[ Legislative Leaders ]
The Speaker The President
&
William Batchelder ’67, Keith Faber ’91 lead Ohio Legislature BY MONICA DEMEGLIO
H
ushed conversations are swallowed entirely by the din outside of the legislative chambers at the Ohio Statehouse, making an already warm October afternoon a bit stifling. Freed from their classrooms for a day, school children on a field trip file their way up to a balcony overlooking the Ohio House of Representatives. Women’s rights advocates and “Stand Your Ground” protestors, sweaty and hoarse from chanting slogans on the Statehouse lawn all morning, clog the peach-colored hallways outside of the Ohio Senate. In the middle of it all is celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna, who will be honored by both bodies, obliging legislative aides’ requests for a quick picture with their iPhones. Not far away, William G. Batchelder ’67 wraps 50
T H E O H I O S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
up a quick meet-and-greet with constituents in the office reserved for the Speaker of the House. Flanked by his scheduler and advisors, Batchelder makes his way down the hall toward the House chambers in his Barry Goldwater-like spectacles. A group of protestors recognize him instantaneously. He greets them with a smile, shakes their hands, and accepts their pamphlets and buttons as he makes his way to the House floor. A loud bell clangs. Batchelder ascends the steps to the dais, and a new legislative session begins. On the opposite side of the Statehouse, Senate President Keith Faber ’91 looks down from his lectern to inquire about upcoming committee meetings. His demeanor is business-like, but not unfriendly. He values an economy of words and staying on schedule. Once the session is over, he