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Monday, August 10, 2009
Shannon Jones recommended for state Senate seat
State Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, is in line to fill a vacancy in the state Senate.
A Republican screening committee on Monday, Aug. 10, recommended Jones, 39, for the vacancy in the 7th District caused by the death of Sen. Robert Schuler, R-Sycamore Twp. She is in her second term in the House.
The full Republican caucus, currently 20 members, is to vote on the recommendation on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
“When it comes to public policy, Shannon Jones has a reputation for being a heavy lifter. She has a passion for public service and a strong sense of responsibility to do what is best for the people she represents,” Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland said in a press release.
“Her brand of leadership is just what we need in the Senate during extremely challenging times.”
Other candidates, all Republicans, were: former state Rep. Tom Brinkman of Cincinnati; former state Rep. Michelle Schneider of Madeira and Patrick McQuiddy of Lebanon, a pilot.
The district includes Warren County and the eastern portion of Hamilton County.
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Strickland names new lottery director
Kathleen Burke, a partner at the Jones Day law firm in Cleveland, was appointed executive director of the Ohio Lottery Commission on Monday, Aug. 10, by Gov. Ted Strickland.
Burke, 60, of Shaker Heights, will start work on Aug. 24 and will earn $129,500 annually.
She will replace Michael Dolan who last week submitted his resignation to Strickland.
Burke will take over as the lottery prepares a major expansion - installation of 17,500 video slot machines at Ohio’s seven racetracks.
Burke has been a corporate litigator for more than three decades and served as the first woman president of the Ohio State Bar Association from 1993-1994, a press release said.
“Her role as a corporate litigator has required her to repeatedly take on very complex cases with high monetary stakes,” Strickland said in the press release. “I am confident that Kathy’s character, skills and commitment to service will be of great value to the Ohio Lottery Commission.”
In the release, Burke said that she would draw on her experience to assure the lottery’s “continued success.”
“I believe that leadership involves providing strategic direction to an organization, inspiring people to do their best and setting an ethical tone,” she said.
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Nonunion contractors endorse Kasich for guv
The Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio - a group of mainly nonunion, “merit shop” contractors - on Monday, Aug. 10 endorsed Republican John Kasich for governor in 2010.
“In today’s economic environment in Ohio, John Kasich is the right person to turn the state around,” Braden Black, ABC of Ohio president, said in a press release.
Black added that “we know that John Kasich will work hard in support of merit shop contractors and the principles of open competitions, free enterprise, lower taxes and responsible government regulations.”
The ABC of Ohio is part of a nationwide federation representing 25,000 “merit shop” construction and construction-related firms with 2 million employees, the release said. In Ohio, the group represents 900 firms with about 62,355 employees, said Shane Ostrowksi, ABC of Ohio spokesman.
Kasich, a former U.S. House member from suburban Columbus, is expected to be the GOP candidate next year against incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland who has received strong union support in the past.
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Ohio Historical Society director dies
William K. Laidlaw, Jr., executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society, has died.
Laidlaw, 66, of Bexley, died Friday, Aug. 7, of an apparent heart attack while swimming in the ocean with his wife during a family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, according to a society press release.
“The entire Ohio Historical Society family mourns this tragic loss and our deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time,” Richard T. Prasse, chairman of the OHS Board of Trustees, said in the release.
The society has been hit hard by state budget cuts and Prasse said that Laidlaw had guided the organization “through significant changes and tough economic times by laying the foundation for the society’s reinvention as a stronger, more focused statewide organization.”
State support has been reduced from $13.5 million to $7.9 million a year, said Kim Schuette, OHS spokeswoman. The society oversees a network of 58 sites.
Laidlaw took the OHS job in 2003 after a career in higher education and nonprofit management, the release said.
He had planned to retire at the end of the year and the OHS board already has begun a nationwide search for a new director.
Laidlaw is survived by: Donna, his wife of 44 years; son, Scott Laidlaw of Whately, Mass., daughter, Christina Laidlaw Kimmel of Houston, Tex. and three grandchildren.
A memorial service is being planned for mid or late September in Columbus, said Schuette.
