As speaker of Ohio’s House of Representatives, Bill Batchelder has made it his specialty to ram through popular issues like the recently overturned Senate Bill 5 and everything that makes women hate Republicans.
Yes, the 30-year servant is a busy man around Columbus. But what of his down time in his hometown of Medina?
One would think that upon returning for the weekend, he might catch up on a few projects in need of attention, such as picking up the garbage cans strewn about his lawn, fixing broken railings and downspouts, or perhaps picking up a bit of the accumulating trash.
But one would be wrong.
Batchelder’s 125-year-old Victorian abode, fashioned in early Addams Family style, looks more like a ramshackle Halloween display these days, complete with piles of leaves and grass clippings dumped in the cluster of trees near the sidewalk.
Do-it-yourselfers would marvel at Mr. Speaker’s frugal craftsmanship in transforming a former campaign sign into a handsome plug for a hole in the wooden trellis on his porch. And few would question his handyman skills, based on the expertly duct-taped shoes he has been known to sport around town.
