Educate A Legislator Day date has changed to Wed. Sept 25th 8 am – 4 pm

We received information over the weekend that the Ohio Republicans will be taking a retreat to organize their plans for the year beginning on September 19th, the day we were going to talk with our legislators. I started calling Monday to verify this with the Representatives on the House Public Utilities Committee and was surprised to find that the aides answering the phones knew nothing about any retreat. So, I made some tentative appointments to meet, hoping that the information we received was wrong. I asked if they could investigate and tell me for sure if the Republican Party was going to be at the State House or on retreat on the 19th.  

On Tuesday, Rep. Jay Edwards’ office called and confirmed that the Republicans will indeed be going on a retreat the same day we are trying to hold Educate a Legislator Day. I received calls from other aides canceling appointments I had made because the Representatives would not be available.

I am sorry, but we will have to postpone the event date until the following week. We are at the mercy of the schedule set by the legislators and we have no way of planning ahead any farther than they are willing to reveal their plans.  

Please hang tough. Opposition to SB 33 and the ongoing attack on the democratic process is too important to be dissuaded by this unavoidable setback.

We will be working to resolve these glitches and take advantage of opportunities -  

1. The Sheraton will allow us to change the use of the room we’ve rented to the following week without further charges. Our new date is Wed. Sept. 25 from 8 am to 4 pm. Aides recommended a Tuesday or a Wednesday as the best days to find legislators in attendance at the State House. There is parking in the Columbus Commons Garage under the Sheraton. Credit Cards Only. Get there early.

2. We are planning a rally at the State House during the noon hour where we will be visible to the heavy lunch hour traffic on the streets. Leaders from different groups attending will have the opportunity to speak. We will need to see if there are restrictions. Banners, signs, and cameras are encouraged and we need numbers. (No sticks allowed to hold up signs or banners.) Guitars and Drums are always nice.  

3. We have members of the clergy who have agreed to deliver a letter to Governor DeWine dressed in their religious vestments. We need to see if they are able to participate on the new date. Following the rally we will accompany the clergy across the road to the Riffe Center where faith-based leaders can speak about the moral dimension of current policies and our efforts to oppose them while the clergy visit the Governor.

4. We are thinking of extending the hours with a start time of 8 am so that those wishing to park at the State House or the Commons will be able to find a parking space. You will have a place at the Sheraton to grab a bagel or pastry and a cup of coffee to begin organizing for your appointments.

5. We are also rethinking the training time. The more time we spend talking to each other the less time we have to talk with legislators – and that’s the whole point. We have folks who have a good idea about what it takes to sway certain legislators or groups of legislators. We need to get their strategies out to those who are attending well in advance of the event so people come prepared.

6. There are 24 members on the Public Utility Committee who are going to decide if this bill lives or dies. We need to see as many of them as possible. We want people to visit them as well as their own legislators. We would like people to join a team of two or three others each from different organizations and meet with a few of the Utility Committee Members. Let them know from the perspective of your particular group what your concerns are.  It’s going to be a busy day. More specifics and a new agenda to come. 

PLEASE REVISE ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE POSTED THAT HAS THE OLD DATE. Registration link remains the same. If you already registered but cannot attend reply to this email.  Please share this widely.