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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > October > 27
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Strickland teams up with Elmo
He’s furry, bug-eyed, big-mouthed and fictional but that didn’t stop Gov. Ted Strickland from joining forces with Sesame Street’s Elmo to help fight the flu.
Strickland and a dozen other governors recorded 30-second public service announcements with the beloved Muppet to tell youngsters how they can prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.
“Children are among the most vulnerable for acquiring the flu, but simple things like coughing into your elbow and washing hands properly can go a long way toward keeping them healthy,” Strickland said.
Strickland and Elmo share tips with listeners such as cough into your sleeve, wash your hands thoroughly, and stay home when you’re sick.
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TweetFarm groups square off
Farm interests on both sides of state Issue 2 claim that out-of-state interest groups are meddling in Ohio’s agriculture industry.
Issue 2 is a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot that would create a livestock care standards board to regulate farm animal housing and care in Ohio.
Farmers, environmentalists and ProgressOhio, a left-leaning political group, denounced Issue 2 as a move by out-of-state agribusiness that may end up elbowing family farmers out of business.
They pointed to campaign finance reports filed last week that show $1.2 million of nearly $4 million raised on the Yes on Issue 2 side came from outside Ohio.
Joe Logan, a family farmer and director of agricultural programs for the Ohio Environmental Council, said the standards board could be stacked in favor of big agricultural interests and write rules to favor the big guys over the family operations.
Right after the vote No on Issue 2 people finished their press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 27, representatives of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation appeared to give their side.
Beth Vanderkooi said Issue 2 was put on the ballot to head off out of state animal welfare groups that want to impose arbitrary standards on Ohio farmers. She denied claims that Issue 2 is supported mostly by large factory farm interests and noted that much of the campaign contributions have been coming from Ohio farmers.
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TweetState Senate pays tribute to Schuler
The Ohio Senate on Tuesday, Oct. 27, paid tribute to the late Bob Schuler, a Republican senator from suburban Cincinnati who died of cancer June 19.
With Schuler family members in the audience, senators described him as hard working, quiet, humble, reliable and fun-loving.
State Sen. Ray Miller, D-Columbus, recalled Schuler as a great listener. “Anyone who can tolerate Sen. Jeff Jacobson in your ear at every turn has great listening skills,” Miller quipped as former senator Jacobson sat in the audience.
Former Senate President Richard Finan said “He did not have an enemy. Not one. It belies the idea that you have to be an SOB to be in politics.”
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TweetUPDATED with opponent reaction - Casino backers: locals will get 90 percent of casino jobs
Backers of the proposed constitutional amendment to allow casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo on Tuesday, Oct. 27, pledged that 90 percent of all jobs in the casinos would go to residents of the four host cities and the surrounding metropolitan areas.
That would amount to about 6,750 jobs, according to Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-casino Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee.
Altogether, backers say the plan would create 34,000 jobs - 19,000 construction jobs and 15,000 permanent jobs. About half the permanent jobs - 7,500 - would be in the casinos and the other half in supporting businesses. The 90 percent refers to the 7.500 permanent jobs in the casinos.
Letters with the pledge are being sent to the mayor of the four cities, said Tenenbaum.
“I am writing to provide you with assurance that, as developers of the casino that would be authorized under State Issue 3, we will make hiring of local residents to work in the casino our highest priority,” Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and proposed developer for the Cleveland and Cincinnati casinos, said in a letter to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
“To that end, we commit to you that a minimum of 90 percent of employees hired to fill the permanent casino jobs will be resident of the city and its surrounding MSA (metropolitan statistical area).”
Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for TruthPAC, the main opposition group, cited a study that showed the proposal would not create jobs but would transfer them from “restaurants, taverns and retail shops that would be forced out when the casinos moved in.”
“And if hiring local residents was such a priority, why did they not put it in the amendment?” Theis asked in an e-mail.
Opponents of the casino plan have charged that many of the jobs would go to out-of-state workers.
The proposed amendment is Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot.
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TweetCommon Cause/Ohio opposes casino plan
Common Cause/Ohio, the citizen reform organization, on Tuesday, Oct. 27, announced its opposition to Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot, the proposed constitutional amendment to allow casinos in Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Cleveland.
“The Ohio Constitution , the general framework for governance in the state, is certainly not the appropriate document to grant exclusive gambling franchises,” William Woods, Common Cause/Ohio chair, said in a press release.
“We believe that before Ohioans vote on any proposed new gambling activities, the General Assembly is the proper public body to establish the parameters and regulations.”
The League of Women Voters of Ohio also opposes Issue 3 while support has come from groups such as the Ohio AFL-CIO and the Montgomery County Democratic Party.
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