Latest news with #McColley
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio Statehouse leaders appoint financial tech exec to teacher pension fund before influential vote
The entrance to the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System headquarters in Columbus. (Photo by Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio Statehouse Republican leaders have appointed a financial tech executive to the retired teachers' pension fund ahead of the vote for a new executive director. Lynn Beal has been appointed to STRS Ohio by House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. Beal is the vice president and head of implementation and customer success at Upstart, an AI platform that 'partners with banks and credit unions to provide consumer loans,' according to her LinkedIn profile. Having previously working at JP Morgan, she specializes in data science, analytics and insights. Askedwhy he chose Beal, McColley said she presents what he wants to see in a board member. 'When we look into an awful lot of what's happening with any board, really, not just the pension boards, it's important for us to understand what's going on because oftentimes we're the insurer of last resort,' McColley said. 'We've got to know what's going on with all of this stuff, to understand the decisions that the board is making, and frankly, as I pointed out before, it's not easy to find people who want to do this, and so we're thankful that people are willing to step up.' This position has remained vacant since Claudia Herrington finished her term in the winter. The decision comes at a time when lawmakers are going back and forth with STRS board members. In emails obtained by News 5, McColley, Huffman, Gov. Mike DeWine and Treasurer Robert Sprague asked the board not to move forward yet on a new director. 'We respectfully request that the Board hold on scheduling the vote for the new executive director until the June 11-13, 2025 meetings,' the leaders said in a joint letter on May 8. 'This will ensure that the legislative leaders can make their appointment and that individuals can have time to become acclimated before further leadership decisions are made.' This comes after a year of controversy in which elected educators are accused of participating in a $65 billion corruption scheme. The board chair denies all allegations, and some retired educators are accusing the Statehouse Republicans of trying to stop transparency. The board did not select an executive director during its last meeting, but it may make a decision in its upcoming meeting in June. The finalists are Steven Toole, former head of the North Carolina Retirement Systems and Greg Samoryski, the head of Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate passes bipartisan bill to block ranked choice voting at state, local level
May 16—The Ohio Senate voted 27-to-5 to ban ranked choice voting at the state level and to cut off state funding to local governments that choose to allow it. The bill, Senate Bill 63, received broad bipartisan support with a five Democratic detractors, including area Sen. Willis Blackshear, Jr., D-Dayton. It now heads to the Ohio House for further consideration. Ranked choice voting, as described by the Council of State Governments, is "any system for counting votes that gives voters the option to rank their choices in order of preference." Broadly, the higher a voter ranks a candidate, the more points that candidate gets in the count. It takes multiple rounds, each time eliminating the last-placed candidate and redistributing their first-ranked votes to whomever the voter picked as their second choice candidate, and so on until a winner is decided. Ranked choice systems are used at state levels in Alaska and Maine, the latter of which uses it in all state-level primaries and all general elections for federal office. While there are no local governments that use ranked choice voting in Ohio, there's a smattering of local governments across the country that do use ranked choice systems. "My opposition to S.B. 63 is based on the ability for the state to withhold local government funding for localities that implement ranked choice voting," Blackshear told this outlet after Wednesday's vote. "Municipalities shouldn't have to worry about losing funding for implementing something that people in their communities want." The bill received support from Democratic leaders (Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, called ranked choice "confusing") in the Senate and every Republican. "Frankly, everywhere it's been tried, it's led to an awful lot of confusion, so I think it's good that we acted on this," Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, told reporters Wednesday. McColley said he's comfortable with the bill's provision that would punish local governments that choose to use ranked choice. "It does not infringe on home rule with the provision that's in there talking about the withholding of local government funds," McColley said. "There's (Ohio) Supreme Court precedent out there that says that is our appropriation authority to do that." ------ 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
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeWine attends signing of executive order to dismantle Department of Education
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — President Donald Trump dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is leaving Ohio leaders at odds about whether it will help or hurt our education system to have more power returned to the state. 'I think there could be major benefits for all for Ohio,' Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said. 'I'm concerned about that,' Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said. How dismantling the Department of Education will affect Ohio schools Gov. Mike DeWine took a clear stance on the issue. A spokesperson confirmed that DeWine attended the executive order signing. 'Today, I joined President Trump and several fellow governors at the White House in support of the president's proposal to return education back to the states,' DeWine said in a statement. 'Every student, family, and community is different,' he said. 'In Ohio, we've achieved great results by focusing on our administration's priorities, like improving literacy achievement, ensuring all students have pathways to thrive in our workforce, and more. Now it's time to take the next step. By giving states more authority over education, we will have the flexibility to focus our efforts on tailoring an educational experience that is best for our children and that meets Ohio's needs, rather than trying to chase federal priorities.' The Ohio Democratic Party criticized DeWine for attending the signing. 'Ohio's students are our state's future, but their elected officials are cheering as billionaires rip away their access to a quality education,' Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer said in a statement. 'Today reveals DeWine, Husted & Moreno's complete disinterest in any future that isn't focused on their extreme politics. Our elected officials should be standing up for our students, but they can't even stand up to Donald Trump.' Former lawyer pleads guilty to lying to FBI about discussing client with sex worker How does it all really impact Ohio? The state's public K-12 schools and universities receive millions, sometimes billions, of dollars a year from the Department of Education. McColley said it comes with too many strings attached. A recent example is Title IX compliance funding. 'It's now basically legal bribery to the states to say you have to take this federal money and you have to do everything that we're asking you to do, otherwise, you're not going to get this federal money,' McColley said. 'And they put us in a position where, quite frankly, the one-size-fits-all approach that's coming down from Washington, D.C. is not working.' Overall, McColley said the money from the federal government should be free for use, as prescribed by the state. 'We would be better served to block grant that money to the state of Ohio and to all the other 49 states and basically say, 'Look, the beauty of this country is we have 50 laboratories of democracy. Some states are going to get it right. Some states are going to get it wrong,'' he said. McColley said it lends itself to one 'simple fact': Ohio knows what is best for Ohio. 'Just greater flexibility on how we're going to spend the money in the state, I think would be helpful for everybody,' he said. 'We are going to have a better idea of what Ohio education needs are than they are in Washington, D.C. That's just a simple fact.' But it is not that straightforward for Antonio. Antonio said she worries about how Ohio's Republican-led legislature would dole out the money. 'You hear leaders say things like 'the Fair School funding formula is just not sustainable; they need $1 billion.' And at the same time, the same legislator leader is suggesting that we give $1 billion to private schools, religious-based schools,' she said. Fishermen in Ohio found guilty for unlawfully taking more than the legal daily limit of six walleye Antonio said it goes beyond the ways Ohio would choose to spend the money, but also the threat of a loss of programs, like Title 1. 'Which provides a supplemental reading services and additional help for kids that are that otherwise would fall through the cracks,' she said. 'They don't have enough learning problems to qualify for, to be on an individual education program or plan. But they still need some assistance, some help. And they're identified and they're given extra assistance.' Antonio said while there is no telling what will really be done, she does not trust Republicans in power in Ohio to legislate responsibly when given more power. 'There's a disconnect with the state of Ohio legislators in power right now who support giving money to private entities over public schools. I think that's a problem,' she said. 'I don't think Ohio is a good example of a state going ahead in and forging ahead with its own policies when it comes to education.' But McColley said, when it comes down to it, he thinks this power rightfully belongs to the states. 'Every state is going to have a better idea of what they can do with that money, better than what Washington, D.C. is having us do,' he said. 'The Constitution, quite frankly, dictates that we should be the ones controlling education in our states, not the federal government.' Ohio attorney general backs Trump order ending birthright citizenship 'There are a lot of levers, pulleys and checks and balances that come through the Department of Education, that states left to their own devices, I worry what that means for each individual state,' Antonio said. 'More importantly, I worry about what it means for our children.' This all comes after Ohio lawmakers majorly restructured the state's own State Board of Education and Department of Education and Workforce. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How lawmakers want to give Ohioans tax relief
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Republicans and Democrats at the Ohio Statehouse want to put more money in your pocket. But the question is: should lawmakers pass property tax relief, state income tax cuts, or can the state do both? 'The simple truth is — we've got to get work done,' State Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) said. 'People in my area are getting inundated with huge property valuation increases,' State Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) said. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that Ohioans need property tax relief, but even with consensus that something needs to be done, efforts have been stalled for years. Family accuses pet sitter of cremating dog without permission Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said that is, in part, because of how bogged down and 'screwed up' the system has gotten. 'The legislature, over the past three to four decades, has done a really good job at screwing up our property tax system, I'm willing to admit that,' McColley said. There are already more than a dozen bills that have been introduced to try and bring Ohioans relief — everything from a system that would allow Ohioans to defer their payments to expand the homestead exemption and just bring more clarity to everything. 'It's a very complicated issue,' Craig said. 'So, I would submit to you that all of those things need to be looked at, clearly, thoughtfully.' Craig, who served on a property tax study committee, thinks the priority for passing relief needs to first be for Ohioans who are low income, marginalized and seniors. Some lawmakers suggest starting from scratch and rebuilding the system. McColley said it is going to take several revisions to bring meaningful relief. 'The system, when it was put in place, was meant to be largely anti-inflationary,' he said. 'Through changes over the last three to four decades, it has become incredibly inflationary, where you're having unvoted tax increases happening every single time there's a revaluation. People are seeing the sticker shock in some cases of seeing a 30% increase in their property taxes.' He said that, at the very least, things need to be easier to understand for the average taxpayer. COTA program for residents with disabilities faces criticism for late arrivals, no shows 'We need to have a serious conversation ultimately to provide a system that, at the bare minimum, is more transparent and accountable to the taxpayers,' McColley said. 'I would say it should be universally agreed, for the most part, that our property tax system is very difficult to understand, it's very complicated.' The concern with property tax relief is that it takes money away from local programs and public schools, which are partly funded by those means. Democratic leaders said state lawmakers need to ensure public schools are funded properly in the state budget. 'We need to invest in our schools and in our workforce, so we can provide property tax relief. And we should. But that should be our focus,' State Rep. Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) said. Some property tax relief may be added to the state operating budget, which needs to pass by the end of June. Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said passing something that really brings Ohioans relief could take the better part of two years. 'This is essentially a 30- or 40-year problem that [has been] created, and so I think it'll probably take us, not only this budget cycle but the rest of the general assembly to work our way through that,' Huffman said. As lawmakers debate the most effective way to bring Ohioans property tax relief, they also wonder if they can make progress in flattening the state income tax. In 2023, lawmakers brought the highest state income tax rate down from nearly 4% percent to 3.75% and eliminated a tax bracket completely but some want to go even further. Ohio University pauses Celebrate Women conference 'I think we need to continue down this path of getting to a zero-income tax here in the state of Ohio,' Williams said. A total phaseout of the personal state income tax would result in nearly $14 billion in revenue lost to the state. Williams argued that a phase-out of the income tax would make Ohio more 'economically viable' in the long run. 'More Ohioans should be able to keep more of their paycheck in their own pockets and decide what they want to invest in by purchasing items in the consumer market,' Williams said. Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Lakewood) said she worries that the loss of revenue to the state will have to be made up by 'over-reliance' on sales and use taxes. 'We know that that disproportionately affects low- and middle-class Ohioans at the check-out counter,' she said. McColley argued that a reduced income tax makes Ohio more attractive to companies, like Intel or Honda, looking to bring their business here. He said flattening or eliminating the income tax will bring economic development wins to the state. 'There's a good public policy justification for reducing the tax burden on Ohioans,' McColley said. There is a bill to bring the state income tax rate down to a flat 2.75%, no matter how much you earn. Democratic leaders question if it is really in the best interest of Ohioans to focus on that legislation and overall effort. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gives 2025 State of the State address 'Nobody is calling my office regarding income taxes, but we get lots of calls in my office regarding property taxes,' Craig said. 'And so, we've got to be able to look at that issue clearly.' 'We desperately need property tax relief, but we can't fund it on the back of cutting income taxes for the wealthiest Ohioans,' Isaacsohn said. 'It is not what people are clamoring for. It's not what our office is hearing about we're hearing about the desperate need for property tax relief, especially among our seniors.' As that is being debated, Republican lawmakers are looking ahead to the viability of creating new programs or expanding others, like the state's child tax credit. 'Every tax credit we introduce or every tax deduction that we introduce makes it harder for us to get to our ultimate goal, that being, eliminating the income tax or having a flat income tax in the state of Ohio,' McColley said. The state operating budget must pass by the end of June, when some of these tax policies could be included. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
