Medina Gazette
By John Gladden November 30th, 2010

When Bill Batchelder learned he was to become speaker of the Ohio House of Rep¬resentatives— in a General Assembly career that touches six decades — he called his father, former Medina County Prosecutor William G. Batchelder Jr., to tell him the news.

“First of all, he said: ‘That is wonderful!’ ” recalled Medina’s longtime 69th District representa-tive.

“Then he said: ‘It’s about time!’ I probably should’ve apologized to him at that point for making him wait all these years,” Batchelder said with a laugh.
The Republican speaker-elect comes by his stick-to-itiveness honestly. The elder Batchelder, now 96, was until recently still trying jury cases in his Medina law prac¬tice.

It was a reaction likely shared by many supporters. Batchelder, 67, has represented most of Medina County since 1968— minus a stint on the bench of the 9th Dis¬trict Court of Appeals. When the GOP majority officially makes him the House’s 101st speaker in January, it will be the start of his 35th year in the legislature.

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