BY RAY COOKLIS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The best lawmaker representing Cincinnati in Columbus is Sen. Dick Finan, R-Evendale. The worst: Sen. Janet Howard, R-Forest Park. If you didn't know that, neither did we - until we surveyed the people who work with them: lawmakers, lobbyists and the press corps.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
|
 Press' pet: Richard Finan
Most respected by peers: Richard Finan
Lobbyists' favorite: Richard Finan
Smartest: Richard Finan
Highest integrity: Rose Vesper
Most potential: Gary Cates
|
The truth is, few people in Cincinnati know who is working hard and who is clueless in Columbus. Members of the Ohio General Assembly toil in relative obscurity. Some Ohio voters don't even know which state House and Senate districts they live in - or who represents them.
They should.
What the General Assembly does - or fails to do - directly and dramatically affects our lives. This year's battle over public school funding, and state legislators' effort to find a solution to satisfy the Ohio Supreme Court with a tax increase, is a good example.
HOW THEY RANK
|
 1. Sen. Richard H. Finan (R-Evendale, District 7):
8.12
 2. Rep. Rose Vesper (R-New Richmond, District 72):
7.37
 3. Rep. Gary Cates (R-West Chester, District 58):
7.23
 4. Rep. Robert L. Schuler (R-Sycamore Twp., District 36):
7.19
 5. Rep. Dale Van Vyven (R-Sharonville, District 32):
7.06
 6. Sen. Doug White (R-Manchester, District 14):
6.91
 7. Rep. Mark Mallory (D-Cincinnati, District 31; candidate for Senate, District 9):
6.88
 8. Rep. Jerome F. Luebbers (D-Cincinnati, District 33):
6.80
 9. Rep. Patricia Clancy (R-Colerain Twp., District 35):
6.59
 10. Sen. Louis W. Blessing Jr. (R-Colerain Twp., District 8):
6.55
 11. Rep. George Terwilleger (R-Maineville, District 2):
6.42
 12. Sen. Scott R. Nein (R-Middletown, District 4):
6.30
 13. Rep. Samuel Bateman (R-Milford, District 71):
6.25
 14. Rep. Gregory Jolivette (R-Hamilton, District 59):
6.09
 15. Rep. Cheryl Winkler (R-Cincinnati, District 34):
5.94
 16. (tie) Rep. Eugene Krebs (R-Camden, District 60):
5.92
 18. Rep. Sam Britton (D-Cincinnati, District 30):
5.91
 19. Sen. Janet Howard (R-Forest Park, District 9):
4.75
|
This year, the Enquirer Editorial Page has conducted its first survey to rate 19 lawmakers in the Cincinnati delegation - five senators and 14 representatives.
Think of it as a report card for legislators, who adjourned for the summer June 2 after a busy and often rancorous 1998 spring legislative session. This November, voters can do their own grading through the ballot box.
Our results? Aside from a few standouts, our delegation seems just a shade above average, scoring a little over 6 out of 10. That's disappointing. With 16 Republicans out of 19, our group should be a powerhouse of influence in a GOP-controlled General Assembly. It's not - and voters should keep that in mind.
This is an especially good time to evaluate state lawmakers. Ohio's 1992 term-limits law, which imposed eight-year limits on General Assembly members, will cause massive turnover in the legislature in the next two years. This fall's election will be the last for 10 of the area's 19 lawmakers. Those who remain will wield the power of seniority in a post-2000 General Assembly of newcomers.
To grade each legislator, we turned to those who have the most direct knowledge of job performance: Their 113 General Assembly colleagues from throughout Ohio; the Statehouse press corps that covers state government daily; registered lobbyists who deal with them on legislative issues.
We sent out several hundred questionnaires, asking respondents to grade each legislator in six categories on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 highest (see "About the survey," Page B7), and invited them to add written comments. Surveys were returned anonymously, coded by group (press, legislator, lobbyist), compiled, and averaged.
Our survey is modeled on similar surveys done in several other states. It is not a scientific poll. It's a sample of informed opinions from those "in the know" in Columbus. It can be a valuable tool for voters to judge legislators - information that is vitally important to representative government.
The top lawmaker is no surprise. Senate President Finan, one of Ohio's most powerful political leaders, got the highest marks from all three groups for a top score of 8.12 out of 10. Mr. Finan elicited the most passionate comments for and against him. Respondents called him "an outstanding leader," "the best," "top notch" - but "stubborn" kept cropping up, along with "abrasive," "arrogant," "hot head" and "vindictive."
The second pick is a surprise: Rep. Rose Vesper, R-New Richmond, a low-profile legislator who chalked up perfect 10s from several participants and won warm comments across the board. Her overall score of 7.37 put her clearly ahead of the rest of the pack. Survey participants especially praised Mrs. Vesper's intelligence: "smart, focused and sincere," "first-rate legislator," "bright, nice person."
Two legislators - Republican and Democrat - were picked as fast-rising stars: Rep. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, the third overall score at 7.23, and Rep. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, highest among three Democrats with a 6.88 score.
Mr. Cates, in his first term, was called "a terrific newcomer," "a sharp mind," "hard worker." Mr. Mallory, in his second term, was called "a solid performer," "clearly a leader among his peers" with "great potential."
Both could climb fast as term limits open leadership positions.
Sen. Howard came in last, with 4.75 - more than a full point behind the next-lowest legislator, Rep. Sam Britton, D-Cincinnati, (5.91). Many questioned whether Mrs. Howard has her heart in her work: "seems like she is sleepwalking," "appears to hate the job" and "in over her head" were some of the frank comments.
Yet her service to constituents - a vital, yet hard-to-measure quality, got specific praise. And while she scored low in most categories, she won very high marks for integrity.
Among other results:
Rep. Britton, while on the low side numerically, gets the survey's Mr. Congeniality award. Among his peers and lobbyists, he's seen as "a gentleman," "a nice guy" with a knack for working across party lines. Now in his second term, he could gain wider influence in the House.
Rep. Robert Schuler, R-Sycamore Township (fourth overall at 7.19), is a low-key but effective legislator, a "most underrated House member," "the best of the entire list in the House," who "gets things done."
Now that former Rep. Mike Fox is gone, Rep. Gene Krebs, R-Camden, seems to be the delegation's maverick. His overall score of 5.92 puts him third from the bottom, but he gets high marks for energy - and plenty of hostility from the press, which called him "goofy," "wacky" and "clueless." Mr. Krebs' colleagues, however, hold him in higher esteem as a "bright, hard worker" who's "smarter than people think."
It may be too soon to fairly rank Rep. Gregory Jolivette, R-Hamilton, who replaced Rep. Mike Fox last fall after Mr. Fox resigned. Mr. Jolivette landed in the lower tier at No. 14, largely because resentment over his "opportunist" party-switch to pick up the seat helped sink his score from colleagues and lobbyists. "Go back to the Democrat Party," one colleague commented.
Legislators who object to the Enquirer survey should know that state lawmakers elsewhere go through the same process routinely. Since 1977, the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research has rated state lawmakers. The California Journal has conducted an influential scorecard of the entire state legislature biennially since 1990; our survey is patterned after theirs.
In California, notes Journal editor A.G. Block, some political interests have attempted to "stuff the ballot box" with coordinated campaigns to fill out and return forms to target certain legislators. That didn't happen here. Scores from each group of respondents varied widely for each legislator.
As you'd expect, the press seemed most critical of legislators across the board, and lobbyists tended to give all of them higher average scores, with General Assembly colleagues scoring them somewhere in the middle.
While some of the written comments were on the brutal side, respondents didn't appear to use the survey as a forum for vendettas. Overall, evaluations seemed conscientious, thoughtful - often carefully non-partisan. That's remarkable, especially for forms returned anonymously.
Respondents were asked not to rate legislators they didn't have contact with, and they took that request seriously. Many of them left some lawmakers' score sheets blank, often with notes explaining that they didn't know their work well enough. The result should be fairer scores.
Look for a detailed summary of who your representatives are, how they fared in the survey, and what they've accomplished. And take the opportunity to rate your own representatives. After all, it's our government.
Ray Cooklis is an Enquirer editorial writer. He can be reached at 768-8525, e-mail rcooklis@enquirer.com.
