Bill Fawley, Keith Faber, JD Vance and other fun stuff
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Last week, Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber made a visit to Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley’s office, where Faber honored Fawley for over three decades of public service in advance of his retirement in March 2023.
The Highland County Press reported that Bill has served as county auditor since 1990. I told Bill this week that since I have been a newspaper editor in one form or another for the last 32 consecutive years, I should retire as well.
But Bill corrected me and actually acknowledged that I am much, much younger than he is. Bill's public service began well prior to 1990. He was a schoolteacher beginning in 1969. If memory serves, he also worked in the public realm (today's Word of the Day is "realm," by the way) for Congressmen Bill Harsha and Bob McEwen.
Thus, Bill has maybe parts of seven decades in public service. (Forgive me for pointing this out, Bill.)
I first heard Bill Fawley's name in 1979 when I was a senior at Whiteoak High School. I had taken my ACT and SAT tests; and back then, students had options to have their test scores sent to three colleges or universities. My scores went to the University of Cincinnati (where I'd already been accepted), the University of Notre Dame (the domers did not reply), and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
West Point, as it happened, did reply.
I was contacted by West Point, most likely based on some inaccurate reading of my test scores. I was instructed to submit a congressional nomination letter. I was 17. I had no idea who our congressman was.
I shared this information with Whiteoak vo-ag teacher, FFA adviser and all-around good guy Randy Roush. To this day, I am not 100-percent sure what transpired, but my guess is that Randy knew Bill Fawley, who knew our former Congressman William H. Harsha.
On April 25, 1979, Congressman Harsha nominated me to West Point. I went through – and surprisingly passed – some physical, health and mental evaluations at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, but ultimately went to UC.
I'm not sure if I've ever acknowledged Bill Fawley's role in all of this, because I do not know the details. Randy Roush did not disclose his source in Rep. Harsha's office, but my guess is that it was Bill Fawley. Thanks, Bill.
As Keith Faber said, “Your knowledge and expertise have proven time and again to be an invaluable asset to the county and state of Ohio. Thank you for your service, and congratulations.”
As a postscript, since around 2002, I started calling Bill "the fourth commissioner," after seeing newly elected commissioners seek his advice on certain issues or policies. The "fourth commissioner" – and his institutional knowledge – will be missed.
* * *
JD Vance for Senate
A few weeks ago, I wrote a cynical column about JD Vance, asking if anyone is running a poorer campaign for the U.S. Senate.
While his Democrat opponent, Congressman Tim Ryan, has been filling the southern Ohio airwaves with attack ads on Vance and good ol' boy suck-ups to President Donald Trump, Vance has been mostly AWOL – at least in southern Ohio.
Today, it occurred to me that Vance is running the same kind of campaign I would run if – perish the thought – I sought public office. (For the record, I did hold one unpaid public office for six years. Thanks, Gov. Bob Taft.)
I once told someone who tried to recruit me to run for the Ohio House of Representatives about 22 years ago that this would be my strategy: I'd buy one full-page advertisement in every newspaper in the district. It would have one of those scissor-clip borders with the words "clip and save because this is all you're going to get."
The ad would include just the basic information about what my abilities are and what I will – or will not do – at any price. I would also encourage voters to vote for my opponent, because I hate driving to Columbus. (I hate driving to Washington, D.C. even more.)
JD Vance and I have not met, but I get the impression that he really does not need the job. His career politician opponent does, in my opinion.
I'll be voting for Vance.
* * *
This just in from Just The News
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week predicted she and fellow Democrats will gain seats in November, amid most projections showing they will lose about a dozen. (See https://justthenews.com/)
"I was just in 12 cities in 12 days," Pelosi said. "We're ready."
Are the Republicans?
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.
The Highland County Press reported that Bill has served as county auditor since 1990. I told Bill this week that since I have been a newspaper editor in one form or another for the last 32 consecutive years, I should retire as well.
But Bill corrected me and actually acknowledged that I am much, much younger than he is. Bill's public service began well prior to 1990. He was a schoolteacher beginning in 1969. If memory serves, he also worked in the public realm (today's Word of the Day is "realm," by the way) for Congressmen Bill Harsha and Bob McEwen.
Thus, Bill has maybe parts of seven decades in public service. (Forgive me for pointing this out, Bill.)
I first heard Bill Fawley's name in 1979 when I was a senior at Whiteoak High School. I had taken my ACT and SAT tests; and back then, students had options to have their test scores sent to three colleges or universities. My scores went to the University of Cincinnati (where I'd already been accepted), the University of Notre Dame (the domers did not reply), and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
West Point, as it happened, did reply.
I was contacted by West Point, most likely based on some inaccurate reading of my test scores. I was instructed to submit a congressional nomination letter. I was 17. I had no idea who our congressman was.
I shared this information with Whiteoak vo-ag teacher, FFA adviser and all-around good guy Randy Roush. To this day, I am not 100-percent sure what transpired, but my guess is that Randy knew Bill Fawley, who knew our former Congressman William H. Harsha.
On April 25, 1979, Congressman Harsha nominated me to West Point. I went through – and surprisingly passed – some physical, health and mental evaluations at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, but ultimately went to UC.
I'm not sure if I've ever acknowledged Bill Fawley's role in all of this, because I do not know the details. Randy Roush did not disclose his source in Rep. Harsha's office, but my guess is that it was Bill Fawley. Thanks, Bill.
As Keith Faber said, “Your knowledge and expertise have proven time and again to be an invaluable asset to the county and state of Ohio. Thank you for your service, and congratulations.”
As a postscript, since around 2002, I started calling Bill "the fourth commissioner," after seeing newly elected commissioners seek his advice on certain issues or policies. The "fourth commissioner" – and his institutional knowledge – will be missed.
* * *
JD Vance for Senate
A few weeks ago, I wrote a cynical column about JD Vance, asking if anyone is running a poorer campaign for the U.S. Senate.
While his Democrat opponent, Congressman Tim Ryan, has been filling the southern Ohio airwaves with attack ads on Vance and good ol' boy suck-ups to President Donald Trump, Vance has been mostly AWOL – at least in southern Ohio.
Today, it occurred to me that Vance is running the same kind of campaign I would run if – perish the thought – I sought public office. (For the record, I did hold one unpaid public office for six years. Thanks, Gov. Bob Taft.)
I once told someone who tried to recruit me to run for the Ohio House of Representatives about 22 years ago that this would be my strategy: I'd buy one full-page advertisement in every newspaper in the district. It would have one of those scissor-clip borders with the words "clip and save because this is all you're going to get."
The ad would include just the basic information about what my abilities are and what I will – or will not do – at any price. I would also encourage voters to vote for my opponent, because I hate driving to Columbus. (I hate driving to Washington, D.C. even more.)
JD Vance and I have not met, but I get the impression that he really does not need the job. His career politician opponent does, in my opinion.
I'll be voting for Vance.
* * *
This just in from Just The News
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week predicted she and fellow Democrats will gain seats in November, amid most projections showing they will lose about a dozen. (See https://justthenews.com/)
"I was just in 12 cities in 12 days," Pelosi said. "We're ready."
Are the Republicans?
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.