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It's getting harder to ignore the Ohio Redistricting Commission's regular, blatant declarations that they are unwilling to do their job for Ohio residents. Last time the process was kicked off to redraw statehouse voting maps with a meeting in which the commission did precisely nothing.
Wednesday, the first meeting in a renewed attempt at the process ended with once again not a thing accomplished, and the revelation that members of the commission can't even be trusted to agree upon co-chairs. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, the seven members of the commission met for the first time since May 2022 for only about an hour. State Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, couldn't agree on who should co-chair the commission on behalf of Republicans, and even the pretense of moving forward was halted.
Gov. Mike DeWine was probably right to adjourn the meeting, but it would be nice to think those involved at least had the decency to be embarrassed by their behavior. Certainly, they are not doing themselves any favors in the eyes of those who would like to change the process.
"This reminds me of student council government. It's like who the heck should be in charge? 'I want to be.' 'No, I want to be,'" Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, told The Enquirer. "These kind of power plays are not productive. It shows a dysfunction that I didn't actually think that they had."
It would be nice to believe when the commission reconvenes today, cooler heads will prevail and decisions will be made, though Ohioans have little reason to hope. This commission has already learned there is no consequence for running out the clock. Why wouldn't they do it again?
Of course, the answers are responsibility, fairness, humility … a simple desire to fulfill their duty to Ohioans. If members of the commission have even the hint of those qualities, they'll grow up and get to work for us, now.