) Who has the best chance of getting elected in November?  2) Who, if elected, has the best chance of actually passing legislation that will help District 6 citizens?

• If Jocelyn gets the nomination she will be hoping for a 51% victory in November, at best. With Jocelyn, a Democratic victory, if it happens at all, will be a squeaker. Jyl will get the votes of Independents and disaffected Democrats who would never vote for Jocelyn. Jyl, I’m betting, can realistically shoot for a 57% – 60% winning vote.  A strong showing in November will give our Democratic candidate credibility and strength in the Ohio Senate.
• The Ohio Senate now has 7 Democrats and 26 Republicans. In such a lopsided group, the person whose hair is on fire with passion for abortion rights will seem irrelevant. The Ohio Constitution has already been changed and now guarantees abortion rights. The focus now should be on working with the Republican majority to advance legislation that will actually help women and children. Jyl’s demeanor, her deep understanding of poverty (the focus of her Phd dissertation) will help make her effective.