Sunday, September 05, 1999
CAPITOL INSIDER
Drivers might be caught on camera
BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Think twice about speeding through that red light. A camera may soon record your license plate number.
A House-approved bill (HB 114) pending in the Senate would allow authorities to post the cameras at intersections and mail tickets to scofflaws. Cincinnati officials have said they're interested in the idea.
Sponsoring Rep. Robert Corbin, R-Centerville, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week the cameras have reduced violations in cities where they already have been installed.
“I believe this will save lives and reduce the number of accidents at intersections due to running red lights,” Mr. Corbin said.
Police would be able to review the photos and mail tickets of up to $100 to motorists who run a red light. No points would be assessed against a driver's record.
Critics say the idea smacks of “Big Brother.” They aren't satisfied with a provision that would require signs warning drivers they could be monitored by cameras.
Safe drivers have nothing to fear from the legislation, Mr. Corbin countered. He asked senators to scuttle an amendment added in the House that would require offenders to be given a warning for their first offense.
Some Ohio Republicans may wish they were nominating one of their own for president at next year's Republican National Convention.
But don't fret, the state still will be represented at the quadrennial gabfest in Philadelphia. Martha Moore, vice chairwoman of the Ohio GOP, will chair the tickets and badges subcommittee of the Committee on Arrangements.
While this brings to mind a line from a Monty Python movie (“Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges”), Ms. Moore's role apparently is pretty important. Her subcommittee will oversee the design of convention tickets and commemorative badges worn by participants.
“She's going to be effective, and she will initiate great things at the 2000 convention,” Bob Bennett, the state party's chairman, said in a recent news release. “It's such an honor that she is representing our great state at the national level.”
Still, there won't be anyone next year following the likes of William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding, two of the Ohioans who have been president. U.S. Rep. John Kasich, R-Westerville, dropped out of the running this summer and endorsed Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Timing is everything when it comes to passing legislation. Just ask State Rep. Sam Britton, D-Cincinnati.
Mindful of the money-making potential of bingo, Mr. Britton introduced a bill this year that would allow nonprofit job training organizations to seek licenses for the popular game.
A few weeks later, a Roselawn rabbi and five members of his congregation pleaded guilty to theft in what prosecutors described as a “massive fraud” involving instant bingo games throughout Greater Cincinnati.
Any chances Mr. Britton's bill had quickly evaporated. It remains mired on the House calendar.
State Rep. Gregory Jolivette will be a Toll Fellow this month.
That isn't a reference to the ill-fated plan to charge tolls on the Butler Regional Highway. Rather, the Hamilton Republican is one of 40 lawmakers from across the country participating in the Toll Fellowship Program sponsored by the nonpartisan Council of State Governments.
The program is one of several offered by think tanks and policy clearinghouses that seek to clue new lawmakers in on new legislative ideas and groom them for leadership positions.
Mr. Jolivette will be in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 25-30 for the program.
Michael Hawthorne covers state government for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He can be reached at (614) 224-4640.
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