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The
powers that be
Alumni command influence in Ohio circles
By Jess Goode and Mary Alice Casey
In the 32 years he spent
in the Ohio House of Representatives, Patrick Sweeney encountered
graduates of one particular university again and again. “They’re
like land mines,” Sweeney jokes of the prevalence of Ohio University
faithful in Columbus.
Albeit a colorful way to sum up the trend, Sweeney isn’t far
off. Dozens of alumni hold positions of power in the state, serving
in the Legislature, in state agencies and for leading lobbying firms.
Among the most influential are the four profiled here: Speaker of
the Ohio House of Representatives Larry Householder, Ohio Board
of Regents Chair Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Ohio House Finance Committee
Chair John Carey and Ohio Senate Chief of Staff Teri Geiger.
“This has been at least a 25-year phenomenon, although we are
at somewhat of a peak right now,” says Mark Weinberg, a political
science professor and director of the University’s George V.
Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs.
He attributes the healthy headcount of alumni in state government
in part to the “nature of the individuals” drawn to Ohio
University: “They’re dedicated to public service, talented
and just nice people. They want to help others.”
Aside from the obvious benefits for students seeking jobs and internships
in politics and public service, the impressive network of alumni
provides the University with a steady stream of guest lecturers
and worthwhile advice on public affairs strategies.
And, observes Sweeney, who left the Legislature in 1998 and now
teaches political science at Cleveland State and does consulting
work, the Bobcat team is “high-class and always top-notch in
terms of talent and skill.”
Speaking with authority
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Larry
Householder |
The most prominent Ohio
University graduate in state government also is the state’s
second-most powerful official: Speaker of the House Larry Householder.
Householder, AB ’82, hires the entire House staff, hands out
committee assignments and chairmanships and heads the rules committee,
which determines what legislation gets to the floor for a vote.
The speaker credits his solid academic training in Athens for playing
a role in his meteoric rise in Ohio politics. He says history classes
in particular have helped him put things in perspective and make
good decisions.
After graduation, he started his own insurance agency, which he
ran for 18 years. Then, in 1994, he was elected to the Perry County
Board of Commissioners. In 1996, he defeated an incumbent and took
a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. And this year, after
only two terms, his colleagues elected him speaker of the house.
Householder is focused on using what he learned in college and as
a lifelong Perry County resident to solve some of the state’s
most difficult problems.
“The quality of education in Ohio is at the top (of my priorities),”
he says. “Right behind that is the equality of education. I
have a very good understanding of the issue because I graduated
from a poorer school district.”
Householder also says he wants to improve Ohio’s higher education
system and help bring more good-paying jobs to the state.
That’s an ambitious agenda for a new speaker, but Householder
notes that conventional wisdom commonly underestimates him.
“I’ve always been running up the mountain, but it’s
made my legs stronger,” he says.
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