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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > April > 14
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday vote set on $25M for train plan despite GOP objection
Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration plans to go ahead with a Controlling Board vote on Monday, April 19, on the release of the first $25 million for Ohio passenger train service, despite an objection from state Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, a board member.
Winning approval on a party line 4-3 vote - four Democrats “yes” and three Republicans “no” - “will only poison the well for future discussion,” Hottinger said in a letter on Wednesday, April 14, to Jolene Molitoris, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation. The $25 million is part of the $400 million in federal funds that Ohio has qualified for to set up passenger rail service linking Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.
While the release of money by the Controlling Board for train construction work requires a bipartisan supermajority, only simple majority approval for the $25 million for planning purposes is needed, the Strickland administration has contended. Hottinger disagreed. He said if the Monday vote proceeds “it will make finding supermajority support all the more difficult when that time comes.”
Scott Varner, Molitoris’ spokesman, said it’s important to move ahead Monday.
“To delay moving forward on this transformational project is to delay the creation of jobs and economic opportunity for our states - especially the Dayton area which stands to uniquely benefit from this investment in the downtown and Riverside areas,” Varner said in an email.
“The study and data collected to date is very solid and compelling. ODOT has been working with all the members of the Controlling Board to demonstrate that by releasing this initial $25 million, Ohio will be able to complete the final environmental study, engineering, and detailed design - required by federal law - needed to make the most informed determination about the project.”
In his letter Hottinger said there are too many unanswered questions about the plan to take the Monday vote. He is expected to vote “no” along with the two other GOP board members, Sens. John Carey of Wellston and David Goodman of New Albany.
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Fisher has $1.8M on hand for Senate campaign
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher raised $551,000 during the first three months of this year and has $1.8 million on hand for his U.S. Senate campaign, John Collins, Fisher campaign spokesman, said on Wednesday, April 14.
Fisher has raised nearly $3.9 million overall, said Collins.
Fisher is running for the Democratic nomination against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the May 4 primay. The winner will face Republican Rob Portman in the general election.
Portman’s campaign reported earlier this week that he raised $2.35 million during the first quarter of 2010 and has $7.6 million on hand. Portman is a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and also served as budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush.
U.S. Senate campaign finance reports are due Thursday, April 15. Brunner’s campaign declined to release any fund raising information on Wednesday. She has trailed both Fisher and Portman.
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Fisher unveils first TV ad in Senate campaign
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher on Wednesday, April 14, unveiled his first TV ad in his U.S. Senate campaign. He is running for the Democratic nomination against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
The 30-second ad is biographical and also provides Fisher’s position on the issues, with an emphasis on job creation. It does not mention that he is a Democrat.
The ad is running statewide on cable on Wednesday and on Thursday or Friday will go up on broadcast channels in Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown, said John Collins, Fisher campaign spokesman.
The campaign plans TV ads until the end of the campaign for the May 4 primary, said Collins. The winner of the primary will face Republican Rob Portman in the general election.
Here’s the script for the 30-second ad as supplied by Fisher’s campaign:
“His grandparents ran a dress shop in this small Ohio town, teaching him thrift and hard work.
“He led an Ohio nonprofit, helping young men become better fathers.
“All his life, Lee Fisher has championed Ohio values.
“Now he’s running for Senate, with a plan to:
“Hold Wall Street accountable;
“Expand loans for small business,
“End tax breaks for companies that export jobs; and
“Give tax breaks to those creating jobs here.
“Lee Fisher for Senate. I’m Lee Fisher and I approve this message.”
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Justice Pfeifer “welcomes” Brown to Supreme Court
Acting Chief Justice Paul Pfeifer on Wednesday, April 14, issued a high court welcome to Democrat Eric Brown, whom Gov. Ted Strickland named to serve out the unexpired term of Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer.
Moyer died April 2 and Brown’s appointment is effective May 3. Moyer’s term expires in January 2011.
“Gov. Strickland has fulfilled his constitutional duty, and we will do everything in our power to make this a smooth transition,” Pfeifer said in a press release. “Judge Brown will be welcomed to the Court, and we will work to assist him in getting settled in.”
“We remain in mourning for our friend and colleague, Chief Justice Tom Moyer, and at the same time we are focused on ensuring that the business of the court continues.”
Brown currenty is Franklin County Probate Court judge and is the Democratic candidate to run against Republican Justice Maureen O’Connor for a full term as chief justice in the November general election.
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Advocates for autism insurance coverage rally at Statehouse
The weather cooperated on Wednesday, April 14, as advocates rallied outside the Statehouse to urge the state Senate to take final action on legislation prohibiting insurers from excluding coverage for autism services.
“The time has finally come to take action in Ohio,” Mindy Poist of Dayton told a crowd of several hundred gathered outside the Statehouse on a sunny morning.
Poist, secretary of Dayton Area Families for Effective Autism Treatment, was among several speakers.
Sen. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, another speaker and a backer of the legislation, said after he spoke, however, that the likelihood of Senate action this year is “50-50.”
Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, still has concerns about imposing any mandates on businesses, Maggie Ostrowski, Harris’ spokeswoman said.
The Democratic-controlled House passed House Bill 8 in December but the Senate has taken no action since then.
Currently, 15 other states, including Pennsylvania and Indiana, require coverage for autism, according to advocates.
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Strickland names Democrat Eric Brown as chief justice
Gov. Ted Strickland appointed Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown as chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 14.
The move comes 12 days after the unexpected death of Republican Tom Moyer, who died April 2 after serving 24 years as Ohio’s top jurist.
Brown, 56, starts May 3. He will serve out Moyer’s term, which expires in January 2011, and run this fall for a full six-year term. He faces Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican and former lieutenant governor under Bob Taft.
Strickland recruited Brown to run against O’Connor and gave him his endorsement 10 weeks ago.
Strickland affirmed that endorsement on Wednesday, saying Brown will bring an impartial voice to the court.
“Eric Brown’s 30 years of public service combined with his management experience and legal knowledge and expertise, inside and outside of government, make him uniquely qualified to lead the court,” Strickland said.
O’Connor is expected to be a tough opponent. In 2008 she got more votes than any other candidate on the ballot in Ohio, including Barack Obama.
If O’Connor beats Brown this fall, Strickland will be able to appoint her replacement in January 2011. Strickland said there are no agreements between him and Brown that the governor would appoint Brown to O’Connor’s seat.
The Democrats haven’t had a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court since Alice Robie Resnick decided not to seek re-election and left the court in 2006.
