COLUMBUS — Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, announced Tuesday he would step down from the Ohio Redistricting Commission for the rest of its meetings, choosing state Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, to take his spot.
The group is scheduled to meet Wednesday after its first four sets of General Assembly maps were invalidated by the Ohio Supreme Court. Huffman and House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, were key figures in that process.
“I believe Sen. McColley offers a fresh approach and a new opportunity to produce a result that clearly the majority of the court was not willing to consider with the speaker and myself serving as members,” Huffman said in a press release.
The commission has until Friday to approve maps. If they’re not validated by the Ohio Supreme Court by May 28, a federal court announced it will step in and implement maps approved by a Republican majority of the commission in February.
“I’m looking forward to working with my fellow commissioners as we focus on the May 6th deadline set by the Ohio Supreme Court,” McColley said in a press release. “Each set of maps has addressed the guidance of the majority, we will continue to try to meet that guidance.”
