Sunday, January 17, 1999
The Taft Era: 'All government is local'
BY RAY COOKLIS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLUMBUS — The chatter of children rattled through the Statehouse rotunda Monday afternoon, while many of Ohio's most powerful political leaders murmured mutual pleasantries nearby.
Waiting in a stairwell for the start of his swearing-in ceremony, State Treasurer Joe Deters broke into an uncommonly broad smile as he traded high-fives with a cluster of visiting schoolkids.
What a scene. On this day of high Buckeye pomp — the inauguration of Gov. Bob Taft and other top statewide officials — school groups and casual tourists mingled with the state's mighty and powerful in the open halls of the Statehouse.
Bizarre? Inappropriate? No. That's exactly the way it should be.
This unique moment brought home, the way no policy debate, bill or campaign ever could, a basic but often overlooked truth:
If all politics is local, as U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill was fond of saying, then all government is local, too.
Even though the politicos conduct their business in an imposing, historic structure in far-off Columbus, state government belongs to the people, right where we live.
That wasn't a particular theme of Monday's events — until Senate President Richard Finan, R-Evendale, got up to speak. During Mr. Taft's inauguration, Mr. Finan made a special point of praising the former Hamilton County commissioner for having worked his way up various levels of government.
“Serving in local government offices best prepares a candidate for the state level,” said Mr. Finan, who himself has aspired to become Ohio's governor.
He was being a bit generous. Most anybody who reaches high office, unless a celebrity or rich or lucky, toils in lower-level posts to get there.
But Mr. Finan's point about local experience and what it teaches is one all state officials would do well to remember.
And if it's true, Ohioans will be well served by the experience Cincinnati natives bring to high state posts. Mr. Deters was Hamilton County prosecutor; Secretary of State Ken Blackwell was a Cincinnati councilman and mayor; Mr. Finan was mayor of Evendale.
Certainly, it's a plus if they can debate policy, knowing how that policy would affect people back in Price Hill or Mount Lookout or the West End — and better yet, caring.
You'd hope they don't get so caught up in the Columbus power game that they forget us. It's not a vain hope.
Despite the semi-grand setting in which they deliberate, the people we send up to Columbus by and large behave as “just folks” who are still a bit in awe of where they are.
Take a look at the Cincinnati-area delegation. Aside from the usual gaggle of attorneys, you'll find insurance agents, a former teacher, several farmers and real-estate brokers as state legislators.
Could they become so “professional” that they can sever — and forget — those local roots?
Probably not. While Ohio government is a pretty high-power, full-time machine compared to Kentucky's quaint let's-call-a-session-every-now-and-again system, it's far closer to the citizen-legislator ideal than Washington, D.C.
The halls of state government are surprisingly casual. You can walk up and chat with a legislator or other officeholder with relative ease.
Even during Monday's ceremonies, the Statehouse was accessible to any citizen ready to brave the bitter cold outside. There was no extraordinary security — no metal detectors, just a few sheriff's deputies standing by — as political luminaries from former Senate President Stan Aronoff to U.S. Rep. Rob Portman to state House Speaker JoAnn Davidson gathered to watch Mr. Deters and Attorney General Betty Montgomery give their swearing-in remarks.
While Mr. Taft's inauguration was a ticket-only event in the Ohio Theater across the street — the original plan was to hold it open on the Statehouse steps, but the weather turned nasty — anybody who cared to could be a part of the other proceedings.
So next time you're in Columbus and get the chance, stop on by.
Maybe Dick Finan or Joe Deters will give you a high-five.
After all, it's your government.
Ray Cooklis is an editorial writer for The Enquirer, phone 768-8525, e-mail rcooklis@enquirer.com
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