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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dems would give up moratorium to get deal on foreclosure help
The Democratic sponsors of legislation aimed at helping Ohioans survive the foreclosure crisis would consider giving up a six-month moratorium on foreclosures if it would help get a deal with the Republican-controlled Senate on other key elements of foreclosure prevention.
“If it helps the bill I’m willing to be practical,” state Rep. Michael Foley, D-Cleveland, said on Tuesday, March 30, after a press conference. Rep. Denise Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, joint sponsor with Foley of House Bill 3, also attended the press conference and said she would consider dropping the moratorium to get agreement with the Senate.
Key elements that Driehaus and Foley said need to stay in the bill include: state regulation of mortgage servicers and a requirement that a filing fee of $750 and a current appraisal accompany the filing for a residential mortgage foreclosure.
The two lawmakers complained that the Senate has taken no action on House Bill 3 since the house passed it last May and the foreclosure crisis has continued in Ohio. They also complained that the Senate hasn’t acted on House Bill 9, also passed by the House last May.
It protects tenants when their landlords face foreclosure.
Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said it was ‘good” that House Democrats would give up on the moratorium but expressed little interest in working on House Bill 3.
Rather, he said House Democrats should work with Senate Republicans on Senate Bill 197, sponsored by Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, setting up mandatory mediation in foreclosure cases.
Harris said he didn’t have a timetable for the Senate to act on Jones’ bill.
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Bill Clinton seeks campaign cash for Lee Fisher
Former President Bill Clinton is seeking campaign cash for Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in Fisher’s campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.
In an e-mail on Tuesday, March 30, Clinton asked for contributions of $5 or more by Wednesday, close of the first quarter of 2010. Candidates must file campaign finance reports detailing first quarter activity.
“On March 31, at midnight, the first quarter of 2010 will come to a close and Lee will have to file a critically important financial disclosure report,” Clinton said in the e-mail.
“With a tough primary just weeks away, you can help give Lee a crucial shot of momentum by doing your part to strengthen this report.
“Make a donation of $5 or more before midnight on March 31 and help show you’re there with Lee!
“Honestly, I don’t think the man could stop fighting if he tried.”
Fisher is running against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination. The winner will take on Republican Rob Portman, who is unopposed for the GOP nomination. Portman is a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and budget director and U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush.
Fisher had a big advantage over Brunner in the most recent campaign finance reports, with $1.8 million on hand, compared to $60,859 for Brunner. Portman, however, was way ahead of both of them with $6 million on hand.
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Fisher leads Brunner in Dem Senate primary; many voters undecided
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher leads Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner among likely voters in the race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, but 40 percent are undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, March 30.
Also, the poll, released with five weeks to go in the primary, found that 65 percent of those who back a candidate say they might change their mind.
Overall, Fisher leads 33-26 percent, with the 40 percent undecided. The winner will face Republican Rob Portman, a former U.S. House member from suburban Cincinnati, in the general election. Portman is unopposed for the GOP nomination.
“Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher is ahead as the candidates enter the home stretch, but the lead is not that large and the size of the undecided vote with a relatively short period until primary election day underscores the volatility of the contest,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
A big plus for Fisher appears to be voters’ belief that he’d have a better chance of defeating Portman, a former budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush.
By about a two-to-one margin - 37 to 18 percent - voters say Fisher would be more likely than Brunner to win the general election. Still, 42 percent say they don’t know.
With so many undecided voters, a key factor in the next five weeks will be the candidates’ ability to get their messages out to undecided voters. According to the most recent campaign finance reports, Fisher is much better equipped with campaign cash for possible TV ads. He had $1.8 million on hand, compared to $60,859 for Brunner. Brunner, however, has said she can overcome this disadvantage with a strong grassroots effort.
The poll, released on the same day that early voting starts across the state, finds that many Democrats don’t know much about either candidate.
Fisher, active in statewide politics for nearly two decades, gets a favorable rating from 33 percent, with 8 percent unfavorable, but 56 percent say they don’t know enough about him to judge.
Brunner, meanwhile, has a 24-7 favorable-unfavorable rating, but about two thirds - 67 percent- say they don’t know enough about her to have an opinion.
The poll was taken from Thursday, March 25 to Sunday, March 28, with 978 Ohio likely Democratic primary voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
