Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray will appear Saturday at the Great Geauga County Fair in Burton Township, according to the Geauga County Democratic Party.

Fisher is slated to appear at 6:30 p.m. and Cordray will appear at 12:30 p.m. Both men will be at the Democratic Party tent at the fair.

Update:
Mary Jane Trapp, who is running for seat on the Ohio Supreme Court, will visit the Democratic Party tent at 2 p.m.

-- John Arthur Hutchison, JHutchison@News-Herald.com

State Sen. Tim Grendell continues to be upset over the fact that Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray won’t join in a lawsuit with other state attorney generals who oppose the new federal health care law.

At least 14 state attorney generals have signed on to the the court action to claim the legislation has no constitutional merit.

Grendell, R-Chester Township, also has introduced legislation, Senate Bill 224, that would make it Ohio’s policy for people living in the state to be able to choose not to have health insurance.

It also would ensure that Ohioans are not assessed a fine or fee as a result of their choice.

“It is most unfortunate for Ohio that Attorney General Cordray is no longer acting as the lawyer for the people of Ohio,” Grendell said. “Instead he now acts as a federal judge who is unilaterally passing judgment on the constitutionality of the abusive federal healthcare bill, instead of letting Ohioans have the constitutionality of that legislation tested in federal courts."

Cordray, a Democrat who is seeking re-election, said he drew upon his experience as an appellate lawyer and law professor to research the request and make his decision.

“Based on my review of Ohio law and H.R. 3590, and my experience with federal constitutional law, I do not believe that the lawsuits filed against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have any legal merit whatsoever,” Cordray said. “As a result, I believe it would be a waste of taxpayer resources for Ohio to join any such lawsuit, and we will not be doing so.”

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Republican Dave Yost will seek election as Ohio Attorney General in 2010.

If successful in winning the Republican Party's nomination, Yost who is Delaware County's prosecutor, would likely face incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat.

Yost is the first Republican to drop his name into the ring. State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township, sought the Republican nomination in 2006, but was unsuccessful. Grendell was then re-elected to his seat in the Ohio Senate last November.

Another Republican name likely to be brought up and who is mentioned by the Dispatch as a possible candidate is former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville.

I believe this race will have a Republican primary with at least two candidates because it doesn't appear, at least for now, that there is one name that would create enough party unity for someone to run unopposed.

-- John Arthur Hutchison

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said the language for a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution to allow casino gambling will have to go back to the drawing board.

"After reviewing your submission, I have concluded that I am unable at this point to certify your summary as a fair and truthful statement of the measure to be referred." Cordray wrote in a letter to the committee that was proposing the measure.

The state attorney general said he was rejecting the submission for two reasons.

He said the language should expand on parcel numbers and include fuller descriptions of where the casinos would be placed.

Cordray also said the language makes it appear as though winnings would not be taxable.

It is not unusual for the Attorney General’s Office to reject summary language as initially proposed, Cordray said.

Certification of summary language is just one step in the process, he said.

The Ohio Ballot Board must determine whether the petition represents a single or multiple Constitutional Amendments.

If approved by the Ballot Board, the petitioners must then collect signatures from more than 402,000 registered voters or equal to 10 percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election.

-- John Arthur Hutchison