Kasich Criticized for Appointing Former BWC Lobbyist as State Health Director

Democrats and abortion rights supporters have criticized Gov. John Kasich for choosing Rick Hodges, a former lobbyist for the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, to serve as state health director, the Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported. Unlike the past three health directors, Hodges is not a doctor. He has been executive director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission for nearly three years. State law says the health director must be a licensed physician or be “an individual who has had significant experience in the public health profession.” Aside from his job as lobbyist f...