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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > December > 17
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Helen Jones-Kelley resigns from state job
Helen Jones-Kelley has resigned as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Gov. Ted Strickland’s office announced today, Dec. 17.
State Inspector General Tom Charles found that Jones-Kelley, of Clayton, improperly authorized state database searches for personal information on Samuel Joseph “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher during the presidential campaign.
Strickland suspended Jones-Kelley for a month without pay on Nov. 20 in the wake of Charles’ report.
Strickland had first put Jones-Kelley, a former director of the Montgomery County Job and Family Services department, on paid administrative leave Nov. 7 because of reports that she used her state e-mail account for political fund raising. Charles’ report also confirmed that she used the account to raise money for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
She earned $141,980 in her state job.
“My professional career and the legacy of service I have established has been and continues to be far too important for me to allow my reputation and my commitment as a servant to be disparaged,” Jones-Kelley said in a statement released by Strickland’s office. “I also remain concerned for the safety of my family and myself.”
Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey released this statement:
“The governor values Helen Jones-Kelley’s years of public service as a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable among us. He understands her decision and accepts her resignation.”
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TweetSenate Approves “Joe the Plumber” bill
Columbus Bureau reporter Laura A. Bischoff is monitoring the Senate as the legislative session winds down and reports that “Joe the Plumber” legislation is moving toward Gov. Ted Strickland’s office:
A bill to safeguard personal information held by state government agencies passed the Senate by a 30-2 vote.
Substitute House Bill 648 was proposed after it was discovered that 18 records checks were done on Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, a Toledo area man who catapulted to fame after he discussed tax policy with Democrat Barack Obama.
The state inspector general determined that eight of the 18 records checks had no legitimate business purpose.
The annual costs to enforce the new rules would fall below the original $100 million estimate but state Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Toledo, did not provide more specifics.
The bill will help restore Ohioans trust that state government will not misuse personal information, Wagoner said.
State Sen. Ray Miller, D-Columbus, defended Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley, saying people make mistakes and that Jones-Kelley has been appropriately disciplined by Gov. Strickland. He and Sen. Dale Miller, D-Cleveland - who are not related - voted “no.”
The Senate made slight changes in the bill that the House passed earlier so it will be returned to the House for concurrence before being sent on to Strickland.
The Senate version prohibits an person from accessing confidential personal information in violation of agency rules. Violating the prohibition would be a first degree misdemeanor and if convicted the person would lose his or her job.
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TweetAbortion clinic sign bill approved; goes to Strickland
The Ohio House today, Dec. 17, gave final legislative approval to a bill that would requireabortion clinics to hang posters in their waiting rooms that state: “No One Can Force You to Have an Abortion.”
Substitute House Bill 280 now goes to Gov. Ted. Strickland.
The bill also beefs up the penalty under the state’s domestic violence laws for offenders who cause physical harm against women they know are pregnant at the time of the offense.
It also lumps in increased penalties for human trafficking offenses. State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, said earlier “This bill is about protecting Ohio women, protecting Ohio children.”
State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, said she was shocked to learn in a newspaper series that Toledo has been a hub of human trafficking. “I am not for sale, you are not for sale, no one should be for sale.”
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TweetMontgomery County lodgings tax plan gets Ohio House OK
By an 87-5 vote, the Ohio House today, Dec. 17 approved legislation giving Montgomery County commissioners permission to levy up to an additional 4 percent lodgings tax to finance an event center and hockey arena at the Austin Pike interchange on Interstate 75 south of Dayton.
The vote came after city of Dayton and Montgomery County officials met earlier today to discuss Mayor Rhine McLin’s concerns with the proposal. The plan was added as an amendment to Substitute Senate Bill 306, which deals with housing cooperative and homestead tax exemption issues.
McLin said that she was neutral on the bill but would not try to block it. She said county officials assured her there were no immediate plans to raise the tax but wanted it for a “tool” in their tool box.
Montgomery County Administrator Deborah Feldman said county officials want to meet with all those who would be affected by a tax increase before moving forward.
If commissioners approved the 4 percent increase, the combined tax for a hotel-motel guest in most of Montgomery County would go to 17 percent, among the highest in the nation.
The Senate must also approve the legislation before it goes to Gov. Ted Strickland.
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TweetDayton to receive Clean Ohio money
The city of Dayton will receive nearly $900,000 in state Clean Ohio Fund money to clean up the NIBCO Foundry site at 1800 McCall St. and get it ready for redevelopment as an industrial park. Plans call for removing contaminated soil and underground structures.
The money is part of $12.7 million in Clean Ohio grants announced on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The grants are contingent on approval by the State Controlling Board in February.
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TweetBrown to Obama: Remember Ohio in stimulus package
Sen. Sherrod Brown wants President-elect Barack Obama to remember how hard-hit Ohio has been by current economic crisis. So on Wednesday, Dec. 17, he shot the president-elect a letter reminding him to remember Ohio in his upcoming economic stimulus package.
In a two-page letter, Brown, a Democrat, reminded Obama that more than 200,000 Ohioans lost their manufacturing jobs during a five-year period. He reminded Obama how the closure of a DHL facility in Wilmington will cost the state nealry 10,000 more jobs.
“As you work with Congress to craft an economic stimulus package, I urge you to acknowledge the disproportionate impact of the economic downturn on states like Ohio by taking factors like higher than average unemployment and foreclosure rates into account as you allocate stimulus funding,” Brown wrote. He urged Obama to give cities like Wilmington “special attention” in the package, and to use the bill to rebuild crumbling infrastructure in the state.
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TweetSafe Haven window to expand to 30 days
Gov. Ted Strickland plans to sign a bill that expands Ohio’s Safe Haven law that allows mothers to drop off newborn babies at hospitals or police stations with no questions asked.
Current law allows for drop offs the first 72 hours after birth but the bill expands the window to 30 days.
Since Ohio first passed the Safe Havens law in 2001, dozens of infants have been dropped off and later placed with adoptive families. State officials did not have a current number available on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
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TweetPolitical rivals unite to ring bells for Salvation Army
Peace on earth?
Maybe that’s too much to expect.
How about bell ringing at Broad and High - the intersection right in the middle of downtown Columbus?
That’s where State Rep. Kevin DeWine, R-Fairborn, who’s also Ohio Republican Party deputy chairman, will face off on Thursday, Dec. 18, with his political rival Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party chairman and a state representative from Catawba Island, in a “Red Kettle Duel.”
They’ll see who can raise the most money for the Salvation Army as part of the celebrity bell ringers campaign. If you’re in town, the dueling pols are set to start ringing at 10 a.m.
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TweetMontgomery County lodgings tax vote back on the agenda
City of Dayton and Montgomery County officials have worked out their differences and a vote today, Dec. 17, now is expected in the Ohio House on legislation to permit county commissioners to levy up to an additional 4 percent lodgings tax.
The tax increase would be used to finance a multievent center and hockey arena at the Austin Pike interchange on Interstate 75 south of Dayton. The Senate also would have to approve the measure before it goes to Gov. Ted Strickland.
“We got their attention,” said Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin. She said that she, Dayton City Commissioner Nan Whaley and City Manager Rashad Young met with county Administrator Deborah Feldman and County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman for about 90 minutes.
McClin said she was “neutral” on the legislation but wouldn’t seek to block it. Reps. Fred Strahorn and Clayton Luckie, both Dayton Democrats, on Tuesday voiced opposition to the bill, causing House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, to delay the vote.
Commissioners just want to have a “tool in their tool box” and have made no final decision on whether to levy the tax, McLin said she was assured. Commissioners need to make sure all those who would be affected by a tax hike are “at the table” as the issue is discussed, the mayor said.
With the economy so shaky, “it raises concerns” to even discuss a tax hike, McLin said.
Feldman said she and Lieberman “were really glad we had a chance to talk to the city.”
“We want to continue to do that,” she said. County officials also want to talk to others who would be affected by such a tax hike, she said.
“This legislation is just really giving us a tool to explore what our options are but we’re by no means ready to take action,” said Feldman.
Strahorn said he expects to vote for the legislation and that he believes any differences have been resolved.
If the tax were raised 4 percent, the combined tax for a hotel-motel guest in most of Montgomery County would be 17 percent, among the highest in the country. This would include the lodgings tax and the 7 percent sales tax.
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TweetIt’s Wright Brothers Day
President Bush issued his annual proclamation Wednesday, Dec. 17, that today is Wright Brothers Day.
“On Wright Brothers Day, we commemorate two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who took great risks and ushered in a new era of travel and discovery,” he wrote in his proclamation.
The first Wright Brothers Day was in 1963, when Congress designated Dec. 17 of each year as “Wright Brothers Day.” Since then, the president has annually issued a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
The proclamation is after the jump.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Our history is rich with pioneers and innovators who used their God-given talents to improve our Nation and the world. On Wright Brothers Day, we commemorate two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who took great risks and ushered in a new era of travel and discovery.
With intrepid spirits and a passion for innovation, Orville and Wilbur Wright became the first to experience the thrill of manned, powered flight. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright flew for 12 seconds over the North Carolina sand dunes in the presence of only five people. In the span of one lifetime, our Nation has seen aviation progress from the first tentative takeoff at Kitty Hawk to an age of supersonic flight and space exploration.
On this Wright Brothers Day, we recognize all those who have taken great risks and contributed to our country’s legacy of exploration and discovery. This year, we also celebrate the centennial of the world’s first passenger flight. By remaining dedicated to extending the frontiers of knowledge, we can ensure that the United States will continue to lead the world in science, innovation, and technology, and build a better future for generations to come.
The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year as “Wright Brothers Day” and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2008, as Wright Brothers Day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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