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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Republicans pick Mason Vice Mayor Beck for Ohio House
Ohio House Republicans on Wednesday, Sept. 16, picked Peter A. Beck, vice mayor of Mason, to serve in the Ohio House, representing the 67th District.
Beck, 58, who will take office next week, will replace Shannon Jones who was appointed to the Ohio Senate. Jones replaced Robert Schuler who died in June.
“As a parent and small business owner, I know the difficulties Ohioans are faced during these tough economic times and will strive to work toward finding lasting solutions,” Beck said in a press release. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Beck, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is married and has four children, the press release said.
The district includes part of Warren County.
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Strickland names Patt-McDaniel as development chief; first woman to hold job
Gov. Ted Strickland on Wednesday, Sept. 16, removed the interim label and named Lisa Patt-McDaniel director of the Ohio Department of Development.
Patt-McDaniel, 44, will be the first woman to lead the department and will earn $142,500 annually, a press release said. She has been interim director since May.
The department has been without a permanent director since February when Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher resigned the job as he began his 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. Mark Barbash was appointed interim director but resigned in May to resolve personal tax issues.
“I am incredibly impressed with the leadership, commitment, deep knowledge and sound judgment Lisa has demonstrated not only as interim director but in her years as a leader in economic and workforce development for Ohio,” Strickland said in a press release.
“Lisa has listened to our workers and businesses and knows what they need. Lisa is helping to position Ohio for long-term prosperity.”
She has served in several positions in the department since 1990, the release said.
With Ohio unemployment at a 26-year high of 11.2 percent and job losses mounting, Strickland has been criticized for not moving more quickly to fill the job.
Strickland was taking his time to make sure he found the right person for the job, Amanda Wurst, his spokeswoman, has said.
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Fisher shows strength in U.S. Senate race
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a Democrat, has moved to the front of the crowd in the 2010 U.S. Senate race.
A Quinnipiac University Poll of Ohio voters released on Wednesday, Sept. 16, showed Fisher leading Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination and also topping either of the two Republican contenders - former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of the Cincinnati area or Cleveland-area car dealer Tom Ganley - in the general election.
In a Democratic primary, Fisher led Brunner 26-17 percent, with 55 percent undecided.
In general election matchups, he topped Portman 42-31 percent and Ganley 41-29 percent.
Brunner also beat the Republicans in general election matchups, besting Portman 39-34 percent and Ganley 39-31 percent.
In a GOP primary, Portman led Ganley 27-9 percent, with 61 percent undecided.
The large percentage of undecided voters, particularly in the primary matchups, shows that the Senate race is in its early stages, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnpiac University Polling Institute.
“Most people have not focused on it,” Brown said.
While Fisher appears to be the frontrunner, he does not appear to be very well know for a candidate with his statewide history. He has been on the statewide ballot four times since 1990.
However, the strong showing by Fisher appeared to reflect an overall uptick in political fortunes for Democrats over the summer, Brown, said.
The poll also showed improvement in approval ratings for Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and President Barack Obama. Democrats’ fortunes overall are tied to Obama’s, said Brown.
“Politics is a team game. He’s the team captain. If he’s doing better, then other Democrats do better,” said Brown.
The poll was taken Thursday, Sept. 10, to Sunday, Sept. 13, with 1,074 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Obama’s approval rating moves up
Ohio voters have given President Barack Obama a slight boost in his approval rating but they’re split on support for the president’s health care plan.
Those are key findings of a Quinnipiac University Poll released on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
In the poll, voters approved Obama’s performance 53-42 percent, up slightly from the president’s 49-44 percent approval rating in a July 7 poll.
On the health care plan, however, they were split 44-44 percent.
The poll was taken immediately after Obama’s nationally televised prime-time speech on health care and that may have helped him, Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said.
“Obviously, he is an extremely attractive, articulate person and what we are seeing is people like him a little better than they like his policies,” said Brown. “The more they see him is likely to help his approval ratings.”
The poll surveyed 1,074 Ohio voters from Thursday, Sept. 10, to Sunday, Sept. 13, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
