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Monday, April 27, 2009
Columbus voters face income tax hike vote
Taxes - specifically tax hikes - may be a taboo and toxic subject at the Statehouse but just two blocks away officials at Columbus City Hall have decided to risk proposing a tax increase.
Mayor Michael Coleman and other city officials announced on Monday, April 27, that they’ll ask voters in November to approve increasing the city’s 2 percent income tax by .5 percent in an August election.
“In order to grow our economy and fight for jobs, we must have a safe and clean city with strong neighborhoods,” Coleman said in a press release. “If citizens support our three-point plan for jobs, reform and revenue, we can maintain our quality of life for years to come.”
The city council is to vote on May 11 to authorize putting the issue on the ballot.
The press release said most of the .5 percent increase would be paid by commuters who work in the city. For a Columbus household earning $40,000 a year, the increase would be less than $17 a month, the release said.
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Andy Douglas, OCSEA union part ways
Andy Douglas, the former Ohio Supreme Court justice, has left his job as executive director of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA), a union representing 35,000 state employees. It is the largest state employee union.
“Saturday was my last day,” Douglas said on Monday, April 27. “We came to mutual agreement…”
The union announced on March 31 that it voted to accept a new contract that included 10 unpaid furlough or cost-saving days for employees. Douglas was chief negotiator for the contract.
Douglas, 76, said he was returning to work at the Crabbe Brown & James law firm.
A spokeswoman for OCSEA could not be reached.
Douglas served on the Ohio Supreme Court from 1985-2002 and was executive director of OCSEA for five and a half years.
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Strickland launches Civil War sesquicentennial plans
Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday, April 27, announced plans for a statewide effort to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio.
The Civil War raged from 1861-1865 and the commemoration will go from 2011-2015.
Strickland signed an executive directive that designates the Ohio Historical Society, whose activities have been curtailed by budget cuts, to lead the statewide effort. The society will coordinate commemorative events for the sesquicentennial celebration.
Strickland signed the directive on the birthday of Ohio-born Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union to victory and went on to serve two terms as president. Grant was born in 1822 and died in 1885 at 63.
“It is fitting that this initiative is launched on Gen. Grant’s birthday, as he personifies Ohio’s leadership during and after the war, both on and off the battlefield,” Strickland said in a press release.
“It is also important that we remember and honor the 35,000 Ohioans who lost their lives during the war, as well as the efforts of countless Ohioans who sacrificed so greatly to aid the war and reconstruction effort.”
Here’s Strickland’s directive:
Directive to the Ohio Historical Society April 27, 2009
Ohio Historical Society to Coordinate Commemorative Events for the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Civil War in Ohio
The Sacrifice and Support of Ohioans Were Instrumental in Winning the Civil War. Ohioans played a prominent role in the Civil War. More than 345,000 men from Ohio enlisted to serve in the armed services during the effort to preserve the Union, and more than 35,000 Ohioans lost their lives during the War. Additionally, many prominent Ohioans provided political, military and economic support during this time. President Abraham Lincoln’s Cabinet included two important Ohioans - Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase. Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman and Phillip Sheridan provided military leadership, and Ohio has the honor of claiming the only military unit in history to include two future presidents - the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was home to William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes. Furthermore, Jay Cooke of Sandusky, Sen. Ben Wade of Ashtabula County, Gov. William Dennison, and the “Fighting McCooks” of Carroll County each played important roles in preserving the integrity of the Union.
Ohio was a Symbol of Freedom for Many Thousands of People and Ohioans were at the Center of Many of the Social and Ethical Conflicts that Led to the Civil War. The location of the Ohio River helped make Ohio an important passageway to freedom for countless slaves who crossed the river into the free state of Ohio and beyond. Following the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Underground Railroad in Ohio became even more important in protecting the safety and freedom of tens of thousands of runaway slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe, a citizen of Cincinnati for more than 20 years, penned the influential Uncle Tom’s Cabin, drawing upon her life and observations in southern Ohio.
Ohio Was the Economic and Political Center of the United States During and After the Civil War. At the outset of the American Civil War, Ohio was an emerging industrial and political star. The state was literally and figuratively in the center of a country being torn apart by regional sectionalism and slavery. Plotted on a map, Ohio was the center of the U.S. population at the time. Ohio was also an increasingly important hub for commerce and transportation. The War and its aftermath catapulted Ohio into a leading role in the nation’s political and economic affairs. For example, after the Civil War, seven of the next 12 men to occupy the White House were Ohioans.
Ohio’s Infrastructure Was Integral to the Union’s Success During the Civil War. Ohio had more miles of railroad track running through it at the time of the Civil War than any other state, making the state not only critical to the war effort, but also an important symbol of the Union’s commerce and industry. This infrastructure proved essential in keeping the Union troop trains supplied with everything from horses and sheep to uniforms, weapons, wagons and food supplies.
The Ohio Historical Society is Uniquely Positioned to Lead Ohio’s Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. It is important not only to commemorate the historic significance of the Civil War, but to also celebrate the role that Ohio and Ohioans played in achieving this monumental victory. The Ohio Historical Society (“OHS”) is uniquely positioned with the expertise and physical resources to lead the state in commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Ohio. OHS was a major coordinator of activities commemorating the Civil War bicentennial 50 years ago. OHS owns and operates historical locations important to telling the story of Ohio’s role in the Civil War. These OHS locations, along with the State’s other historical sites, can contribute heavily to telling Ohio’s Civil War story by allowing people to experience and learn from authentic historical environments, artifacts, landscapes and buildings. Moreover, OHS can utilize its contacts and networks with hundreds of local historical organizations, libraries, schools, and other groups to ensure that the Civil War sesquicentennial (2011-2015) provides a fresh opportunity for a new generation to rediscover the many ways in which Ohioans contributed to the success of the Civil War, as well as how the War changed life in Ohio.
Development of the Sesquicentennial Celebration in Ohio. I hereby direct the Ohio Historical Society to develop a calendar of activities to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and Ohio’s participation in that War. OHS will also be responsible for:
a. Forming a Civil War 150 Advisory Committee (“Advisory Committee”), which shall be comprised of not more than 18 members to be appointed by the leadership of OHS and which shall serve for the duration of the sesquicentennial celebration;
(i) The Advisory Committee will provide advice and input to the Society on programs and activities that can ensure effective sesquicentennial activities at the state level and in communities throughout the state. The activities of the members of the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee under this Directive shall be staffed and assisted by personnel from the Ohio Historical Society, subject to available funding.
(ii) The Advisory Committee may establish advisory workgroups that can include members of the public who are not members of the committee to assist the members of the committee in performing their duties. The Advisory Committee may adopt, reject or modify any recommendations proposed by an advisory workgroup.
(iii) The Advisory Committee may, as appropriate, make inquiries, studies, investigations, hold hearings, and receive comments from the public. To perform its duties, the Advisory Committee may also consult with outside experts, including, but not limited to, experts in the private sector, organized labor, government agencies and institutions of higher education.
b. OHS may, on behalf of the Advisory Committee, hire or retain contractors, subcontractors, advisors, consultants, and agents, and may make and enter into contracts necessary or incidental to the exercise of the powers of the Advisory Committee and in the performance of its duties.
c. OHS may accept donations of monies, labor, services, or other things of value from any public or private agency or person related to the sesquicentennial celebration or the activities of the Advisory Committee.
- Expiration of the Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee. OHS shall ensure that the Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee expires by the end of the commemorative events or by December 31, 2015, whichever is later.
Ted Strickland, Governor
