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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM
MARCH 5 - 11, 2012
PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR:
Brian D. Tucker (btucker@crain.com) EDITOR:
Mark Dodosh (mdodosh@crain.com) MANAGING EDITOR:
Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com)
OPINION
No joke
T
ed Celeste, Mike Duffey, Frank LaRose and Tom Sawyer are giving their colleagues in the Legislature the chance to prevent a repeat of the joke that Republican officials made last year of the congressional redistricting process in Ohio. The four lawmakers have crafted an excellent framework for a proposed constitutional amendment that promises to bring greater fairness to the job every 10 years of redrawing districts for the U.S. House and the Ohio House and Senate. In a world of polarized politics at all levels of government, it’s heartening to see the bipartisan hands behind this proposal. State Rep. Celeste and State Sen. Sawyer are Democrats, and State Rep. Duffey and State Sen. LaRose are Republicans, but all four have put the public ahead of their party affiliations with a plan that strives to take political advantage out of the redistricting process. Under the current redistricting system, Republicans who control the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature essentially were able to shove down the throats of minority Democrats the congressional and legislative maps they redrew following the receipt of data from the 2010 Census. The result was gerrymandered congressional districts that gave Republicans the advantage in most races for U.S. House seats. The plan introduced by the four lawmakers incorporates various checks and balances that make such lopsided redistricting far less likely to achieve. For starters, the Ohio redistricting commission would consist of seven members: the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, Senate president and House speaker, as well as the two legislative leaders from the opposite party of the president and speaker. Any action by the commission would require a “yes” vote of five members, at least two of whom must be members of the political party in the minority on the commission. As an incentive for its members to reach a consensus on congressional and legislative maps, the commission would be given a set amount of time to do its job. If it couldn’t agree on a congressional plan, or legislative plan, or both, the approval process would be taken out of the commission’s hands. Voters in the next general election would get to choose from among three plans — a Democratic plan, a Republican plan and a publicly submitted plan. But the penalty to both parties for the commission failing to do its job wouldn’t end there. In every primary election during the 10-year period preceding the next redistricting, the names of candidates would appear on ballots without reference to party affiliation, and only the two candidates receiving the most votes in the primary would appear on the ballot in the general election, even if those candidates are from the same party. As a big plus for voters, the proposed amendment also contains language geared toward the creation of competitive districts, so that the winning party in a race isn’t determined before a ballot is ever cast. Ohio lawmakers can redeem themselves for the recent redistricting farce by putting their four colleagues’ proposal on the legislative fast track.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Litigation hits an oil field of dreams
W
ell, it didn’t take long for plaintiffs claim the leases would pay the litigation to start in them less than 1% of the fair market value Ohio’s oil fields. of the lease bonuses now being paid in Let’s not even get into the county. how weird it is to write the phrase This will be an interesting one to “Ohio’s oil fields.” But we all know how watch because of their claims they were much money is being spent as energy misled. Might it be that they’re just companies buy up drilling rights along unhappy that later buyers are getting the state’s eastern spine, hoping more for their mineral rights? to tap into the gas and oil reserves **** BRIAN trapped in the Marcellus and ONE VERY THOUGHTFUL TUCKER Utica shales. READER, Paul Klodor, writes to Land offices in every county us this week, lamenting that seat in that part of Ohio have our issue last Monday, on the been mobbed by folks researching very day of the tragic shootings land records so the negotiations at Chardon High School, had a can begin. Apparently, 33 front-page feature story on a landowners in Columbiana Burton man who has built a very County now are regretting that successful gun auction busithey did their deals early in this ness out of his tiny storefront. game. In my response to his email, I wrote According to The Business Journal, that I could certainly understand his which covers the Youngstown/Warren feelings, given what sadness had engulfed area, the group filed suit last week the town of Chardon. “And the truth is against Chesapeake Exploration LLC, there are costs and dangers associated asking a common pleas court there to with a multitude of businesses, but we throw out the leases they signed three or still write about them,” I wrote, adding so years ago. In court documents, the that gun ownership is one of those hot-
button issues, regardless of stories like school shootings. To which, he thanked me, and extolled the work of our editorial staff. In turn, I thanked him and said that journalists rarely hear from readers who say they’re doing a good job. **** CONGRATS TO BRANDMUSCLE and The Riverside Co. for doing last week’s deal that should help both Clevelandarea concerns. Riverside, perhaps our region’s most prolific private equity investor, buys one of our growing and innovative marketing firms, enabling it to grow even faster. Riverside is located in the Terminal Tower downtown. BrandMuscle is looking for new digs to ensure its future growth. Wouldn’t it be great to have it land in downtown Cleveland, perhaps one of the hippest “new” places to hang a shingle? Having a couple hundred, mostly young, creative marketing types joining those already living and working in the city would be a great story. Here’s hoping. ... ■
THE BIG ISSUE What do you think could be done to prevent school shootings such as the one in Chardon?
ANGELA GOODEN
DAVE JANKOWSKI
CHRISTOPHER BURTON
DR. MELVIN SHAFRON
Cuyahoga Falls
Avon Lake
Avon Lake
Lyndhurst
Education on bullying. There are so many different types of bullying out there nowadays, whether it comes to technology, Facebook (or) texting. And just kind of educating our children and giving them the proper outlets to deal with those situations.
I think there needs to be greater education among the student population about identifying the signs — identifying these sorts of things and knowing what the proper steps are in terms of contacting authorities who can do something about it.
I think communication, open communication between the community, between the students, between parents and the educators. And I think everything that came out of Chardon was a big win. ... Everyone knew what to do, where to go. First responders were right on key.
If this was an at-risk child ... the schools should have been more involved with the behavioral issues that were presented. … They live in a rural area and guns are, I’m sure, in everybody’s home out there. This always bothers me. … I’m for better gun control.