Latest news with #AllisonRusso
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Ohio House Democrat to step down from leadership
Jun. 5—Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo plans to step down from her post in leadership once the state's budget process is finished at the end of June. Russo, a term-limited Columbus-area Democrat who has led the House's minority caucus since 2022, will serve out the remainder of her term but will step down "to pave the way for a smooth transition of leadership," according to a Thursday statement. Now one of the best-known Democrats in Ohio politics, Russo said decisions on her political future will come at a later time. Her early departure from leadership does coincide with preparations for the 2026 election cycle, in which every Ohio executive political office is up for re-election. "Serving as the Ohio House minority leader for the last three-and-a-half years has been an incredible honor. It has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions I've had the privilege to hold," Russo said. "This role has allowed me to shape our Democratic policy priorities, be an unwavering voice for the needs of Ohio working families, and recruit talented new legislators and a team of hardworking staff to carry out these priorities." In 2021, Russo ran for Congress against Republican Columbus-area incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Carey and was defeated handily. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo stepping down from leadership role at the end of June
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo. (Photo by Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, is stepping down from her leadership role at the end of the month. Russo has served as minority leader since January 2022 and she will continue to serve as state representative until her term ends on Dec. 31, 2026. She made the announcement to her caucus Thursday morning. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Serving as the Ohio House Minority leader for the last three and a half years has been an incredible honor,' she said in a statement. 'It has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions I've had the privilege to hold.' Russo was first elected as state representative in November 2018, flipping a previously held Republican seat. She worked in health policy for more than 20 years before entering politics. Russo ran for Congress in 2021, but lost to U.S. Rep. Mike Carey 58% to 42%. 'Every strong leader knows the importance of a thoughtful transition,' she said in a statement. 'At the beginning of this session, I communicated to members that I wanted to remain in leadership through the important state operating budget negotiations.' Heading into the legislative summer break and the rest of the General Assembly session, however, she said it 'is important that I give the next leadership team ample time to thoughtfully and carefully plan how to navigate our caucus priorities after this budget cycle and to continue building our effort to pick up more seats for Democrats in the Ohio House in 2026.' Russo also said she wants to focus on her family, policy work and serving her district. 'My son just graduated high school, and I look forward to spending the summer with him and my family preparing to send him off to college,' said Russo, who has three children. 'Any decisions regarding my political future, will come at a later time.' Russo is term-limited in the House and has been tight-lipped about her future plans. During her time as minority leader, Russo has been forced to navigate a Republican supermajority. 'Over the last few years, my colleagues and I have stood strong in the face of attacks on our most basic rights and values, and despite tough odds we were successful in standing up for all Ohioans,' Russo said. Ohio Democrats secured a couple of major victories in 2023 — voting down an effort that would have made it harder to pass constitutional amendments, and voting to enshrine abortion and reproductive rights in the state's constitution. Russo's announcement comes the same month Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters announced her plan to step down. So far, Dr. Amy Acton is the only Democratic candidate who has announced they are running for governor in 2026. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor and Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel is considering running. Ohio Supreme Court Judge Jennifer Brunner is the only Democrat in statewide office in Ohio. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters will step down by end of next month
Elizabeth Walters was elected the new chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. Photo courtesy Twitter. The Ohio Democratic Party will have a new chair for the mid-term elections. Liz Walters is stepping down as Ohio Democratic Party Chair no later than June 30 she announced earlier this week on X, former known as Twitter. 'The state of the OH Dems organization is in the strongest possible position for change, and completing a chair transition now ensures the next leader of our party will have a healthy amount of time to get their legs under them for the 2026 cycle,' she said in a statement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Walters was appointed chair in 2021 and was the first woman elected to the role. David Pepper was the previous chair. 'Making the decision to leave was not easy,' she said in her statement. 'It has been an honor, and a true vocation, to serve as the chair of the Party that I love in the state I call home.' Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, thanked Walters for her time as chair. 'Liz has done an exceptional job for more than four years leading the Democratic Party in Ohio,' Russo said in a statement. 'Her dedication to upholding the democratic values of freedom, dignity, and opportunity in the fight to make the lives of all Ohioans better is a testament to the legacy she will leave behind.' The Ohio Democratic Party suffered losses in the 2024 election. Republican Bernie Moreno ousted long-time incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown who held office since 2006. All three Republican Ohio Supreme Court candidates swept their races giving the court a 6-1 Republican majority. Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner's seat will be up next year. Looking ahead to 2026, former Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton is currently the only Democratic candidate running for Ohio governor. Entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and political newcomer Heather Hill are all vying for the Republican nomination for governor. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid numerous school levies failing across Ohio, state GOP doesn't plan to bail districts out
School lockers in a hallway. Getty Images. Ohio Republican leaders say they will follow the wants of local voters who rejected school levies on the May 6 primary ballot. This comes a month after they proposed a slash of public education's expected budget by hundreds of millions. Overall, school levies generally passed across the state. According to a WEWS/OCJ analysis, 70% passed — but most were extremely close calls. Many in Northeast Ohio failed. But how did we get into the situation where more than 100 levies were on the ballot? That depends on who you ask. 'We are so over-levied because the state does not step up to do its part on many issues, most importantly in the space of public education,' said House Minority Leader Allison Russo. Russo referenced the school funding debate. In 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the way the schools are funded was unconstitutional, relying too much on property taxes. After decades of work, lawmakers passed the bipartisan Cupp-Patterson Fair School Funding Plan in 2021. The policy was set up with a six-year phase-in that provides support for districts, and four years have already been implemented. But in this year's budget, House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, decided that the amount of money schools were receiving was 'unsustainable,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX To be fully funded based on statistics from the Fair School Funding Plan from 2021, schools would need $666 million. The proposed budget only gives them about $226 million. GOP leaders argue that since they are increasing from the amount of money that the schools got in 2025, this is a good deal — and they are funding education. However, Democrats argue that 2025 is just a singular year, not a two-year budget, and that this is dramatically lower than the FSFP. Based on 2025 numbers and inflation, the amount of money needed to fund K-12 would be closer to $800 million, new data from public school advocates like former lawmaker and FSFP co-creator John Patterson explained. Huffman was asked if the state had a responsibility to help out schools that say they have to lay off teachers. 'I think we have a responsibility to fund public schools … But if a levy doesn't pass because the local voters, the constituents, don't want it to pass — that's up for the local jurisdiction to make a decision,' he responded. He added that the state shouldn't be held responsible if taxpayers vote no on the levies, especially because residents are already struggling with property taxes. 'The votes of the people who are in the district should mean something,' the speaker continued. 'And if the answer is, 'Well, they voted no, so the state should send more of everybody else's money to that district,' — I don't think that's the way it should work.' Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) didn't address the state's involvement, but does say he understands why some schools failed. 'I would imagine the taxpayers in those districts are frustrated because their tax bills just went up relatively recently and they should, rightfully, be asking how much of that increase in their tax bills is already going to the school districts,' the president responded. Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) disagreed, adding that another House proposal will make it even worse for public education. According to the House GOP, schools have carried over $10.5 billion, which should be going back to the residents. The bill would require counties to cut property tax rates, distributing back unspent cash, if school districts save more than 30% of the previous year's budget. These reserves are essential for schools, Antonio said. McColley also said he believes that the 30% limit is 'too low.' As the proposed budget makes its way through the Senate hearings, schools are asking to tack on more money. Legislative leaders say that doesn't seem likely. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What made the cut, what didn't in House version of Ohio budget
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio House members passed the two-year state operating budget on Wednesday, sending what has become a controversial spending bill to the Ohio Senate for consideration. 'It does not go far enough, and we think there's still a lot of reckless cuts and unnecessary cuts in this budget,' Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. 'It is very consequential, and it is consequential in that it will be extremely damaging, especially to the funding of our public schools.' All about six new laws in Ohio that go into effect today 'I think this is the most consequential budget that I've been [part of],' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said. 'And this is now my 17th year in the General Assembly. It does more things on more fronts than any budget that I've ever had been involved in.' House Bill 96, as passed by the House, has a property tax relief effort that will bring Ohioans in nearly every district some sort of cut on their bill. Here's how it works: if you live in a school district that carried over more than 30% of its budget from the previous year, your property tax bill will go down. Ohio House Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said that will impact Ohioans living in 486 of Ohio's more than 600 school districts. 'Our determination is, if this was in effect already this would have constituted a $4.2 billion property tax relief, cumulatively, in the state of Ohio, for all of our residents,' Stewart said. Why are so many Chick-fil-A's so close together? Stewart said this both ensures that schools are not 'hoarding' taxpayer money while bringing Ohioans much-needed relief on their property tax bills, an issue that has been long debated at the Ohio Statehouse. But Democratic lawmakers warn against this, calling it 'fake' property tax relief. '[The Republicans'] solution is to rob the schools and give it back to homeowners, so then what happens? The schools are either going to close down, eliminate education opportunities, and/or, probably both, are going to go to the ballot and increase property taxes,' Ohio House Finance Ranking Member Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said. But despite concerns with this being a one-time relief solution, or not true relief, those against the measure said even more, it has not been thoroughly considered. 'It is completely unvetted,' Russo said. 'We had a property tax study commission that looked at hundreds of plans. This was not on it. So, no one has fully discussed how this plan actually impacts districts and responsible school funding in practice.' Supporters said this will send a strong message to Ohioans that their money is theirs, and does not belong to the schools, or government and said it is just the start of relief lawmakers will work to pass. How tariffs are expected to raise prices for Ohio consumers 'This is monumental, and this is one step that we, as a legislature, will be taking this year to address property taxes,' Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said. Stewart said some of the big spending wins in the budget have to do with educating students. Stewart said this budget will increase funding to Ohio's public schools, spending $20.2 billion over the next two years. 'Those are cold hard facts, this budget increases funding for every single school district in the state of Ohio, period,' Stewart said. But Sweeney said this will, in the long run, leave schools in the lurch as the state 'walks away' from a funding formula founded several budgets ago. 'What we are doing is arbitrarily walking away from that,' she said. 'So next year we don't have formula anymore. That should be so concerning to everyone, to every property tax owner, every parent or child in the state and teacher.' The bill also creates a merit scholarship for high schoolers who graduate in the top of their class and decide to go to one of Ohio's public universities, while permitting private universities to participate if they willingly follow provisions of soon-to-be law Senate Bill 1. OSU President seeks legislative clarity after student visas revoked without notice One of the more controversial spending portions of the budget is not a direct cost to taxpayers. It is a $600 million bond to help the Cleveland Browns build a new stadium. 'No one in my caucus believes that we need to be funding a Browns stadium at this moment in time when there is so much unmet need in this state,' Russo said. 'And this budget already recklessly and irresponsibly cut so many necessary programs.' The original text of the bill required the Browns to deposit $38.5 million of a 'security deposit,' but Stewart offered an amendment on the House floor to increase that amount to $50 million. As it stands, the Browns will have to invest $50 million, which Stewart said is estimated to grow to $250 million over 25 years and will help cover the bond debt if tax revenues from the new stadium fall short of paying for the bonds. 'This is a significant added security for our taxpayers,' Stewart said. 'I believe it will make a good deal even better.' 'The Ohio Statehouse is not a personal piggybank for billionaires,' Rep. Sean Brennan (R-Parma) said. The amendment was adopted with 55 votes in favor, 15 against and 29 no-votes. The bill also adds $25,000 each fiscal year to cover costs associated with joining the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact, something that was in the state transportation budget, but ultimately removed. 'We understand that we may have some difference of opinion with our friends in the other chamber, but we thought this is a reasonable thing to tee up again for discussion,' Stewart said. Dublin eyeing German-inspired holiday market for Bridge Park in 2026 The bill also adds $100 million for a childcare choice voucher program, something both Republicans and Democrats agree is a bright spot. 'There's a whole host of good provisions, and I would equate that to this body listening to the people of Ohio and to members across the board, unfortunately, it wasn't enough,' Sweeney said. 'I'm still trying to get to a place where we can have a bipartisan vote.' The budget also puts $150,000 in there to fund the Special Olympics and encourage them to be hosted in Ohio. 'If you look at how states around us have funded the Special Olympics, we're pretty low compared to those other states,' Stewart said. 'I love the Special Olympics. I know that a lot of our colleagues do as well. And so, we felt like it was a good thing to do to bump that up and to show more commitment there.' While most of the state operating budget spends money, parts of it create new laws or update the Ohio Revised Code, with no price tag attached. A few of the policies in the budget particularly take aim at the LGBTQ+ community. Those provisions include: policy that Ohio will only recognize two sexes, and they are not changeable; a portion that requires libraries to limit access to LGBTQ+ books; and a prohibition on state agencies from flying certain flags. Those were all added on April 3. In addition to all of those, the most recent version of the budget prohibits a government entity from placing menstrual products in the men's restroom of a public building. Some Democratic members call those provisions a 'sneak attack' on the LGBTQ+ community, but Republicans call those portions of the budget no brainers. 'Commonsense,' Stewart said. 'You know, men don't need tampons and it is kind of silly that we continue to have certain public entities that want to pretend otherwise.' 'I think we have real problems in this state and that is just not a real problem,' Sweeney said. 'So, I will defer to the fact that we have a workforce shortage. We have our chambers of commerce saying we're losing $5 billion in workforce needs. I don't know what problem that solving, and I just wish we would focus to the needs of the state.' Why Ohio leaders aren't 'clawing back' grants after Intel delays A policy that does not cost the state anything – but will cost drivers – raises the motor vehicle registration and renewal fee by $5. The revenue from that will be required to be used by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. 'The state highway patrol has been looking for a more stable funding source; there's been a lot of changes over the years of how they're funded,' Stewart said. 'We had a lot of members that wanted to see a specific source of revenue and the $5 fee there on your license registration is how we've typically done that. And so, it just kind of expands that by $5 to pay for the Highway Patrol.' The budget also directs the state to ask the federal government for a waiver that would allow Ohio to restrict what Ohioans can spend their SNAP benefits on, specifically eliminating the ability to use SNAP on sugar-sweetened beverages like soda pop. 'I don't think we should have a policy in the state where we're essentially subsidizing diabetes in children by buying pop with food stamps,' Stewart said. 'I think if people are using their own money, they have the freedom to do whatever they want with that money. And you're using the taxpayer's money to buy your food. Then taxpayers have an ability to say, 'we're not going to buy junk food with it.'' 'Does this address the realities of food deserts? What if there is no access to healthy foods? Changes like that I don't think should be made in the state budget so we can actually flush [them] out,' Sweeney said. 'If the goal is to make sure that people are having healthier alternatives, we all share that goal. Is this the right way to do it? I'm not sure.' The budget also creates an age verification program in order to watch pornography, a bill that has been worked on in both this and the last general assembly. Mail carriers say new contract failed union wishes 'That's a policy that I think has wide support in the caucus,' Stewart said. 'I think, frankly, a lot of people believe that if you're going to have obscene material on the internet, we should at least make sure that those who are not legally allowed to view it are not viewing it.' The budget also eliminates the Ohio Elections Commission (ELC). That commission's enforcement authority and administrative responsibilities shift to the Ohio Secretary of State for certain candidates and campaign organizations and shifts enforcement authority to county Boards of Elections for local candidates. The Senate will make its own round of changes, before working to find a compromise with the House. The budget must pass and be signed into law by July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
