Today he’s Senate President. Next year he’s House Speaker. Here’s how it happened: Capitol Letter

Rotunda Rumblings

How he did it: After a yearslong, multimillion dollar battle over the Ohio House speaker’s gavel with incumbent Speaker Jason Stephens, outgoing Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman ended up winning last Wednesday’s crucial House GOP leadership vote without a single challenger. Jeremy Pelzer has the inside details about why Huffman won – and why Stephens and state Rep. Tim Barhorst, a potential last-minute contender – lost.

Wait ’til next year: Ohio lawmakers say constituents have been pleading with them to pass some sort of property-tax relief bill, given the latest wave of county residential property reassessments has resulted in dramatic jumps taxable home values. But as Pelzer reports, while legislative leaders from both parties say the issue is a top priority for them, they don’t expect any major property-tax reform to pass before the current legislative session ends next month.

RIP: Ohio Sen. Kirk Schuring died on Friday, Jake Zuckerman reports. He’s remembered by his current and former colleagues as a statesman, a role model of a lawmaker, a force of compromise, and someone who never stopped serving his home region, even taking calls from his hospital bed.

Concession tape: Derek Merrin conceded his loss to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a video he posted on X on Friday. “We knew this was going to be a dogfight from the very beginning,” he said. “We stood up for our constitution, we fought for lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, and set a vision out for more prosperity in Northwest Ohio.”

Full disclosure

Here are five things we learned from the Feb. 20, 2024, financial disclosure form of Mark Johnson, a Chillicothe Republican in the Ohio House.

1. Along with his legislative salary, he earns income from three union pensions: the Ohio Carpenters Pension Fund, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Pension, and the Ohio Laborer’s Pension Plan.
2. He owns Mark Johnson Properties, LLC as its sole proprietor and is a trustee of the Mark G. Johnson Revocable Living Trust
3. He disclosed no real estate interests apart from his personal residence
4. He owed at least $1,000 to U.S. Bank at some point in the year
5. He was reimbursed $209.28 by the Ohio House Republican Alliance, and $1,540.52 by the Ohio House for mileage and lodging.

Birthdays

Ex-state Rep. Marlene Anielski

Sam Creech, policy adviser and project manager, InnovateOhio

Rachel Ehresman, policy adviser, Ohio House Republicans

Rob Richardson, 2018 Democratic nominee for state treasurer

Myers Y. Cooper, Ohio’s 51st governor (1873-1958)

Straight From The Source

“His inability to grasp the importance of this is not going to impact my going forward with the bill.”

– Ohio Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Kirtland Republican, speaking to Gongwer about recently-ousted House Speaker Jason Stephens, who blocked Cirino’s legislation to combat perceived liberalism run amok on college campuses.