Volume 83, Issue 3
Who is the Secretary of State? Reporters: Trent Doyle and Brandon Allen
On June 14th, a debate was held between the Nationalist and Federalist nominated state candidates. The delegates were each asked a question and offered a chance to respond to their opponents answer. One candidate who captivated the hearts and minds of the audience was the Nationalist Secretary of State candidate, Marcus A. Schwartz. He was asked, “Some claim that our voting system is open to attack and fraud. What would you do to protect our most fundamental right to vote while not imposing additional barriers for marginalized groups?” His response to this question was, “I believe that registering to mail in ballots, drive through voting convenient locations, and have available hours. This would widely increase the amount of voting that is done.” When he finished, cheering filled the arena. Marcus was given a rebuttal to his opponent, in which he said, “my opponent’s plan is a little dangerous for our state. I love Ohio and I think we are the best state. So, I want success out of Ohio. Our democracy relies on secure elections to operate. And my opponent’s plan leaves this open and a little vague. Our people will lose faith in the election process and this will deeply harm Ohio’s.heart and overall success.” Once again, the arena was captivated and cheers erupted throughout. After a successful campaign of shaking hands and drawing smiley faces, Marcus A. Schwartz was elected on June 14th as the Secretary of State. With a campaign slogan of “I’m lovin’ it,” it's hard to deny his impactful ideas. Running on the platform of allowing voters to vote immediately after turning 18 with
Wednesday, June 15th, no registration required, Schwartz narrowly slid into his elected position by 31 votes. After the election, a job fair was held for delegates who were unemployed. Schwartz was present to give people a chance to help in the Secretary of State’s office. Schwartz said, “Well, of course I want people who work hard and show up on time, but most of all I want someone who’s sociable, easy to get along with, and knows how to have fun.” On the evening of June 15th Schwartz was inaugurated by Justice Sharon Kennedy. When asked how it felt he said, “It was great, it was an experience man.” Schwartz had a clear expression of content and accomplishment. On his first day of office, he said he felt like a chicken with its head cut off. Schwartz said they were, “Running around like crazy, but I think we got it.” He and his staff have confidence and loads of optimism for the future.
Marcus at the Meet the Candidates Rally. Picture credited to Cody Barhorst
At the end of the inauguration, Schwartz was asked if he had any words for the people, and sticking to his campaign slogan, he had one thing to say, “I’m lovin’ it, let's have some fun, bro.”
2 The Hetuck
On Patrol By Michael McKenzie
At Buckeye Boys State, the State Highway Patrol Program is one of the most popular programs through the week. There are many reasons people want to partake in the program, but one common reason was the ability to enforce and keep the law. Louis Burkett, a Buckeye Boys State delegate who took the Ohio Highway State Patrol exam, stated that he has always been drawn to serving his community and his country. “I’ve always been interested in law enforcement,” Burkett stated, “I’m in the Beaver Creek General TC which is a military program that involves leadership and kind of serving my community and serving the United States, and this was just a program that was something I was interested in.” Another delegate who took the exam, Cale Everroad, gave similar reasons for taking the Highway Patrol exam. When asked about what interested him in the State Highway Patrol’s organization and program here at Boys State, Cale said the following, “Just the police force in general, and enforcing the laws, and just helping to protect and serve my community really piqued my interest.” 20 boys were selected to partake in the program this year. Those people will be learning from the best troopers in the state, including the 2021 Ohio Highway State Patrol Trooper of the year. Delegates will also be participating in various activities, including patrolling the sidewalks of the Miami University campus as a mock way to patrol the streets and get a form of real-world experience. The State Highway Patrol demonstrated
some of these procedures on Wednesday afternoon and then allowed the participants in the program to put these procedures to use. One policy that will be enforced is the prevention of “drag racing” (walking side by side on the sidewalk). Those 20 boys participating in the State Highway Patrol program this week will uphold the policies demonstrated and enforce the law as though they are truly members of the State Highway Patrol. Another program sponsored by the Ohio Highway State Patrol is Junior Cadet week. Junior Cadet week is a week where 15 people from Buckeye Boys State are chosen to spend a week in Columbus training with
Highway Patrol gets sworn in Picture credited to Joseph Federle
members of the Ohio Highway State Patrol. Interviews for the Junior Cadet Week were held Wednesday afternoon for those who were interested. The program will consist of physical training, criminal patrol operations, unarmed self defense, stops and approaches, alcohol impairment countermeasures, the use of aircraft in law enforcement, crime scene familiarization, and crash investigation. The week-long program will be held with the hope that future state highway patrol officers can get some real world experience and learning opportunities that others may not be afforded the chance to get.
The Hetuck 3
Hovance 4 Governor! By Carter Kohli
“He got that ambition, baby, look at his eyes. This week he moppin' floors, next week it's the fries,” was a Kanye West line that inspired the now American Legion Buckeye Boys State Governor Jon H. Hovance. When asked about his thought process for running he answered,”I’m coming to Boys State, why not?” Governor Hovance, along with other members of the Boys State government, were sworn in tonight by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy. She left the candidates with this advice, “Decide and commit. Work hard. Have fortitude.” Hetuck was able to get an interview with the Governor himself. When asked about what he likes about the job, he answered, “Especially the public speaking aspect.” Beyond his enjoyment of it, he is extremely skilled. The delivery of his speech left the Millett Arena crowd in a standing ovation, chanting “Hovance! Hovance!” Speeches are only part of the job. Now that he is in office, Governor Hovance has to put his plans into action. When outlining his future plans he said, “The big one we had talked about in the campaign was NOSA [New Ohio Space Administration].” Cabinet meetings have already been scheduled to discuss the next steps. NOSA is not the only policy Governor Hovance has. He told The Hetuck, “But we also are really heavily pushing education.” On this end he has been extremely successful, since many education related bills, including raising teacher pay, have made their way into the legislature. Governor Hovance is also looking to increase “infrastructure funding,” an exciting proposition to many city governments. The Hovance administration has not been without its controversy. His supporter, and current Chief Justice, Cole Miller, came under some scrutiny for possible use of illegal campaign material in the form of playing his guitar. This quickly passed, but others may not. Cost and feasibility of NOSA is consistently being called into question. Treasurer Jaxon Hovance swearing in. Picture credited to Zeb Downs Oehler said many times that he sees no reasonable way to pay for the program. Both legislative bodies are drafting bills to ban the creation of a state space agency. A director of a department, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Hetuck, “I don’t know why I have to leave work to attend this meeting about a space thing that won’t even happen.” Getting his cabinet in shape will be a daunting task, but one that he must overcome. Every Boys State Governor wishes to leave behind a legacy, and Governor Hovance has laid his path, and just needs help navigating it. The Hetuck also asked him what advice he would give to future Buckeye Boys State Governor candidates. Surprisingly, he informed us that, “I never spent a dollar on campaign materials.” All of his campaigning was through talking, shaking hands, and the support of his loyal voters. He recommends the same strategy to any future hopeful governors. To end the Hetuck interview Governor Hovance restated his statement during the debate, “So much love and support from people, I could not ask for more.”
4 The Hetuck
Jacob Baxter Against All Odds By Cooper Stigall Buckeye Boys State delegates are beginning to be active in the work field. Election candidates have been sworn into office and delegates have taken the tests required for their career choice. On the surface it seems that every delegate here has had equal opportunity for what career they decide to pursue, but problems arise in the county sheriff's department with miscommunications with employment opportunities in their program. Delegates promised jobs to become deputies of the sheriff had to rush to the job fair because the promised number of three deputies dwindled to only one deputy to be hired. Jacob Baxter, elected sheriff for White County, believes that the situation is unjust and is taking the next step for any sort of compensation for the misfortunate delegates. Jacob Baxter, also known as Big Country, and like any job at Buckeye Boys State, received a paper that gives basic information about his position. The first paper that Jacob received said that he would be able to recruit three deputies, so he did so soon after. Jacob then reported to his orientation, the paper that he received there said that he would be able to recruit two deputies instead of the promised three. With one less deputy already being problematic, he was later told that he will only be able to recruit one deputy. Jacob was baffled White County Sherriff Baxter. Picture credited to Cooper Stigall by the newly given information and now had to tell the people that he already recruited that only one will be able to be a deputy. Jacob believes that it is unfair to the delegates that have lost their jobs as deputies because of the opportunities that were lost with the security of thinking they had a job. The delegates that were released missed out on the bank exam as well as the first portion of the job fair. Jacob Baxter is looking for compensation for the lost deputies, and is planning to sue the Secretary of State for civil negligence. Jacob Baxter not only believes that there should be compensation for the lost deputies, but believes that his department is understaffed as a whole. The original budget for employees of the sheriff department is 120,000 Boy State Bucks. Jacob Baxter thought that was an absurd amount of money for just one deputy so he lowered the budget for employees from 120,000 to 60,000 Boy State Bucks. Jacob Baxter believes that he should be allowed to have more deputies because of the absurd amount of money that is provided for employees in his department. He thinks that he needs more men mainly for patrolling because they have the responsibility of guarding the Mona Lisa. A quote from Jacob Baxter states, “The county is asking us to do duties that require more men, but the state has denied us more men to do said duties.” Others are skeptical about the likelihood of his lawsuit being successful, but the only thing that Jacob Baxter has to say about that is, “I’ve been against the odds before.”