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?

Ohio State Sen. John Carey's Newspaper Guest Column Today: GOP Lawmaker Caught Plagiarizing From Colorado?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio State Sen. John Carey -- who hails from Coal Country in Southeast Ohio -- is in today's Cincinnati Enquirer with a "Guest Column" talking up John McCain's energy policy. But much of what Carey writes today also appears under the name of Colorado State Rep. Kevin Lundberg, whose "Guest Editorial" happens to be on the on the same topic for the Craig Daily Press in that state. Coincidence or political coordination? Both officials -- one in Appalachia the other in the Rocky Mountains -- somehow have claimed authorship of articles that use mirror-like phrasing.

Here's a sample of Carey today in the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"Obama and Washington extremists believe coal is a 'dirty energy' that ought to be taxed. Obama has said "what we need to tax is dirty energy, like coal, and to a lesser extent, natural gas," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has echoed that sentiment in saying 'coal makes us sick. Oil makes us sick.' This 'dirty energy' that 'makes us sick' also happens to put food on the tables and roofs over the heads of many hard-working Ohio families. Not to mention that coal provides 90 percent of our state's electricity."

And here's a chunk of Lundberg's guest editorial from the Colorado publication:

"Obama and his Congres­sional Democrat supporters believe coal is a 'dirty energy' that ought to be taxed. Obama has said 'what we need to tax is dirty energy, like coal, and to a lesser extent, natural gas,' and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has echoed that sentiment in saying 'coal makes us sick. Oil makes us sick.' What Harry Reid calls 'dirty energy' that 'makes us sick' also happens to put food on the tables and roofs over the heads of many hardworking Colorado families. Not to mention that coal provides seven-tenths of our state’s electricity. In 2006, Colorado produced 36,000 short tons of coal and consumed 19,707 to generate electricity."

Here's Carey in Ohio:

"With half of our country's electricity produced from coal, our energy portfolio moving forward must include coal as a large component. The U.S. Department of Energy says our 267 billion short tons of coal reserves comprise 27 percent of the world total. We depend on this resource, especially here in Ohio, and we need a president who understands that."

Here's Lundberg in Colorado:

"Considering half our country’s electricity is coal-produced, moving forward with our energy portfolio must include a large component of coal. The U.S. Department of Energy says our 267 billion short tons of coal reserves comprise 27 percent of the world total. We depend on this resource, especially here in Colorado, and we need a president who will work for our best interests."