Lobbyists Have Talent

Every two years, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce hosts a legislative conference at Salt Fork State Park. Salt Fork is well off the beaten path, and it's so large that when you pull into the entrance, it's still another 6 miles to the lodge.

The Salt Fork conference is one of those events that one shouldn't miss. There are always good speakers (this year's keynote speaker was former US Senate Majority Leader Tom Dashle) and great hospitality. The event is themed, this year's theme being Capitol Square's Got Talent! A committee was formed to write material for a talent show of sorts. We thought we had 4 or 5 legislators lined up to perform, but in the end, only two of them did. But we had several lobbyists willing to take the stage.

There is an unwritten code between lobbyists and legislators: Thou shalt not take pictures where legislators and lobbyists mingle. Well, given this year's theme, I thought it was important to document some of the talent. The clip you are about to see is a duet sung by Jenn Klein and Mike Carroll. For those not in the business, "Sabety" refers to Pari Sabety, the Director of the Ohio Office of Budget & Management. The song is about the state budget, which was billions of dollars in the hole, and Sabety's way of making the budget balance. Jenn and Mike graciously gave their assent to me posting this here. They rehearsed for many hours, and we were a little worried about how this was going to come off, but as you'll see, it worked out just fine. In fact, many thought it was the best part of the entire program.


Next stop: American Idol!