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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > March > 31
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Strahorn sworn in as state senator
Democrat Fred Strahorn returned to the Ohio General Assembly on Tuesday, March 31, when he was sworn into office as a state senator. Strahorn, who served eight years in the Ohio House, replaces Tom Roberts who left in February to accept an appointment to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
Strahorn will fill the remainder of Roberts term, which runs through 2010.
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Lottery director gives 100 free tickets to trooper
Ohio Lottery Director Michael A. Dolan avoided a traffic ticket on I-71 and expressed his gratitude by sending 100 promotional lottery tickets to the trooper.
Trooper James M. Baker stopped Dolan on Jan. 26 on I-71 near Mansfield. Dolan, who was appointed lottery director by Gov. Ted Strickland in January 2007, told Baker that he was on his way to the governor’s residence in Columbus.
Baker issued Dolan a verbal warning for the violation and for not wearing his seatbelt.
Two days later, Baker received a thank you note from Dolan and the promotional tickets, which would have won $60. Baker reported it to his supervisor and a short while later the governor’s office referred the matter to state Inspector General Tom Charles.
Charles issued a 16-page report on Tuesday, March 31, that said Dolan’s actions were wrong and showed a lack of judgment.
“Regardless of Dolan’s intent, his actions give the perception of an attempt to influence a public official with gifts or gratuities,” the report said.
Dolan told the inspector general that he had given promotional tickets to police, prosecutors, and other local and state government officials as a way to market the lottery. In addition to promotional tickets, instant lottery tickets were also given away. The report said the lottery commission gave away 55,711 instant tickets for marketing between Jan. 8, 2007 and Feb. 9, 2009.
Charles criticized the lottery’s practice of sending promotional tickets to public officials as a means of marketing and recommended a new policy that would ban promotional items being given to law enforcement personnel, legislators, state vendors or public officials with decision making authority over lottery issues.
Strickland said he expressed his disappointment to Dolan and canceled the distribution of all lottery tickets for promotional or marketing purposes until new policies are implemented.
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Transportation budget vote delayed
- Related: Budget plan includes raising speed limit for trucks
- Politicians split budget spoils
A vote on the state’s $9.6 billion transportation budget apparently will be delayed for at least a day while lawmakers try to add a provision that would immediately make it possible to use federal stimulus money to help pay for health insurance for some unemployed workers.
The vote on the budget had been scheduled for today after a House-Senate conference committee on Monday, March 30, gave unanimous approval to the two-year budget. The version the conference committee approved, however, lacked an emergency clause for the health insurance provision.
It takes 66 votes in the House to approve an emergency clause and Republicans said on Monday they didn’t have the 13 votes they would need to contribute. Democrats control the House 53-46.
Today, however, Republicans approached majority Democrats and said they wanted to come up with the votes, said Keary McCarthy, spokesman for House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood.
The conference committee now is scheduled to reconvene at 12:35 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.
The insurance provision would save an average worker $750 a month for individual coverage and $2,063 a month for family coverage over the three-month period they would not otherwise have received the federal subsidy, according to the Ohio Department of Insurance.
The federal stimulus money would provide a 65 percent subsidy for the coverage.
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Mound money headed region’s way
The former Mound Department of Energy site will receive $20 million from the economic stimulus bill that passed earlier this year, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Tuesday.
The money is aimed at completing the cleanup project, creating 40 jobs in the region and attracting clients for the technology, science and business park.
“The funds will finish the cleanup, but more importantly, they will complete Mound’s transition to a world-class business park,” Brown said. “This park can now compete to bring the most innovative and technologically advanced businesses to the Miami Valley. This cleanup investment is great news for Ohio.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville and former U.S. Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, have garnered some $35 million for cleanup of the site thus far.
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Dayton writer’s book now potential bedtime story for Sasha and Malia
At the end of a White House ceremony signing Monday, March 30, Amanda Wright Lane, the great-grand niece of Wilbur and Orville Wright, navigated her way through the crowds and handed a book to President Obama.
The book: “Wee and the Wright Brothers,” a picture book by Timothy R. Gaffney, a former Dayton Daily News reporter.
Wright Lane attended the ceremony because the parks bill Obama signed added Hawthorn Hill and the Wright Company airplane factory to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
She said she gave the book to Obama for his daughters, Sasha and Malia.
“Wee and the Wright brothers” tells the story of a curious mouse who lived in the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop and sneaked aboard the Wright Flyer to share Orville’s first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Gaffney, of Miamisburg, is the author of 13 books for children and adults.
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Ryan for Lt. Governor?
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, who was earlier thought to be a possible Democratic successor for retiring Sen. George Voinovich, might be interested in a different job instead.
The Washington Post reports that Ryan, 35, is interested in running for lieutenant governor in 2010. They cite unnamed sources saying he will make an announcement at the end of this week.
The current lieutenant governor, Lee Fisher, is running to succeed Voinovich in 2010, at the end of his term.
Ryan spokesman Brad Bauman told newspapers that Ryan “is certainly honored just to be mentioned.”
