Jail shirtless Ohio men
Re “Vague Ohio bill would regulate what women wear,” April 19: Many thanks to Capital University Professor Dan Kobil for laying out the absurdities of the proposed legislation currently making its way through (what passes for) our state legislature that would prohibit drag shows and regulate women’s clothing.
May I suggest that if what Kobil calls the “Mullahs” of the General Assembly have their way, they should also regulate the removal of shirts by men mowing their lawns? Some of us may be offended.
I might also recommend that in their spare time, the legislature might turn its attention to the homelessness crisis, the fact that many young children don’t have enough food to get them through the school day, and that a whole lot of seniors can’t afford their medicines or their property taxes.
Offered as a thought.
Karen Eliot, Columbus
Allison Russo knows the egos
Re “Hambley is the candidate who gets it,” April 8: It is heartening to see new names and faces entering politics; however, it’s important that we have seasoned people in office as well.
There are several Democratic primary races where we are lucky to have more than one great candidate, but no race is more pivotal than the Ohio Secretary of State.
Please remember it is the structure/system (unconstitutional/unfair maps) that got us here and, until we fix the gerrymandering and ballot language shenanigans, there is little hope for change.
I believe that Allison Russo, who has had a seat at the redistricting table, is best suited to be our next secretary of state. She knows the egos, the power structure and the backroom deals that led Ohio to this place.
Bryan Hambley is brilliant and energetic, but this is one office where lived experience is the most important qualification for the job.
Sue Miller, Columbus
Experience matters
Columbus City Council soon will vote to appoint a new city auditor to fill the unexpired term of Megan Kilgore.
For 82 years, the auditor’s office has been led by someone with demonstrated, high-level experience and expertise in public finance and taxation.
Since 1944, R.P. Barthalow, John H. Price, Hugh J. Dorrian and Megan Kilgore have provided our city with unquestioned, professional leadership in this critically important office.
City council has a moral obligation to ensure the continuation of this five-star legacy.
Barthalow, Price and Dorrian all were appointed by council before being elected to the office. Previous councils met their moral obligation.
Will this council meet the test?
Mike Curtin, Columbus
Dave wouldn’t recognize Wendy’s
Re “Building a burger empire,” April 19: I read the article about one of Columbus’s iconic originals, Wendy’s fast-food restaurants. It was a good history lesson for those not familiar with the beginning of this hamburger giant.
I knew Dave Thomas. Not well, but as an Ohio state representative, I worked with him to help adoptive parents looking for children to make the process easier. He cared deeply about that issue, just as he cared deeply about the quality of the product his restaurant chain produced.
I am afraid I have to differ with Wendy Thomas when she says they have the playbook; all they have to do is follow it. Wendy’s stopped following Dave Thomas’ playbook years ago. Dave wouldn’t recognize the hamburgers his chain puts out now, other than they are square. Their quality today is so far from where it started. He wouldn’t be happy, I’m sure.
Dennis Stapleton, Columbus
Rude and racist
I have known Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens for many years. He is a man of tremendous integrity and grit. He is a man of faith. He is a loving and caring person.
Several months ago, I was present at a Whitehall City Council meeting. I was stunned by the lack of decorum of community members who were present. They were rude, they were out of order and quite frankly, I witnessed some racist exchanges toward leaders of the council and the mayor.
When I read about the recall, I was stunned. This is not the way to do democracy in a close-knit community like Whitehall. I hope and pray that all members of the Whitehall community all show up at the ballot box and put to rest all of this unrest.
Please retain Bivens. Please retain the members of the council who have been targeted, unnecessarily and unjustly. Please find a civil way to reconcile your differences and get on with the business of making Whitehall a great and prosperous community in central Ohio.
Tim Ahrens, Columbus
Improve health, safety in Columbus
Columbus police officers often are called to deal with people suffering from homelessness, mental health crises and other nonviolent behavioral issues.
While I respect the work of these officers, they aren’t fully trained to respond to these behavioral issues, nor do they have the referral networks to connect people to help. These situations take officers away from dealing with serious crime and violence.
I ask Columbus voters to approve Issue 5 on the primary ballot. This issue will empower the city to create a community crisis response system tied into the 911 call center. For the non-violent crisis calls, the city will dispatch a team of non-police responders, including clinicians, social workers, peer supporters and EMTs. These teams will be available 24 hours per day year-round.
This approach has worked well in other cities. I believe it will benefit both the people in crisis and our whole community.
Stephen A. Sterrett, Columbus
Destruction of education
I’m outraged by President Donald Trump’s wrecking of America’s education system.
Clearly, his plans come from the infamous Project 2025.
The first line of the chapter on education reads, “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.”
And, wouldn’t you know, the author of Project 2025’s education policy, Lindsey Burke, is now the deputy chief of staff for policy and programs at, you guessed it, the Department of Education.
The Education Department’s mission is to ensure equal access to education for 68 million Americans by administering federal funding, providing student loans and preventing discrimination through enforcing civil rights laws. The department also collects student data to improve the quality of education.
The administration has ignored the fact that it takes an act of Congress to eliminate a federal agency.
First, Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the department, then his administration withheld billions of allocated dollars without congressional approval and slashed half its 4,000 employees. More recently, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that the department’s responsibilities would be reassigned to other cabinet departments, effectively shuttering it.
Please urge your members of Congress to block the destruction of this Congressionally created agency!
Loralee Daily, New Franklin
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shirtless Ohio men real menace. Silly to ‘just’ jail braless women, drag queen| Letters
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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