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Thursday, August 26, 2010
Committee recommends Thomas Edison for new Ohio statue in Washington
By a unanimous 6-0 vote, a special legislative committee on Thursday, Aug. 26, recommended that inventor Thomas Edison represent Ohio on a new statute in Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Thomas Letson, D-Warren, initially passed but then cast his vote for Edison to make it a unanimous selection. Letson said after the meeting that his first choice was the Wright brothers, the aviation pioneers from Dayton. He said, however, he wanted the committee’s choice to be unanimous.
Letson said he preferred Orville and Wilbur Wright because of his personal feelings about where their research was done” and where they had a continuing presence. The Wrights lived most of their lives in Dayton. Edison was born in Milan in Erie County but left Ohio when he was seven and did most of his inventing in New Jersey.
Edison supporters, however, said he maintained continuing contact with his birthplace.
The recommendation from the National Statuary Collection Study Committee now goes to the House and Senate for their consideration. Lawmakers are expected to return to Columbus after the Nov. 2 election.
A new Ohio statue will replace former Ohio Gov. William Allen, whose pro-slavery and anti-Abraham Lincoln views now are seen as an embarrassment to the state.
Each state is represented by two statutes and Ohio’s other statue - of President James Garfield - will remain in Statuary Hall.
Another factor in the selection process was the question of whether more than one person could be represented on Ohio’s statute.
Stephen T. Ayers, Acting Architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., told Committee Chairman Mark Wagoner, R-Ottawa Hills, in a letter of March 22, 2010, that “as specified in the authorizing legislation, only one individual may be honored by a state in the National Statuary Hall Collection.”
Wagoner is a state senator whose district includes Edison’s birthplace.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, in a statement to committee members on Aug. 20 challenged the idea that only one person could be represented.
“While there has been some speculation about the eligibility of the Wrights based on statue replacement guidelines published by the Architect of the Capitol, it is important to note that these are, according to the Architect, ‘provided for reference only; they may be modified in particular cases by the Joint Committee on the Library.’”
He said a statue could be designed with “one of the Wright brothers holding their plane in which the other is piloting.”
The committee recommendation followed voting by the public on a new statute.
In the popular vote, open to all Ohioans, Edison received 14,833 votes, 1,018 more than the 13,815 cast for the Wrights. Jesse Owens, the Olympic gold medal winner, was third with 5,032 votes and former U.S. Rep. William M. McCulloch, a Piqua Republican who championed civil rights, was fourth with 3,851 votes.
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TweetLawmakers seek public’s help to fill state budget hole
State lawmakers are seeking the public’s help in trying to come up with ways to fill a hole in the next state budget that could be as deep as $8 billion.
The bipartisan Ohio Budget Planning and Management Commission on Thursday, Aug. 26, launched a new Web site to collect information and identify potential solutions.
Click here for the Web site.
The Web site requires users to register and long in. It requests ideas that include a strategy for balancing the budget for fiscal years, 2012-2013. Fiscal year 2012 starts July 1, 2011.
Material can be submitted in a variety of formats and all information will be considered a public record, a press release said.
“The public input will be invaluable as we roll up our sleeves and move forward developing solutions,” State Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, a commission member said in the release.
State Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, also a member, agreed.
“Considering the significant challenges we are facing, members have a responsibility to keep an open mind and look at all possible solutions,” Jones said in the release
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