Politics

Ohio’s House Bill 68 has been among the most widely discussed bills this past year. Called the Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act by its Republican sponsors, it aims to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors and prohibit transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams.  

Though it might seem like a grassroots bill unique to Ohio, HB 68 is actually part of a concerted effort by anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups to pass similar legislation in state legislatures around the country. Let’s take a closer look at the bill’s provenance:

Arkansas and Ohio bills are very similar

HB 68 is based on legislation drafted out-of-state by the Family Research Council (FRC), an evangelical Christian lobbying organization based in Washington that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.

The Ohio Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is issuing a strong statement opposing any proposed changes to the allocation of funds from Issue 2, particularly those suggesting the redirection of funds towards county jail construction and tax relief.

Tom Roberts, President of the Ohio NAACP, asserts, “Ohio voters spoke in a firm and unmistakable voice to support Issue 2 in its current legislative language form. The Ohio NAACP is aware of comments made by Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens suggesting one of the priorities for Issue 2 revenue should be ‘investing in county jail construction.’ Additionally, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted said that the revenue should be used for ‘tax relief.’”

Our GREEP zoom #156 opens as the magnificent ANDREA MILLER of the Center for Common Ground tells us about the critical election in Virginia, showing us the astounding flood of money into these key races.  It’s an amazing show of the power of corrupt funding in what’s left of our democracy.

From the labor movement we then hear PATRICK CROWLEY, AARON WAZLAVEK and JAY PONTI fill us in powerful developments in the green economy as strikes proliferate throughout the nation.  The recent rise of organized labor is one of the great unexpected successes of the new century.

MYLA RESON and TATANKA BRICCA give us critical perspectives on all this.

Then WENDI LEDERMAN tells the horrifying on-going details of the Cop City assault on Atlanta, protestors and the actual law with a wave of brutal, illegal repression.

After I exposed Ginther’s habitual hollow phrase, “Our top three priorities are neighborhoods, neighborhoods, neighborhoods” at my press conference on Thursday (Columbus Dispatch, October 27, 2023, “Motil Questions Ginther’s support for neighborhoods; Ginther cites millions invested”), we can all add yet another false claim to the endless growing list. The marketing research firm that Andy paid $97,000 to tell him what important to voters, apparently did not do any research about their client.

Ginther’s dishonest campaign TV ad and mailers falsely present my own positions on excessive use of the police force. This refers to the one night in the Short North when he ordered 150 law enforcement, bicycle and foot patrols, canine units, helicopters, drones, motorcycles, and horses. He quotes me completely out of context. He next, lies about his gun buyback event claiming it “took 300 guns off our streets.” With no evidence at all, the campaign also claims that Andy is a "champion" of “Mental health and addiction treatment.” None of this is true.

In the last week, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther shows signs of an incumbent in a tight race desperate to prove he deserves another shot at his job. If he were even slightly engaged with everyday people, he wouldn’t need the polling firm he’s hired to learn about what matters to people in the city he is paid to lead.

Selected voters in Columbus recently received a survey (or “push poll”) from a market research firm, EMC Research, paid for by the Friends of Ginther campaign ($55,000 paid to EMC Research on July 27, 2023). What these polls lacked in ethical research, they made up for in creative rewriting of history, attempting to create a fiction of Andy Ginther as having “worked tirelessly to fight crime” in Columbus with only two examples to offer the public of his effort.

In the last week, Columbus Mayor AndrewGinther shows signs of an incumbent in a tight race desperate to prove he deserves another shot at his job. If he were even slightly engaged with everyday people, he wouldn’t need the polling firm he’s hired to learn about what matters to people in the city he is paid to lead.

Selected voters in Columbus recently received a survey (or “push poll”) from a market research firm, EMC Research, paid for by the Friends of Ginther campaign ($55,000 paid to EMC Research on July 27, 2023). What these polls lacked in ethical research, they made up for in creative rewriting of history, attempting to create a fiction of Andy Ginther as having “worked tirelessly to fight crime” in Columbus with only two examples to offer the public of his effort.

Protestors filled the Columbus City Council chambers at their October 16 meeting to denounce their silence on the genocide of Palestinian people and support for the government of Israel. There were so many protestors most were turned away at the door since the building was “at capacity,” although that turned out not to be true.

Press release from Joe Motil’s campaign

Andy Ginther’s refusal to discuss the state of the city with a legitimate Democratic challenger, long-time, highly respected, and well-known civic leader is indeed a blatant sign of disrespect for the people of Columbus. It is also an insult to the democratic electoral process.

Ginther displays his daily lack of knowledge of the city for which he receives an undeserved salary.

Spewing no more than empty slogans, always placing blame on others, never accepting accountability or responsibility, and presenting a record of failure, he must be afraid to meet Joe Motil in public to debate the pressing issues that challenge the daily lives of Columbus residents and the neighborhoods they live in.

Instead, he spends his $1.2 million payoffs from those who write checks to his campaign. They, who are his partners in this city’s pay-to-play system of politics, provide Ginther the money to spew the same fraudulent election year campaign rhetoric and promises on daily television ads.

As youth violence continues to rise in Columbus, and parents of teenagers are “begging and pleading” with legal and elected authorities to arrest and lock them up (WBNS TV “Mother of son who keeps stealing cars: Please lock him up” September 27, 2023) what options are these parents being provided with if any?

As mayor of Columbus, I will allocate $3 million into our Columbus Public Health Departments budget that will provide grants to families to obtain behavioral health and social supports through the OhioRise program.

The GOP-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission voted to adopt Statehouse district maps that tip the scales for Republican candidates and solidify GOP majorities in both chambers. The two coalitions, Equal Districts and Fair Districts condemn the latest political power-grab by both the Republican and Democratic members of the commission.

“Politicians are getting in our way,” said Molly Shack and Prentiss Haney, Co-Executive Directors of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative speaking on behalf of Equal Districts. “It has become obvious that we cannot trust politicians to deliver the fair maps Ohioans deserve. We must remove politicians from the process and give power back to the people. We look forward to making that change by amending the Ohio Constitution in November 2024.”