Sun Feb 12 2012
by Marc Kovac
Capital Bureau Chief
Columbus -- GOP gubernatorial hopeful John Kasich made official his selection of Republican state Auditor Mary Taylor as his running mate against incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland.
During a press conference near the Statehouse Jan. 14, Kasich said he and Taylor are of like mind on policy issues, holding strong stances against tax increases. And he said she's qualified to be governor, should something happen to him while serving in office.
"She has been creative, innovative; she has professionals in that office and she has been a great, great auditor," Kasich said, adding later, "She's got experience, she operates on principle, she's so qualified to step in ... She is going to play a major role in the restructuring of this state. And folks, this state needs restructuring."
Taylor said her priorities, if elected, would be to better control state spending, limit frivolous lawsuits and retrain Ohio workers for new jobs.
"Despite my repeated warnings about a looming multi-billion-dollar budget hole and the dangers of over-relying on onetime state and federal stimulus money, I've been ignored," she said. "... I've tried to help, I've pointed out the problems that we face and I've offered solutions. But our governor is a hard guy to help."
Taylor's selection has been widely reported in recent days. Kasich announced his pick the afternoon of Jan. 14 over the popular online social networking site Twitter, then answered reporters' questions during an availability at his Columbus campaign headquarters.
Strickland is expected to name his running mate in coming days.
Democrats were quick to criticize Kasich's decision. State Party Chairman Chris Redfern said in a released statement, "We are confident that when Ohio voters learn about John Kasich's record of supporting the Washington-Wall Street policies that got us into this economic mess and his plans to make drastic cuts to our schools and police and fire departments, they will send Ted Strickland back to the Governor's Office. Mary Taylor does nothing to change that."
Taylor served as a city councilwoman in Green near Akron prior to two terms in the Ohio House. She was the lone Republican to secure a statewide office in 2006.
Taylor announced in late May that she planned to seek re-election as auditor, shortly after David Pepper, a Democratic county commission from the Cincinnati area, announced his intentions to seek the seat. Kasich made official his run for governor about two weeks after Taylor's announcement.
"This is a great opportunity for us to finally transform government to make Ohio a prosperous state once again," Taylor said of her switch to be Kasich's running mate. "... This is a great opportunity to make a real difference for Ohio."
The auditor's seat will play an important role in the coming redistricting process, as that office-holder is one of the members of the board that will draw legislative district lines for the next decade.
State Rep. Seth Morgan, a Republican from the Dayton area, already has said he is considering a run for Taylor's seat. Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine acknowledged questions about Taylor's decision and its impact on Republicans' potential role in redistricting.
"We'll get to those questions in due time," he said. "But that's not the discussion for today."
Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.
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