The Richland County Republican Party met for lunch at Ed Pickens’ Cafe on Main in downtown Mansfield on Monday afternoon. The keynote speaker was Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives William Batchelder.
Before Batchelder spoke, Chairman of the Richland County Executive Committee Mike Casto greeted the guests and introduced Batchelder. Batchelder is the second-longest serving representative in the Ohio House. He spent 31 years in private practice for his law firm in Medina, while teaching law as an adjunct professor at Akron University Law School and Cleveland State University. He has served as judge of the Medina County Common Pleas Court and as judge on the Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals.
An invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sid Hall.
Batchelder first thanked Richland County for sending state Repr. Mark Romanchuk to Columbus, where, according to Batchelder, he works diligently and “has provided a lot of leadership.”
The main topic Batchelder spoke on was that of governmental power, and how, in his words, the government should be probated for trying to spread equitable federal policy.
“Anybody who thinks that you want to do same thing for the people of Wyoming that you’re doing for the people in New Jersey, needs to be probated,” said Batchelder. “These are totally different places. And it’s time that the people in Washington [D.C.] woke up to that,” he added.
He also suggested that it is time for the officials in Washington to cooperate and work on the types of issues that voters are all faced with as challenges.
“But if you get the right people down there; they’re willing to do the right thing. That’s why I get such a kick from Mark [Romanchuk]. You know when you think about it, someone who is running a factory and still willing to come to the state legislature … That’s what Jefferson and Adams were all about. They worked for the future,” said Batchelder.
Batchelder was referring to citizen legislature, which Thomas Jefferson and John Adams believed in when contributing to the writing of the Constitution.
He then transitioned from citizen legislature to the creation of jobs in Ohio.
“We still have a ways to go. But we will not give up until we have done what needs to be done and so that we don’t have the largest city in our state in bankruptcy- as Michigan does. We will not ever allow a situation as Illinois has where they will never be able to pay pensions to the people who have been contributing throughout their working lives. That will never happen. That won’t ever happen as long as this part – you – are running the state of Ohio,” he said.
Batchelder also spoke about education. To this point, he stated his goals and shared a story about his grandfather.
“The goal here [Ohio] is to see that young people get a good education and have opportunities to do things beyond the academics,” noted Batchelder. He then shared a story of his grandfather, who grew up through the Great Depression. He said he never finished school past the fifth grade, but he always had work because he was a master tool maker. Batchelder said that we need to look at more and skilled labor positions.
“This is the greatest nation in the history of the world. This is the greatest nation from the standpoint of those who came here as legal immigrants and those who came here as people who wanted a new opportunity; a new chance,” said Batchelder. “And it’s up to us to see to it that those things continue,” he said in conclusion to his speech.
The luncheon officially ended with a brief question and answer session between Batchelder and the audience. Then, for the sake of time, he quoted Mark Twain, “It’s an awful death to be talked to death,” and dismissed himself from the podium.
For more information on Speaker William Batchelder, visit his website. For more information on the Richland County Republican Party, visit their website and Facebook page.
The next Richland County Republican Party luncheon will take place on Monday, August 4. The speaker will be Administrative Judge Craig R. Baldwin of the Fifth District Court of Appeals.
