The end of the year will mean the end of some legislative careers for lawmakers who are leaving because of term limits.
Two veteran lawmakers who are different politically have formed a surprising and funny friendship. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler explains.
Bob Hagan and Lynn Wachtmann didn’t seem to get along much – as demonstrated by this exchange on the Senate floor in May 2004, when Hagan suggested some Republican lawmakers don’t feel pensioned public employees such as police officers and firefighters are capable of making their own decisions on investments.
Hagan: “Is that the reason why you added the two additional investment advisors and do you support that statement?”
Wachtmann: “Sen. Hagan, your question is really stupid, but I’ll answer it.”
Ten years later, Hagan, the liberal Democrat from Youngstown and Wachtmann, the conservative Republican from Napoleon in northwest Ohio, are leaving the Ohio House after finishing their fourth terms, and completing legislative careers that began in the mid 80s. And they welcome the opportunity to sit down for an interview together.
Hagan: “I totally disagree with him on I would say 105 to 108% of the way he stands on issues, but I respect that.”
Wachtmann: “I love people who have strong passion, are not chickens, frankly, political chickens, unafraid to expound their philosophies.”
Neither Wachtmann nor Hagan is a lawyer, unlike most lawmakers. Wachtmann is president of a bottled water company, and Hagan drives a locomotive for CSX. They say their friendship was forged in the legislature before term limits forced them and other lawmakers to leave office before they wanted to, or before they were voted out. Hagan says term limits keep constituents from learning more about their elected representatives and senators.
“We give too many escape hatches for voters. I want them to come and pay attention to what we’re doing.”
Wachtmann says while he opposes term limits, he’s not sure that’s how voters feel twenty-two years after approving those restrictions. But he says he’d be open to campaigning for extending lawmakers’ time in office.
“I think my constituents and people around the state that I talk to seem to be more open to maybe a longer term limits.”
But they couldn’t be farther apart on major issues such as abortion rights, gun restrictions, collective bargaining and unions and capital punishment. But Wachtmann admits that Hagan’s repeated introductions of measures to legalize medical marijuana have led him to look into its benefits and the trials that are being conducted in Ohio. Hagan says Wachtmann’s openness to the idea is a start.
Hagan: “I think if he and I share a joint sometime I think that would probably be one of the best ways to end our career. Maybe you’d understand it a little bit better.”
Wachtmann: “Are we going to fly to Colorado to do that, Bobby, or what?”
Hagan: “I’ll get us there. We’ll be flying somewhere if we’re smoking it.”
Wachtmann says his biggest legislative disappointment is that the so-called Heartbeat Bill, which he sponsored twice, hasn’t passed – Hagan couldn’t be more opposed to it. Hagan says he’s disappointed that there’s been no increase in the severance tax on oil and gas drillers. largely because of opposition from Republican lawmakers. But Wachtmann admits, for the first time, that he’s coming around to that idea too.
Wachtmann: “I think it’s, from my perspective, a good time and maybe would have been a good time six months ago to do a, probably a lower tax than Bobby would like, but to do something. Now I’m going to want to cut income tax with that revenue, Bobby.”
Hagan: “Well, that would be typical of you to go into the regressive end of taxation.”
Wachtmann: “Well, cutting income tax for railroad engineers is good public policy.”
Hagan: “Well, we obviously need to cut taxes for the middle class and working people, but we continue to cut taxes for the very wealthy and the 1%, and that’s what this 10 years, 15 years has done for us. So therein lies our difference.”
Hagan will be back in Columbus in January as a member of the state school board – his wife Michele Lapore-Hagan was elected to replace him. Wachtmann is still involved in his water business but says he’s considering other options, and in fact interviewed for a job for the first time in his life recently – an experience he describes as “interesting”.