His wife's death was bewildering enough. Now Bob Clements is caught in a political battle between coroner candidates.

        “I'm now a lifetime political activist,” the Edgewood resident says. “This has changed my whole perspective on life.”

        His saga began last June 14, when his wife, Deborah, suddenly fell to the kitchen floor and died. The couple's 5-year-old daughter found the body.

        The family was devastated. And Mr. Clements' misery deepened as he discovered a little-known bottleneck in Kentucky state government.

        At the time, the state's toxicology lab had only three technicians handling 2,300 cases a year. As a result, Mr. Clements had to wait 18 weeks to learn that heart failure killed his wife.

        In honor of her, he's determined to change the system for other families. But first he has to deal with politics.
       

Stabs of grief

        Without a death certificate, Mr. Clements says, he could not access Deborah's financial accounts, collect life insurance or put her van in his name.

        Worst of all, he received regular calls from five credit-card companies seeking the document. Each contact brought a fresh stab of grief.

        Mr. Clements says he got nowhere with the Kenton County Coroner's Office, which insisted the certificate could not be signed without toxicology results.

        He shared his distress with Ben Neltner, who had handled his wife's funeral at Chambers & Grubbs in Kenton County. Mr. Neltner contacted state Rep. Jim Callahan, who sponsored House Bill 701. It would allow coroners to sign death certificates “pending further investigation” — an option already available throughout Ohio.
       

GOP opposition

        The bill unanimously passed the House but is likely to die in the Senate, where it's stuck in the Health and Welfare Committee.

        Mr. Callahan is a Democrat from Wilder. One of his biggest rivals is Sen. Katie Stine, a Republican from Fort Thomas and a member of Health and Welfare. She didn't return my phone calls regarding the bill's prospects.

        Another Republican from Fort Thomas, Campbell County Coroner Mark Schweitzer, is strongly opposed to the bill.

        Coroners already can sign affidavits immediately documenting a death, he says, and provisional certificates won't help families gain access to financial accounts. Only funeral homes might benefit, he says, through quicker access to burial policies.

        He points out that the bill's champion, Mr. Neltner, is a funeral home director. And what do you know: Mr. Neltner also is running against Dr. Schweitzer for Campbell County coroner.
       

"Look what we did'

        The gridlock bothers Bob Clements.

        He knows temporary certificates aren't a panacea, but he's convinced they will help some families. And this is only Phase 1 of his activism.

        In recent months, the state finally hired two more toxicologists. Mr. Clements plans to lobby for more.

        His wife was spunky, he says. This is his tribute to her.

        “We can't ever bring her back. But if we can make a difference for even one family, I can turn around to my kids and say, "Look what we did. Isn't Mommy proud of us?'”

        Karen Samples can be reached at (859) 578-5584 or at ksamples@enquirer.com.
       

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