Welcome to the October Mailbag

But first... Politico ganked my scoop!

Yesterday, The Rooster broke the story about Angelo Elia, a legislative correspondent for Congressman Dave Taylor (R-Ohio), featuring what can only be described as an “American swastika” flag in his office during a Zoom meeting on Wednesday morning.

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Precisely 61 minutes later, Politico published an “exclusive” about Capitol Police investigating a swastika “found” in Congressman Taylor’s office. In the article, Politico cited a photo it “obtained” showing the flag behind Elia during an unspecified “online meeting.”

That’s a fancy way of saying Politico ganked my shit without attribution. And that’s no small thing, considering the story got covered by international and international outlets.

I wish I could say that surprised me. But this isn’t the first (nor likely the last) time a national reporter has attempted to pass off my work as their own.

Oh well! Those are the breaks of the game.

But given the influx of new followers and subscribers, I have unlocked today’s dispatch.

The Rooster is a 100-percent reader-supported publication.

If you enjoy the social media presence, the on-the-ground videography, or even the occassional free dispatch—it’s all made possible by the brave and noble soldiers within the Patriots Caucus.

We’d be honored if you helped sustain the project by purchasing a subscription.

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With the self-promotion out of the way, it’s time for the October newsletter.

As always, questions are in bold with my responses in standard text. Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity, syntax or grammar.

I apologize if your question didn’t make the cut as I had to sift through over 150 questions.

Dave Taylor is, without a doubt, the reddest man in Congress.

Do we expect to see Dave Taylor become any redder after you broke the swastika story?

It’s a running bit on my Twitter account—Congressman Dave Taylor is the reddest man alive. And if that’s him under normal circumstances, I can only imagine how he looked when he found out a lowly staffer had plunged him into an international scandal.

Tell us another classic “I grew up in Marion” story.

I am convinced that the person asking this question every month is stockpiling my answers for the opposition research file being compiled against me should I ever run for office again. It’s that or somebody angling for Hilltop Husband to divorce me.

Nevertheless…

I played on a piss poor football team in eighth grade at Eber Baker Middle School (RIP) in Marion. One practice, our coach decided to show us a new handoff play with a walkthrough.

He stressed multiple times that it was a walk-through with no real hitting. But when he called hike, this doughy 45-year-old man took the handoff and promptly got blown into smithereens by our middle linebacker, who would one day become one of Marion’s most notorious copper thieves.

You can probably imagine the reaction from a bunch of prepubescent children who just watched one of their peers baptize their out-of-his-depth coach.

Enraged and bleeding from his forehead, our coach went to kick the ball and totally whiffed while in the middle of a diatribe about how none of us would ever amount to shit in life.

In retrospect, I’m not sure how he ever recovered. I probably would have quit my job and moved to California.

We finished the season with two wins. I never played organized football again.

Mayor Ginther, who I believe is just three developers in a trench coat pretending to be a person, is clearly bored doing what he’s doing. What so you think is next for him?

He claims he’s running for re-election in 2027! He has been fundraising with a gusto, and he has certainly been outside more than in the past, judging from his Instagram.

As for what could be next? He’ll become a lobbyist like former mayor Michael Coleman or take a sinecure with one of the many corporations around town.

What dirty tricks do you expect from the Franklin County Democratic Party to push Tiara “62 parking tickets, five license suspensions, and works as a city prosecutor” Ross?

You mean other than her boss, City Attorney Zach Klein, and other elected officials bullying the executive committee into an ad-hoc endorsement of her campaign after a three-way primary in which 59 percent of the votes went against her and she lost her alleged district by 19 points?

Well, the party will then pay an army of volunteers roughly $200 a piece to stand around precinct parking lots and shove the sample ballot into the hands of otherwise well-intentioned voters.

From what I gather, Ross and her supporters believe the race ended when she “earned” the endorsement in that sweaty union hall back in July. All that’s left is her coronation.

And it’s hard to fault them for that arrogance, given that Columbus voters have not displayed any desire to buck party leadership.

Remember, folks: It’s Jesse Vogel for Columbus City Council District 7.

Will Democrats find candidates for Auditor and Treasurer?

It’s a fair question! And I would wager no, we won’t, barring national economic collapse in the next four months.

But I understand the hesitancy of any potential candidate.

Auditor and Treasurer aren’t glamorous jobs. The pay ain’t nothing eye-popping, either. And statewide campaigns are grueling, even if you go on to win.

How close is Rooster LLC to hiring an assistant, and what would you look for in a good candidate?

That’s the biggest question I have to tackle heading into 2026. I want to add another full-time voice, but in what scope?

Do I hire someone with a more traditional voice? Do I double down on Statehouse coverage? Do I hire someone based in Cincinnati or Cleveland?

Those are just some of the questions on my mind.

Ultimately, I want someone who enjoys serving shit cocktails to the rich and powerful. Even better if they can write an entertaining sentence.

But they also have to understand that this lifestyle choice comes with ramifications; it’s not like I can go work a normal career in this city, given the amount of enemies I have.

What has happened to Springfield after all the national attention last year? Are things looking bad now?

Well, Donald Trump increased his margins in Springfield and Clark County.

In August, I wrote a dispatch that covered the fallout: Haitians are already leaving Springfield en masse, much to the detriment of local business, the tax base, and the long-term vitality of a city that has depended on immigrant labor for centuries.

It’s devastating to think about, because the Haitian influence would have put a unique twist on a historic city that was in decline before they arrived.

How would you rate Tim Ryan’s chances at this point if he were to jump in? I feel like Acton is too established as a candidate at this point.

Ryan’s team is smart enough to know that they were never going to be able to depend on party infrastructure after Sherrod Brown successfully installed his stooge, Kathleen Clyde, as party chairwoman over the summer.

Ryan’s team could also circumvent traditional party infrastructure with independent expenditure groups. If that were something they were interested in doing, you almost couldn’t pick two better industries to line those coffers than methane and crypto.

Ultimately, it would come down to Ryan’s ability to convince Democratic voters that he offers the best chance against the Republican nominee, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ultimately, I hope he runs. The loser of that potential primary would be able to rest easy knowing that they wouldn’t have beaten Ramaswamy, either.

I don’t think he has yet missed the boat, even if I do find his self-manufactured will-he-or-won’t-he dallying to be grating.

Possible running mates for Tim Ryan?

State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), who is currently running for Secretary of State, would be at the top of the list.

Ultimately, it’s little more than something for political perverts like you and me to chatter about. Nobody is animated by lieutenant governor candidates.

Amos in Amazon’s The Expanse.

Has anyone told you that you look like Amos from the TV adaptation of The Expanse?

I have not heard that one.

I usually hear that I resemble famous actor Brad Pitt but with better hair, more muscles and a kinder smile.

Who is your favorite comedian?

The last comedian I saw was Lil Duval.

But I don’t do stand-up comedy anymore. It feels like it’s turned into a bunch of rich cisgender men who cry because they can’t tell jokes about transgender people without suffering any social consequences.

What’s your take on who Vivek is going to pick for LG?

Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) was seen as the front-runner until recently. The new word is that McColley will run for Congress in Ohio’s 9th District, but nothing will become official until the new district is finalized.

Some Republicans say McColley “fumbled” his bid. Others say that Ramaswamy has made a mess of his lieutenant governor selection.

The new leader is Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), who is also running for Treasurer. Roegner is a weirdo, but she could help smooth over Evangelicals’ concerns with voting for a Hindu monotheist like Ramaswamy.

But one big promise that Ramaswamy made to unions that endorsed him was that he’d choose a “union friendly” LG. Roegner would be the opposite of that.

I’ve had a couple folks claim that Secretary of State Frank LaRose is “in the mix,” but I won’t buy that until I see it.

Ultimately, I’ll be relieved if it’s anyone but McColley because I want nothing but the worst for Ramaswamy’s agenda.

Ramaswamy and Speaker Matt Huffman will inevitably clash, and McColley would be a natural mediator while also understanding how Capitol Square works—something that Ramaswamy has little, if any, clue about.

Are you able to expand a bit on what makes you a big fan of Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker?

He ran on a popular agenda and then passed that popular agenda. He also understands how power works, which is why he gerrymandered Illinois in 2021 without the national circus.

Those three things put him above most Democratic presidential contenders. That he is gregarious and quick-witted is just the icing on the cake.

I haven’t seen much else since Congressman Max Miller posted his op-Ed about the National Guard in Ohio. Have you heard any chatter about that happening again?

No. That was little more than a cheap campaign stunt by Miller, which is why he got booed to Hell when he appeared at a Cleveland Guardians game to throw a ceremonial first pitch.

Who is funding the property tax repeal campaign?

My understanding is that nobody is funding the property tax repeal campaign. It’s just a bunch of angry kooks tilting at windmills.

They don’t even have a paid signature-collecting firm, which is the bare minimum requirement for any organization that’s serious about putting a question on the ballot.

Thank God for that, too. Because Ohio is definitely dumb enough to abolish property taxes.

New subscriber here, love your work. There’s so much to worry about right now (i.e., democracy in America). How do you cope personally, and how do you support/encourage those around you? Do you find yourself pulling people off the ledge, and if so, what works?

Thank you for the kind words! This is a common question, if it makes you feel better.

I cope by staying off the vodka, riding my bike, taking 50 milligrams of Zoloft per day. Putting psychic damage on the most reptilian state and local politicians doesn’t hurt, either.

The best advice I have is telling people to get off their phones and go outside. And if you’re burned out and spiraling—take a break! Nobody is bigger than the movment as a whole, and the work will still be there when you get back in the game.

Went to a mayoral candidate Q/A in my small town near Akron today and was taken aback by the softball questions he got from the community (mostly old people complaining about property tax). What is a good approach for asking questions in your local elections to get to the bottom of what a candidate actually thinks?

It’s tough to say without knowing the candidate. It’s also a different game if you want to embarrass them or actually get a substantive answer.

But the biggest trick they teach you in journalism school is to let silence hang in the air after they answer. Often times, the interviewee will fill that void with something a lot more damaging than what they initially said.

We can’t split the vote. Are you going Julian Sayin or Jeremiah Smith for Heisman?

I have always rated it as the most valuable player on the best team. Smith is the best player, but I would argue that Sayin is more valuable to the Buckeyes reaching their goals. I suspect this would be a minority opinion, though.

Why are there so many cops directing traffic before/after OSU football games and do it in a way that seems extremely inefficient?

I would argue it’s the opposite. Getting tens of thousands of motorists in and out of Columbus for the big football game is one thing we do well as a city. And that’s no small feat given our lack of anything close to an adequate mass transportation system.

Which local television media outlet do you like most?

I am not a fan of the local television media outlets, to put things kindly.

But I do love and respect Tom Bosco of WSYX. You always know it’s a big day on Capitol Square when Bosco is in the building.

THOSE WMDs. “Chatfishing” has made finding love on dating apps even harder… In Idaho women’s prisons, guards get away with sexual abuse and victims are blamed… YouTube just ate TV, and it’s only getting started… Starved in jail… Illegally blonde: The grift, the prince and the twist.