· September 17, 2012

Mike Curtin on Why Ohio Needs Redistricting Reform

Mike Curtin, former newsman and vice chairman of the Columbus Dispatch is well known to Central Ohioans who follow public events and politics. In his 38-year career in journalism moving from public affairs reporter up through the editorial ranks to eventually run the Dispatch, Curtin is viewed by most as a fair and balanced observer of Ohio politics. Now a candidate for the Ohio House, Curtin is talking about the winner takes all approach Ohio has to congressional and state legislative district apportionment saying that in this “hyper-partisan age” something needs to be done to take all of the power out of the hands of whichever party controls the Statehouse. “If you look at the maps – any of the maps – they’re absurdities,” Curtin told Colleen Marshall on The Spectrum. Curtin used his own community as an example. He lives in the village of Marble Cliff which for 70 years has been a sister community with Grandview Heights – sharing schools, municipal services and a library district. The two communities are contiguous, but not on legislative district maps, and Curtin says this is simply a twisted mathematical construct to benefit the people currently in power in Columbus in Washington. “They (current district maps) are geographical monsters that serve only the politicians in power,” Curtin said. Ohioans have an alternative, however. It’s State Issue 2 and it will be on the ballot this November. Innovation Ohio supports a yes vote on Issue 2 and we’ll be talking more about it over the next six weeks. Check out Curtin’s entire interview (3 minutes):