Yes, I am happy that the Ohio Supreme Court declined the state’s request to appeal former Butler County auditor Roger Reynolds’ appeal of the utterly unfair conviction thrown his way for the improper interest in a government contract. What it all amounted to was a political squabble imposed on Reynolds, who was doing a great job as an auditor, and despite the charges tossed against him, he was still popularly elected. However, while there was a conviction initially in court that had to be overturned, Roger Reynolds had to resign from his position. It looked like he might have had to spend jail time over the charge at that time. But Roger won his appeal, as I said he would. I knew the facts of the case and the personalities involved, and my thoughts toward Roger’s innocence never wavered. And neither did our mutual friend Nancy Nix, who had been treasurer and resigned from her position to fill the auditor position, being left open by Roger as he dealt with all these legal issues. Nancy came to court most days while Roger was going through his ordeal to support her friend. Her first thought about the whole matter was to ensure that the good policies utilized for the county’s people under Roger’s direction could be maintained in his honor, which she has done. However, Nancy Nix is a good person for that job in her own right, and now, some time has passed since she has been doing the auditor job very well. Her old treasurer’s job has been filled by another person doing an excellent job also. Butler County, Ohio, is one of the few places in the world where the budget operates in the black, above water. And that is a trend we want to continue now that Roger can serve again in a public office. The most important thing is the quality of the government given to the people who need it and the viability of the big tent party of the Butler County GOP.
I have been reminded how much I have liked Sheriff Jones recently, as we have talked on several occasions. We’ve been on opposite sides on several issues, most recently this whole prosecution of Roger Reynolds, which cost Reynolds a lot of money and lost reputation over what I would consider a purely political issue that happens in the background more than it should. It’s tough to run races in primaries and between presidential years, where a party tends to come together nicely if there is a strong personality at the top of the ticket. And a few years ago, when the Butler County GOP was going through an identity crisis, nobody knew what was going to happen to Trump, if he’d even be back; a lot of Republicans strayed back to their corners of influence and placed their bets toward the political direction they thought would set priorities. So everyone entered a kind of primary mode where Republicans battled Republicans for public attention, and brand damage to those candidates and the party in general occurred and, at times, got out of control. Well, I knew where the politics were going, and I said so all along, and it’s shaping up just as I thought and said it would. I wish more people listened. But here we are, and people did what they did to each other. I want everyone to thrive. I was happy to hear that Roger’s appeal on his conviction was held up under Supreme Court scrutiny. I am proud and glad that Nancy Nix has been running Butler County as an auditor. And I was thrilled to see Sheriff Jones with Hulk Hogan at the Liberty Township Kroger, bringing a lot of joy to people in Butler County who desperately needed it.
While all this was happening, I watched the speech at the Trump rally in Arizona, where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump in what I thought was a jaw-dropping speech. But, again, I called that one almost two to three years ago when nobody in the nation saw that coming. (I did!) And I was enormously proud of Trump, who just survived an assassin’s bullet just a few weeks ago, making the Republican Party such a big tent that even an ultra-liberal Bobby Kennedy Jr could join our fight for what’s right. Because I do like Bobby Kennedy, even though my typical position on Democrats is to destroy them, hook, line, and sinker. Bobby Kennedy would be great for Trump’s administration in many ways, and it took guts to join Trump and for Trump to open up that tent to accommodate him. Polling-wise, Trump didn’t need to. However, Trump did what was best for the party and sought to bring in as many people as possible who could fit into the GOP tent, which is what the game should be about. Thinking of a big tent, I couldn’t help but think of Nancy Nix, who I have watched go through the same challenge in Butler County. It is hard to deal with so many strong personalities and be sincere to them all. And while Roger was going through his horrible ordeal, Nancy never left his side. She was genuinely loyal when, politically, it would have been better for her not to be. It took real guts and sincerity.
So what happens now, with Roger Reynolds able to run for public office again, is that he wants to be vindicated and restore his name to righteousness. And I have wanted to see that happen for several years now. I want to help him do that personally. As I have talked to everyone about these issues privately, to me, it comes out as the kind of family scabbles that have to be resolved ahead of a Thanksgiving dinner where everyone is arguing about the football teams playing between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, who is better, who should go to the playoffs, and which team will win that day. It’s all the NFL as far as I’m concerned, and nobody should try to kill each other over the outcome. But those kinds of conversations get heated when people start arguing, especially when millions of dollars are at stake and the personal reputations of so many people. Ultimately, what matters in politics is that people get good government from people willing to do the job. I see a path for Roger going forward, but he can’t reset the table and have Nancy move back to the treasurer job, and he just slides back into his old auditor job. There must be a primary process where he could challenge Nancy for that seat in the next term. The people of Butler County are getting excellent work out of that auditor position, and Nancy made a productive tag team effort to make sure they didn’t miss a beat. But we don’t need more personal destruction, especially with the great opportunities coming from a second Trump term. I would encourage everyone to look at the big picture and play the cards they have, and not the ones you wished you had. Play the hand you’re dealt and do good things with them. And in the scheme of things, I love Nancy Nix. Especially when things are not hunky dory, Nancy has shown that she is a good person even when it doesn’t pay to be, and I like that in people. In my way of thinking, she is the kind of person around whom you build a political party. Everyone needs to find their way to the kitchen table she sets and get along for the good of Butler County, Ohio, and an excellent Republican Party that people can and should be very proud of. And it would be my advice not to fall in love with job titles. But in the good work that needs to be done, no matter what it is.
Rich Hoffman
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