Fight over Householder expulsion tests limits of Rep. Bill Seitz's clout at the Ohio Statehouse
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In recent months, lobbyists and other Capitol Square denizens have taken to referring to state Rep. Bill Seitz – half jokingly – as the second speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.
The veteran Cincinnati Republican lawmaker plays a key role in setting his chamber’s agenda, and had increased his power during the recent chaotic period in the House GOP, cemented last November via a deal he cut with actual House Speaker Bob Cupp.
But Seitz’s perceived influence met its limits last month after he went to the mat to attempt to prevent the legislature from expelling federally indicted former Speaker Larry Householder – a process that was months in the making – and failed.
Statehouse observers have taken note of Seitz’s political loss and are debating what it means about his role as a leader in the GOP caucus. Some also feel that Seitz, a polarizing presence in Columbus, seemed to take the development hard, getting into public confrontations with multiple lawmakers in the days surrounding the vote. Perhaps speaking for other Democrats, Hudson Rep. Casey Weinstein celebrated the “losing streak” on Twitter after Seitz also failed to get an amendment into a bill imposing additional restrictions on wind projects.
Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/07/fight-over-householder-expulsion-tests-limits-of-rep-bill-seitzs-clout-at-the-ohio-statehouse.html