Strickland's Style

* The working style of the new Ohio Governor, Democrat Ted Strickland, is impressing a lot of Ohioans. The Columbus Dispatch revealed in an article in Sunday's paper that Strickland and his senior staff work in the Statehouse. Taft had worked in one of the large state office buildings and used Statehouse office for only ceremonies.

* Governor Strickland also wants to study the new state minimum wage bill. Here is an excerpt from the Coshocton Tribune:

The decision by lawmakers to exclude farm workers from Ohio's new higher minimum wage dismisses the intent of voters who overwhelmingly approved it, a spokesman for Gov. Ted Strickland says.

A farm labor group said it might challenge the legality of legislation passed in December to implement the increase to $6.85 an hour from $5.15. Strickland urged his predecessor, Republican Bob Taft, not to sign the bill authorizing the language passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature.

Strickland, a Democrat, believes the exclusion of farm workers, home-health care workers, amusement park workers and others was unfair and he wants to review the issue, spokesman Keith Dailey said. "He felt they undermined the will of people who passed the minimum-wage amendment," Dailey said.

The constitutional amendment to raise the wage passed with 57 percent of the vote and took effect Jan. 1, but the enabling legislation kicks in at the end of March. Farm workers rallied at the Statehouse on Friday to protest their exclusion.....

Most Ohioans did not know that there were exclusions from the minimum wage bill. The wage increase should cover all workers in Ohio.