A lot has happened since the governor’s appointment of the seven members to the Ohio Casino Control Commission just two weeks ago. Governor Ted Strickland was required to make his appointments to the commission by October 10; however, the Senate will have the ultimate say in confirming those appointments.

Strickland appointed the following people to the Commission:

• Charles “Rocky” Saxbe, of the law firm Chester, Willcox, and Saxbe, LLP;
• Joseph Rugola, president of the AFL-CIO;
• Vanessa Whiting, a partner at the law firm Roetzel & Andress;
• Jerry Chabler, a member of the board of directors for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority;
• William Kirkham, an attorney with the firm Frost Brown Todd;
• Michael Bolte, a retired officer for the Cincinnati Police Department; and,
• Greta Russell, controller at the Ohio State University.

Since Strickland’s appointment, Bolte has since stepped down from his position on the board, citing personal and family reasons. Bolte has been replaced by former Cincinnati Police sergeant John Wainscott.

Under the law, no more than four members of the committee could be from the same party, but still members of the Senate, who have “advise and consent” on all governor’s appointments, believe the next potential governor should have a hand in crafting the committee make-up. The Republican-controlled Senate is hedging their bets that John Kasich will be victorious in next month’s election and wants to be sure that Strickland isn’t loading up appointments of former “friends and supporters” to boards and commissions before potentially leaving office.

The Commission will meet for the first time on Monday for an organizational meeting, which includes the swearing-in of members and ethics training.