Thursday evening, February 2, 2023, the Erie County Democratic Party Central Committee held a Special Meeting to appoint Ellen “Ellie” M. Olsen to serve as Erie County’s Interim Recorder. Olsen has worked in the Erie County Auditor’s Office for nearly 26 years and previously for 10 years in the Erie County Engineer’s Office.
On Friday, January 27, 2023, 128 of the 222 House Republicans – including 25 Republican lawmakers on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce – signed onto an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to block student-debt relief. It came alongside a separate brief filed by 43 GOP senators opposing the relief. They all argued that POTUS Biden doesn’t have the authority to cancel student debt using the HEROES Act of 2003.
DeWine signed HB458 into law triggering a major overhaul of state election laws that will require voters to present a photo ID at the polls. Under the new law, voters must present a photo ID when they cast their ballot in person, although the ID doesn’t need to have their current address on it. Qualifying IDs include an Ohio driver’s license, state ID, U.S. passport, passport card, military ID or interim identification issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Voters could previously use alternative forms of identification at the polls, such as utility bills or bank statements that had their new address on it.
The Erie County Board of Elections will hold a special election on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, where voters in the City of Sandusky will decide whether they’d like to manage their public park lands or if they’d like their city government to continue doing so.
The Select Committee has referred former president Donald J. Trump to the Department of Justice on four (4) criminal charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to make a false statement and “incite,” “assist” or “aid or comfort” an insurrection.
After a three-year legal battle, former president Trump’s tax returns have been released for anyone to review. The House Ways and Means Committee early Friday released redacted versions of six years’ worth of his returns. These returns have been posted for those curious to review.
Sandusky – Erie County Recorder Barbara A. Sessler has announced her retirement as county recorder effective January 27, 2023. Sessler submitted her retirement to the Erie County Commissioners during their meeting Thursday, October 31, 2022.
Ohio Republicans introduced a new resolution today that purposely makes it more difficult for citizens to amend the state Constitution. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) put forward the “Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment,” which is “designed to help protect the Ohio Constitution from continued abuse by special interests and out-of-state activists.” There is no evidence that Ohio is being overrun by out-of-state special interest groups that are trying to capture Ohio’s Constitution.
Despite the Ohio Supreme Court declaring maps drawn by the Ohio Republicans illegal and unconstitutional at least seven times, Ohioans just elected representatives to the state Legislature and Congress using maps illegal and unconstitutional maps. The result? Republicans dominated statehouse elections and lost two congressional seats.
