BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
Nancy Hollister
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COLUMBUS — Talk about a consolation prize.
Last month, Ohio Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister failed to unseat U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville. Now the Marietta Republican is getting a promotion.
On Dec. 31, Ms. Hollister will be sworn in as Ohio's 66th governor, becoming the first woman to serve as the state's chief executive.
She gets the job for 11 days. Since Gov. George Voinovich is leaving early to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, Ms. Hollister will fill in until Gov.-elect Bob Taft is sworn in Jan. 11.
“I understand I'll be a historical footnote, but I'm excited about it,” Ms. Hollister said Monday. “You're still a role model because you are the first one.”
She will be the first sitting lieutenant governor to succeed a governor since John W. Brown took over for Frank J. Lausche in 1957. (Like Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Lausche had been elected to the U.S. Senate.)
She plans to leave most key tasks and decisions to Mr. Taft, but it will be up to her to call out the National Guard if there is a natural disaster or other emergency.
“I'm hoping we don't have the snowstorm of the century on my watch, but we're prepared if that happens,” said Ms. Hollister. For security reasons, she will move into the governor's residence in suburban Bexley, but she'll live out of an overnight bag during her stay.
“I'm not going to move any furniture or order any portraits, but I know my way around a kitchen,” she said.
The next line on Ms. Hollister's resume may also merit a historical footnote.
She told Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson of Reynoldsburg last week she wants to replace State Rep. Tom Johnson, a New Concord Republican who is resigning to become Mr. Taft's budget director.
