State Sen. Bill Seitz And Wife Heading For Splitsville: Cincinnati Republican's Dissolution Of Marriage Filed Election Day

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Seitz Split Cites Irreconcilable Differences

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- After 32 years of marriage, Ohio State Sen. Bill Seitz is getting a dissolution of marriage from his wife, Diane. The couple separated 13 months ago and have been living apart. Papers filed with the Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court on Election Day state that the longtime lawyer and his wife Diane are incompatible, “irreconcilable differences having arisen between them rendering it impracticable for them to live together.” The jointly filed suit doesn’t say what those irreconcilable differences are, only that they were enough for them to separate in October 2009. He’ll stay in the marital home in Green Township. She has a house in Delhi Township.  The couple's two children are grown.  Seitz represents District 8 in the Ohio Senate and chairs the civil justice committee.  In 2004, he sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union  between a man and a woman.  At the time, Seitz said this about the measure:  "It's a gigantic step toward strengthening the traditional view of marriage."

Unfortunately, his own traditional marriage hit the skids after more than three decades.  Seitz, a full-throated Republican, is known for his wit, his speeches in the legislative chambers, his intelligence, and his willingness to quickly respond to inquiries from constituents and the media.  He is fairly popular in Columbus among his colleagues, and is one of the more noteworthy state legislators from Greater Cincinnati. He spent seven years in the Ohio House of Representatives, was appointed to the Senate in 2007 and was elected to that seat a year later. His chairmanship of the Senate's civil justice panel makes sense since he has worked at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister since 1978 and is now a partner.  Seitz is seen as favoring pro-business interests over those of unions and the plaintiff's bar.  The court filings say that he'll need two incomes to fulfill the spousal support payments he agreed to -- $3,400 a month starting in January. That was based on $146,000 in annual income for Seitz, $17,500 for his wife. Both sides agreed that a “significant” portion of Seitz’s income hinges on his re-election in 2012, should he pursue it:  “In the event that Husband is no longer in the Ohio Senate and he does not have other income to equal at least $124,100, the Court shall have continuing jurisdiction to lower his spousal support amount.”

Diane Seitz will also get her share of the family nest eggs. She’ll receive $236,000 of her husband’s retirement account at Taft and half of their stock in Cheviot Savings Bank and Cincinnati Financial Corp.  Bill Seitz is on some lists of possible GOP candidates for the 2012 U.S. Senate nomination.  The winner would face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, a freshman who plans to seek reelection.  Seitz has not put his hat in the ring -- the speculation has come from insiders and handicappers -- and Seitz has not publicly touted a candidacy against the expected Republican field.  It is not clear what effect if any the dissolution might have on his political career.  Was it a clean split, or is there something else going on that caused the break up?

Equality Ohio Poll: Majority Still Opposes Gay Marriage

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- The Equality Ohio Education Fund, a statewide organization that opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation, released a survey today showing that 58% of the state's residents remain opposed to same-sex marriage.

"The result closely mirrors the outcome of the 2004 November election where Ohioans voted to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage," the group reported.

However, there was postive news for gays, too. A huge margin of Ohioans, 91%, said they would not object to legislation that would grant same-sex couples a guaranteed right to visit a sick or dying partner in the hospital. And 68% of Ohioans said they favor laws that forbid workplace discrimination. The POLL surveyed 800 Ohioans late last year.

The data found that 90% of Republicans supported hospital visitation, and 60% of Republicans agreed the gays should not have to face discrimination in housing and employment. Current Ohio law forbids discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion and disability, but it does not cover sexual orientation. Several cities have adopted local anti-dscrimination ordinances that include gays.

Lynne Bowman, Equality Ohio's executive director, said the findings show the state's residents are willing to extend some legal protections to lesbian, bisexual, transgender and gay residents. However, only 38% support gay marriage. She was encouraged by the overall findings.

"This is an exceptional response to such an important issue facing many LBGT Ohioans. Everyone should have the guaranteed right to visit their sick or dying partner. Hospital is visitation is an issue on which almost all Ohio voters can agree. We are working for an inclusive Ohio where equality and diversity are valued and protected by law. This is not about special rights. This is about every Ohioan deserving equal rights and protections. Most Ohio voters understand and support that," Bowman said.