Lynn Wachtmann
Encyclopedia
Lynn Wachtmann is a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives
, who has represented the 75th District since 2007. Prior to his term in the House, Wachtmann was a two-term state Senator, representing the 1st District of the Ohio Senate
from 1999 to 2006, and the 83rd District of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1985 to 1998. He is the Chairman of the House Health and Aging Committee.
decided to not seek another term in 1984, Wachtmann sought to replace him and won. He served seven more terms in the House, until 1998.
With the enactment of term limits, Wachtmann was nearing the end of his eligible tenure in the House. However, with incumbent Senator M. Ben Gaeth
also facing term limits, Wachtmann ran for the Senate. Facing Democrat Timothy Holtsberry in the 1998 election, Wachtmann won with 65.91% of the electorate. In his 2002 reelection bid, he won with over 69.5% of the vote against Democrat William Flanary.
Wachtmann served as Senate Health Committee Chairman, and during Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, delivered water to the devastated areas of New Orleans.
Commissioner Tony Burkley. He won with 63.73% of the vote over Burkley. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Angie Byrne with 56.23% of the vote. Wachtmann served again as Chairman of the House Health Committee.
In 2008, Wachtmann ran unopposed. He won in 2010 with 72.05% of the vote over Democrat Cletus Schindler. It was announced in early December 2010 that Wachtmann was a potential contender to return to the Ohio Senate
, but he soon after released a statement stating that he would remain in the House, and was sworn in for his tenth overall term.
With Republicans holding the House decisively, Wachtmann stated "This is the opportunity of a lifetime for guys like me to dramatically change the role of state government and empower the taxpayer by letting them keep more of their money."
He serves on the committees of Commerce and Labor, Health and Aging (as Chairman) and its Subcommittee on Retirement and Pensions, Insurance and its Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation. He also sits on the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Oversight; the Workers’ Compensation Council; the Second Chance Trust Fund
Advisory Committee; and the Ohio Retirement Study Council.
With two public retirement systems looking to boost employer contribution rates to help shore up funding levels Wachtmann is developing new plans without those hikes. "This message is consistent with what I have been telling those pension systems for 18 months," he said. "It is no time to be asking the taxpayers of Ohio to be taking more out of their pocketbooks... to be more generous to public employees." He also is in favor of revising the pension plans for elected officials.
Wachtmann has remained against funding for a Bureau of Worker's Compensation taskforce that has not provided any analysis of legislation but still maintains a $1 million appropriation
from the state.
A opponent of abortion
, Wachtmann has introduced legislation to ban abortions when a heartbeat is detected in the fetus, which is typically in the first trimester of a pregnancy. "One of my goals as a legislator is to push the pro-life agenda as far as we can," Wachtmann said. "The elections of Nov. 2 last year certainly changed the dynamics of public policy." With the bill introduced by Wachtmann being one of the most conservative abortion measures in the nation, even Ohio Right to Life
has opposed it, stating it could possibly bring unwanted retributions against other abortion measures in the court of law. Speaker of the House William G. Batchelder
also has been mum on support for the bill. However, the bill has gained support from Josh Mandel
, Steve Chabot
, Ken Blackwell
and Mike Huckabee
.
The bill was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives.
Wachtmann has been a staunch proponent of a bill that limits collective bargaining
opportunities for public employees. He states that even if the bill is passed, public employers would still have vastly more rights than those who work in the private sector
. A member of the committee that heard the bill, Wachtmann voted in favor of passage, and again out of the full Ohio House of Representatives, stating it will make government more efficient.
Wachtmann has also introduced legislation that would allow for more water to be used out of Lake Erie
. While opponents have said there could be negative environmental impacts, Wachtmann has stated this is mere "fearmongering". He has accused environmental organizations of long using the Great Lakes Compact
as a rigid withdrawal tool. Critics have argued that Wachtmann's ownership of the Maumee River River Bottling Company (he is majority share holder and Board President) presents a clear conflict of interest. Following a veto by Ohio Gov. John Kasich on July 14, 2011, Watchmann denounced Kasich and vowed to seek an overturn of the veto.
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, who has represented the 75th District since 2007. Prior to his term in the House, Wachtmann was a two-term state Senator, representing the 1st District of the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
from 1999 to 2006, and the 83rd District of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1985 to 1998. He is the Chairman of the House Health and Aging Committee.
Career
Wachtmann is president of Maumee Valley Bottling, Inc. and a partner in Culligan Water Conditioning. When incumbent Chuck EarlChuck Earl
Charles Earl is a Republican politician and a former member of the Ohio General Assembly. With Michael Oxley elected to Congress in a special election following the death of Congressman Tennyson Guyer, Earl was appointed to serve the remainder of Oxley's term in the Ohio House of Representatives...
decided to not seek another term in 1984, Wachtmann sought to replace him and won. He served seven more terms in the House, until 1998.
With the enactment of term limits, Wachtmann was nearing the end of his eligible tenure in the House. However, with incumbent Senator M. Ben Gaeth
M. Ben Gaeth
Ben Gaeth was a member of the Ohio Senate from 1975 to 1998, representing the 1st District. Born in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and raised on a farm there, was the youngest of 13 children...
also facing term limits, Wachtmann ran for the Senate. Facing Democrat Timothy Holtsberry in the 1998 election, Wachtmann won with 65.91% of the electorate. In his 2002 reelection bid, he won with over 69.5% of the vote against Democrat William Flanary.
Wachtmann served as Senate Health Committee Chairman, and during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, delivered water to the devastated areas of New Orleans.
Ohio House of Representatives, Second Tenure
In late 2005, Wachtmann, facing term limits in the Senate, announced that he would seek an Ohio House seat in 2006, which was an open seat. He had opposed in the primary by Paulding CountyPaulding County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,293 people, 7,773 households, and 5,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile . There were 8,478 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
Commissioner Tony Burkley. He won with 63.73% of the vote over Burkley. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Angie Byrne with 56.23% of the vote. Wachtmann served again as Chairman of the House Health Committee.
In 2008, Wachtmann ran unopposed. He won in 2010 with 72.05% of the vote over Democrat Cletus Schindler. It was announced in early December 2010 that Wachtmann was a potential contender to return to the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
, but he soon after released a statement stating that he would remain in the House, and was sworn in for his tenth overall term.
With Republicans holding the House decisively, Wachtmann stated "This is the opportunity of a lifetime for guys like me to dramatically change the role of state government and empower the taxpayer by letting them keep more of their money."
He serves on the committees of Commerce and Labor, Health and Aging (as Chairman) and its Subcommittee on Retirement and Pensions, Insurance and its Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation. He also sits on the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Oversight; the Workers’ Compensation Council; the Second Chance Trust Fund
Advisory Committee; and the Ohio Retirement Study Council.
Fiscal issues
With two public retirement systems looking to boost employer contribution rates to help shore up funding levels Wachtmann is developing new plans without those hikes. "This message is consistent with what I have been telling those pension systems for 18 months," he said. "It is no time to be asking the taxpayers of Ohio to be taking more out of their pocketbooks... to be more generous to public employees." He also is in favor of revising the pension plans for elected officials.
Wachtmann has remained against funding for a Bureau of Worker's Compensation taskforce that has not provided any analysis of legislation but still maintains a $1 million appropriation
Appropriation (law)
In law and government, appropriation is the act of setting apart something for its application to a particular usage, to the exclusion of all other uses....
from the state.
Abortions
A opponent of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, Wachtmann has introduced legislation to ban abortions when a heartbeat is detected in the fetus, which is typically in the first trimester of a pregnancy. "One of my goals as a legislator is to push the pro-life agenda as far as we can," Wachtmann said. "The elections of Nov. 2 last year certainly changed the dynamics of public policy." With the bill introduced by Wachtmann being one of the most conservative abortion measures in the nation, even Ohio Right to Life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
has opposed it, stating it could possibly bring unwanted retributions against other abortion measures in the court of law. Speaker of the House William G. Batchelder
William G. Batchelder
William G. Batchelder, III is an American lawyer, judge, and politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. He is a Republican.He is the husband of Judge Alice Batchelder, currently a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.-Early life and education:Batchelder was born...
also has been mum on support for the bill. However, the bill has gained support from Josh Mandel
Josh Mandel (politician)
Josh Mandel is the current Ohio State Treasurer. Mandel previously served as a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He has set up a U.S...
, Steve Chabot
Steve Chabot
Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:...
, Ken Blackwell
Ken Blackwell
John Kenneth Blackwell is an American politician and activist who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1979 to 1980 and Ohio Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007. A Republican, he was the first African-American to be the candidate for governor of a major party in Ohio. In 2006, Blackwell...
and Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
.
The bill was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives.
Collective bargaining
Wachtmann has been a staunch proponent of a bill that limits collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
opportunities for public employees. He states that even if the bill is passed, public employers would still have vastly more rights than those who work in the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
. A member of the committee that heard the bill, Wachtmann voted in favor of passage, and again out of the full Ohio House of Representatives, stating it will make government more efficient.
Environmental issues
Wachtmann has also introduced legislation that would allow for more water to be used out of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. While opponents have said there could be negative environmental impacts, Wachtmann has stated this is mere "fearmongering". He has accused environmental organizations of long using the Great Lakes Compact
Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is a legally binding interstate compact among the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The compact details how the states manage the use of the Great Lakes Basin's water...
as a rigid withdrawal tool. Critics have argued that Wachtmann's ownership of the Maumee River River Bottling Company (he is majority share holder and Board President) presents a clear conflict of interest. Following a veto by Ohio Gov. John Kasich on July 14, 2011, Watchmann denounced Kasich and vowed to seek an overturn of the veto.