OH Legislature Fighting Gov's 117 Veto

Response to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's veto of Substitute Senate Bill 117 has come rapidly.  Less than 16 hours into his first term as Governor, Strickland killed the bill that former Governor Bob Taft allowed to become law by not signing it but also not vetoing it.

Today in THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, Mark Niquette and Jim Siegel report that OH's "lawmakers promised a court fight, saying Strickland used up his goodwill with them on his first day in office."  The legislature is GOP-dominated.  The new Governor is a Democrat.

Niquette and Siegel go on to say that "The battle may come down to how you count to 10."  The former Governor stated that the clock started running on the 10-days that the state's chief executive has to act on a bill on December 26th.  The OH legislature agrees.

Governor Strickland states that the clock started on December 28th. For this determination, the new Governor consulted with his new state Attorney General Marc Dann.  Dann, like the Governor, is a Democrat.  One has to wonder if this new AG will follow in the Eliot Spitzer activist mode.  Political and legal experts opine that the era of the Spitzer approach has come and gone. They also opine that if Spitzer follows that MO as New York governor he's doomed to failure.  His new role demands cooperation. 

On his website, Governor Strickland presents the reasons for the veto. In his web statement, he says that 117 weakens protections for consumers while simultaneously it "strengthens protections for companies that may have products that have harmed and even continue to harm."  He also points out that he will not allow a bill which "prevents cities" from being able to protect their citizens.  Six cities in OH have filed lawsuits against the former lead-paint companies.

This stunning move by Governor Strickland has raised questions about if the Democratic chief executive of the state can work with its GOP legislature.  Some contend he has recklessly blown his political capital.

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