COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — In the future Ohio Gov. John Kasichwill call family members of murder
victims when he decides to spare thelives of death row inmates, the governor’s office said
Friday.Kasich’sdecision followed a meeting earlier this week with relatives of ahomicide victim upset by
the governor’s decision to grant clemency lastyear.At issue was Kasich’s announcement on Dec. 17 he was
sparingRonald Post, sentenced to death for killing Elyria motel clerk HelenVantz on Dec. 15, 1983.Kasich
followed a recommendation by theOhio Parole Board that Post receive clemency because of poor
legalrepresentation he received at trial. The governor’s decision wasunrelated to a request for mercy by
Post’s attorneys because he was soobese that he could not be executed humanely.Vantz’ son, MichaelVantz,
asked earlier this year for a meeting with Kasich for a chance tohear from the governor about his
reasons for sparing Post and thedecision to announce it so close to the anniversary of Helen
Vantz’death.The timing of Kasich’s decision "was one major point oftension, and disrespect to the
victim’s family members, friends,survivors," Michael Vantz, of suburban Cleveland, said in an
emailFriday in which he described the meeting with the governor on Wednesday.Kasichspokesman Rob Nichols
declined to comment on the meeting, calling it aprivate event, but confirmed the governor’s new policy
on informingrelatives if a death sentence is commuted. Nichols added that Kasichacknowledged the
unfortunate timing of his clemency announcement forPost, who had been scheduled to die Jan. 16.Kasich
also promisedto look into the issue of whether a judge could be required to remove adefense attorney
from a trial if the attorney was deemed incompetent,according to Vantz.During the meeting, Kasich
related the storyof his parents’ 1987 death in a crash caused by a drunk driver and gaveVantz a signed
copy of his book, "Every Other Monday," about faith andfinding solace, Vantz said."His
deeply sincere regret about thevery timing of commuting the sentence of the murderer Ronald Post
wasextraordinary," Michael Vantz said in his email. "Kasich proved hishumanity."A friend
of Vantz’ murdered mother and one of her nephews also attended the meeting with Kasich.Kasich has spared
the lives of four death row inmates since taking office and denied clemency for 10 others.Governors in
Ohio and other states have struggled with the same issue.Earlierthis week in Colorado, records released
by Gov. John Hickenlooperindicated he has spoken with seven prosecutors and two defense attorneysas well
as victims’ families as he ponders whether to grant clemency toNathan Dunlap, who faces execution in
August for ambushing and killingfour people in 1993.In Illinois, former Gov. George Ryan set up areview
structure so families could be heard while he considered thegeneral commutation of death row, which he
ultimately carried out.InMissouri, former Gov. Mel Carnahan was criticized for not tellingrelatives of
the victim of Darrell Mease of his intention to spare him.Carnahan commuted Mease’s death sentence in
1999 at the urging of PopeJohn Paul II, who was visiting the U.S. at the time.Carnahan later apologized
for the "human error" in failing to notify the parents of shooting victim Willie
Lawrence.FormerOhio Gov. Dick Celeste has said he never regretted his decision tocommute eight inmates’
death sentences on the eve of leaving office in1991, but in later years acknowledged the mistake of not
consulting moredeeply with prosecutors and family members of the victims of thekillers he freed from
death row.___Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus .Copyright
2013 The Associated Press.