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FULL FRONTAL NOTARY: Thoughts from OSN President Roger Rill
1/3/2012 Best wishes for the New Year! I am very optimistic that this will be the year when OSN will be able to make significant progress in our goal of notary reform. Stay tuned, and as always, feel free to contact us anytime with your thoughts ideas, and questions.
8/20/11 I was surprisingly honored with one of two national "Exceptional American Notary" awards, given by the Texas-based American Association of Notaries for 2011. I am very grateful that our efforts at OSN are being recognized, and we will have an impact in Ohio.
8/8/11 Exhibiting OSN at the Ohio Association of Independent Title Agents conference in Columbus. Nice folks and were interested in our notary information as it applies to title documents.
8/4/11 Presented "Beyond the Stamp" seminar statewide to members of The Ohio State Bar Association for CLE credit. Good audience and provocative questions.
7/26/11 The Ohio Attorney General has officially banned webcam notarizations!
7/15/11 Back from the National Association of Secretaries of State conference in WV. There was considerable discussion about the webcam controversy, and a growing number of states are banning the practice.
6/17/11 Registration now open for my presentation of "Beyond the Stamp", especially for attorneys, to be livecast as a webinar on August 4 by the Ohio State Bar Association..
6/7/11
Continuing communication with SOS office. Have requested that the Secretary ban webcam notarizations in Ohio.
4/7/11
Good meeting with the Secretary's Chief of Staff.
2/15/11
Beware of the company utilizing webcam notarizations nationally. See Notary News tab.
11/29/10
Things are kind of quiet right now during the transition mode in the SOS office; we'll keep you posted.
11/17/10
We had a nice turnout for our "Beyond the Stamp" seminar, with participants coming from as far as Youngstown. Good session, and folks were amazed at how much they didn't know about what they didn't know.
11/3/10
The electorate has spoken, and Jon Husted will be Ohio's next Secretary of State. OSN met with him over the summer, and he has publicly stated he supports notary reform. So now the real work begins to craft changes to our arcane laws that will make a difference for all Ohio notaries and our ability to defend the public trust. We will work with him, and keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime, we always welcome your suggestions and ideas about what you think will improve our notary system; just email or call our office.
10/27/10
The letter has also appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and will be in the Cincinnati Enquirer as a guest column shortly. OSN Board member Tom Franklin also submitted a version to the Youngstown Vindicator.
10/16/10
OSN had the lead Letter to the Editor in today's Columbus Dispatch, about the dire need for notary reform! View it at www.dispatch.com; click on opinion, then letters. Feel free to draw upon the points made, and write your own letter to your local paper and legislators. Every voice heard helps reinforce the need!
10/15/10
Wow, with the President's pocket veto of the Interstate Recognition of Notaries Act, the reversal of Vancura v. Katris, and the growing disclosures of improper foreclosure processes, we've been in the news quite a bit lately. These stories have the side effect of raising, to some degree, public awareness of just what notaries are responsible for.
It was gratifying to hear the Secretary of State candidates publicly acknowledge that notary reform would be part of their administration. What form it will take remains to be seen, but at least the ball is finally rolling with their commitment to improve the system. We at OSN will be actively involved in the process, regardless of who occupies the office. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome as we approach this huge task.
10/6/10
The recent news stories describing SOS Jennifer Brunner's call for a Federal investigation of notaries illustrate how out of touch she remains about notaries. The very Ohio notaries she wants to investigate are products of the same lax system she oversees, and continues to perpetuate.
Her office has ignored repeated requests over the past four years to implement steps toward notary reform, and now, "bad" Ohio notaries are in the headlines. See a pattern here?
She also underscores her unfamiliarity about notaries by her statements that we are "licensed", when in fact we are commissioned. There's a significant difference. Physicians, attorneys, nurses, pharmacists, accountants, architects, and other state-licensed professionals take an accredited course of study, sit for a uniform statewide examination, are accountable to a state board, and must maintain their licensure through continuing education.
In a system with 88 separate county requirements, there exist no state requirements for examinations, background checks, or training. In some counties, only the payment of a small fee to the county clerk will get you a commission. It's clear that the ease of obtaining an Ohio notary doesn't remotely compare with the much more rigorous standards for licensure. Yet our own SOS doesn't know the difference.
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