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June 2010
Activists, farmers agree to more humane treatment of farm animals, avoid Ohio ballot issue
By Laura A. Bischoff Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — Animal rights activists and farmers announced a deal Wednesday, June 30, that they say will phase in more humane treatment of chickens, pigs and cows and curb abusive practices when it comes to puppy mills, illegal cockfighting, exotic pets and sick livestock.
The deal means the Humane Society of the United States will not submit its 500,000 petition signatures to put a farm animal welfare issue before Ohio voters in November.
Gov. Ted Strickland, who brokered the agreement between the HSUS and the Ohio Farm Bureau, agreed to throw his weight behind an anti-puppy mill bill now pending in the Legislature and push for harsher penalties for cockfighting. He also agreed to ban the import of exotic animals, such as alligators, chimps and bears, into Ohio through an executive order. Ohioans with such pets currently may keep them.
The deal calls for phasing out the use of gestational crates for pigs by January 2026 and banning new crates as of Dec. 31, 2010 and placing a moratorium on battery cages used to house layer hens.
Ohio is the second largest egg producing state with 27 million hens and the ninth largest pork producing state. One in seven jobs in Ohio are tied to agriculture, said Jack Fisher of the Ohio Farm Bureau.
The Humane Society has been successful in several other states in passing ballot initiatives or negotiating settlements to implement animal welfare standards.
Voters passed a constitutional amendment last year that established the Ohio Livestock Animal Care Standards Board, which is supposed to establish livestock rules. The amendment had the backing of the Farm Bureau but some environmental groups opposed it, saying the board would simply do the bidding of agribusiness.
The Humane Society this year pushed ahead for a new ballot initiative, which is now moot with the settlement agreement.
Strickland hailed the deal as good for animals and agriculture in Ohio.
“This agreement represents a joint effort to find common ground. As a result, Ohio agriculture will remain strong and animals will be treated better,” Strickland said.
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TweetKasich has narrow lead in new gov race poll
Republican challenger John Kasich has a narrow lead over incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland among likely voters in a poll released on Tuesday, June 29, by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C.
Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, Lehman Brothers managing director and Fox News host, leads 43-41 percent in the poll, a virtual dead heat with the margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Like the results of a Quinnipiac University poll also released on Tuesday, the results indicate a close race. In the Quinnipiac poll, Strickland led 43-38 percent among registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The PPP poll, like the Quinnipiac poll, found that Kasich is relatively unknown. Even among Republicans, 41 percent had no opinion of their party’s nominee.
Voters know Strickland but he is “generally disliked,” according to a PPP press release. Just 37 percent of the voters approved of Strickland’s performance, the poll found.
“There is still a lot of time and a lot of undecided voters in this election,” Dean Debnam, Public Policy Polling president, said in a press release. “But if Kasich gets his name out there and proves that he is change, he could win this election.”
The poll was taken Saturday, June 26 - Sunday, June 27, with 482 likely voters, with the margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
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TweetPresident Obama and his policies “underwater” with Ohio voters
President Barack Obama and two of his major policies - the war in Afghanistan and the health care overhaul - are “underwater” with Ohio registered voters in a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, June 30.
In the poll, 49 percent disapprove and 45 approve of the Democratic president’s performance, about the same as an April survey that found 50 percent disapproval and 45 percent approval.
Also, in the new poll, voters disapprove of the federal health care overhaul, 55-36 percent.
Support for the war in Afghanistan is at its lowest level in the poll, with 48 percent saying the U.S. should not be involved and 46 percent saying the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting in the Asian nation.
Obama, who carried Ohio in 2008, got a flicker of good news. He gets a better grade for handling the economy, 54 disapprove and 41 percent approve, than Gov. Ted Strickland does. 54 percent disapprove Strickland’s handling of the economy, compared to 33 percent who approve.
Among independent voters, a key to winning Ohio elections, Obama is having trouble. 53 percent disapprove of his performance; 40 percent approve. Democrats are sticking with the president, with 79 percent approving and 17 percent disapproving.
Republicans overwhelming turn thumbs down, with an 84-13 percent disapproval rating.
“Given Ohio’s key position in the Electoral College, the White House needs to keep a sharp eye on the President’s numbers in the Buckeye state,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“They aren’t awful, but they aren’t good either.”
The poll was taken from Tuesday, June 22 - Sunday, June 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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TweetFisher, Portman in tight race for U.S. Senate
Democrat Lee Fisher and Republican Rob Portman are locked in a tight race among registered voters for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, June 30.
In the poll, Fisher leads, 42-40 percent, with 17 percent undecided, a statistical dead heat with the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The results are virtually unchanged from April and March polls.
Release of the poll comes with Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to be in Cleveland Wednesday to raise money for Fisher whose campaign treasury was depleted by a tough primary with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Voters seem to know little about either Fisher, the lieutenant governor, or Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member who served both as budget director and U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush.
“Even though Fisher has been a figure in Ohio politics for two decades, 54 percent of voters say they don’t know enough about him to form an opinion,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“For Portman, 66 percent can’t rate him. With four months until election day, the Senate race is wide open.”
Looking beneath the poll’s horse race numbers, Portman appears to have an edge in other measures of voters’ attitudes, although not an overwhelming one.
According to the poll, voters say, by a 33-30 percent spread, that they trust Portman more than Fisher to do in office what he promises while campaigning. Also, voters say, by a 36-31 margin, that Portman, rather than Fisher, shares their values.
In the poll, 28 percent view Fisher favorably, compared to 17 percent who give him an unfavorable rating. For Portman, the breakdown is 26 percent favorable, 7 percent unfavorable.
“Those numbers indicate that Portman may have the more growth potential of the two,” said Brown. “On all these measures, Portman does better than Fisher among independents, often a key to Ohio elections.”
Overall support for the candidates shows political polarization and a deadlock among independents voters. Among Democrats, Fisher wins 84-5 percent; among Republicans, Portman leads 81-6 percent. Among independents, Portman squeaks ahead, 39-37 percent.
The poll was taken from Tuesday, June 22 - Sunday, June 27, with 1,107 registered voters and has the margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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TweetPoll: Ohio voters favor Arizona-type immigration law
Ohio registered voters, by 45-35 percent, would like the state to pass an Arizona-type immigration law, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, June 29.
The Arizona law, which has set off a heated national debate between supporters and opponents, requires state and local law enforcement officials to determine the immigration status of a person during any legitimate contact “if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the U.S.”
In Ohio, backers of such a law, including Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones and state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, say they will try to put a proposal on the 2011 ballot for voters to decide. Gov. Ted Strickland has said he opposes such a law and wouldn’t sign it if passed by the legislature.
The poll was taken from Tuesday, June 22, to Sunday, June 27, with 1,107 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
In the poll, Ohio voters approve of the Arizona law, 48-28percent by a 72-22 percent spread say that immigration reform should move toward stricter enforcement rather than integrating illegal immigrants into American society.
Also, they say, 43-40 percent, that the Arizona law won’t lead to discrimination against Hispanics. Also, by an overwhelming 79-10 majority they say an economic boycott of Arizona is a bad idea.
“Ohio voters like the Arizona approach to illegal immigration so much they would like to see a similar law passed by the state legislature,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
The poll surveyed 1,107 registered voters from Tuesday, June 22 to Sunday, June 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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TweetPoll: Strickland retains narrow lead over Kasich in governor’s race
Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland maintains a narrow lead among registered voters, 43-38 percent, over Republican challenger John Kasich in the governor’s race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, June 29.
The results were statistically unchanged from Strickland’s 44-38 percent lead in April and a 43-38 percent lead in March, all at least partially because half of Ohio voters still don’t know Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, managing director for Lehman Brothers and Fox News commentator.
Strickland still leads, despite clear vulnerabilities. The poll also finds that voters disapprove of his handling of the economy, 54-33 percent, and flunk him on handling the state budget, 52-31 percent.
Also, they say, 48-31 percent, that the Democratic governor has not kept campaign promises. These are the lowest scores Strickland has received on all three questions relating to his performance.
More than half the voters - 52 percent - still don’t know enough about Kasich to have an opinion about him. This is down from 62 percent in April.
“Sometimes as the challenger becomes better known, the race narrows,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnpiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release. “That has yet to happen in this case….
“Kasich still has four months until election day and Strickland’s other numbers show his vulnerability, but at this point the governor remains ahead despite the anti-incumbency wave sweeping the country.”
The race is politically polarized, with independents, as usual, holding the key to victory.
Strickland leads among Democrats, 81-4 percent; Kasich leads among Republicans, 81-6 percent. Strickland’s 40-37 percent lead among independents is a virtual toss-up.
Other findings:
*Voters narrowly approve Stricklands, performance, 44-42 percent, down from 47-38 percent in April and 48-40 percent in March.
*28 percent view Kasich favorably, compared to 19 percent unfavorably and 52 percent unable to make a judgment.
*Among white, evangelical Christians, a key GOP-leaning group, Kasich’s favorability is 37-11 percent, with 52 percent saying they don’t know enough about him to have an opinion.
*39 percent say Kasich would do a better job rebuilding the state’s economy; 38 percent say Strickland would.
*41 percent say Kasich would do a better job handling the state budget; 37 percent say Strickland would.
The poll surveyed 1,107 registered voters from Tuesday, June 22 to Sunday, June 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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TweetUPDATED with governor, Lebanon Raceway reaction: Slots-at-the-tracks proposal pulled from November ballot
Backers of a proposal to let voters decide on whether to put video slot machines at Ohio’s seven racetracks on Monday, June 28, pulled the issue from the Nov. 2 ballot.
Gov. Ted Strickland still plans to seek a declaratory judgment on the constitutional question of whether the Ohio Lottery Commission has the authority to implement slots-at-the tracks without a vote of the people, Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
Keith Nixon Jr., whose family is co-owner of Lebanon Raceway in Warren County, said the decision to pull the issue from the ballot is good news if it will permit tracks to install the slots - also known asd VLTs or video lottery terminals.
“VLTs will save the (racing) industry,” said Nixon. “It will allow us to compete. Without them, racetracks will shut down.”
Nixon said the tracks will wait for the outcome of Strickland’s declaratory judgment request.
LetOhioVote.org., the group that successfully put the issue on the ballot, announced the decision in a letter to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Since the group - formed by three conservative activists - started the effort, there have been major changes, said the letter. Changes include voter approval of four casinos to be overseen by the Casino Control Commission.
Also, the Ohio Supreme Court has defended Ohioans’ referendum rights to put the issue on the ballot, former state Rep. Tom Brinkman, a Cincinnati-area Republican and one of the activists, said in a press release.
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TweetAdvocates to legislators: “Baby Come Back” to work in Columbus
With the help of a bullfrog and two videos, four advocacy groups on Monday, June 28, urged state legislators to cut short their vacations and come back to Columbus to tackle tough issues such as payday lending and redistricting reform.
The plea was set to the tune of the 1980s hit “Baby Come Back.”
“We are here, unfortunately, because the legislature is not. The legislature has not been able to get anything meaningful passed,” Brian Rothenberg, executive director of Progress Ohio, said at a Statehouse press conference.
Other groups represented were: Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics project; Common Cause Ohio and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.
Here’s one of the videos:
The advocates said that lawmakers, before leaving on June 4, approved legislation making the bullfrog the state frog, but failed to reach agreement on these serious issues:
*Putting a redistricting reform proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.
*Closing loopholes in payday lending regulation.
*Providing help for Ohioans facing foreclosure.
*Requiring disclosure for political contributions from corporations.
*Ending discrimination in housing and employment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Ohioans.
Neither the House nor the Senate jumped at the chance to return.
Maggie Ostrowski, spokeswoman for Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said in an e-mail that the “videos are very clever, but the fact is that the legislature doesn’t have to be in a voting session to be working on legislation.”
Ostrowski said the legislature did have major accomplishments before leaving for the summer, including legislation to provide tracks breaks for job-creating alternative-energy projects such as wind and solar generating facilities.
Keary McCarthy, spokesman for House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, provided this e-mail response:
“We, too, are disappointed that the legislative process was not completed on several bills that passed the House earlier this session. Our members have spent a tremendous amount of time working on ways to address these very serious issues and we would welcome an opportunity to pass many of these bills into law.”
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TweetVP Biden to campaign, raise bucks for Fisher
Vice President Joe Biden will campaign and hold a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, on Wednesday, June 30, in Cleveland, Fisher’s campaign announced on Thursday, June 24.
“We’re excited to have Vice President Biden’s support and to be able to work with him to create good-paying jobs in Ohio and rebuild our middle class,” Fisher said in a press release.
Fisher is running against Republican Rob Portman, a former U.S. House member from the Cincinnati area and top aide to President George W. Bush.
Portman’s campaign gave the news a cool reception.
“After sitting idly by while Ohio lost 400,000 jobs in the last three years, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher now welcomes to Ohio a key figure in Washington’s dangerous tax-and-spend agenda that is destroying the state’s chances for real economic recovery,” Jessica Towhey, Portman’s spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
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TweetDem Chairman Redfern files complaints against GOP Supreme Court candidates
Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern has filed complaints against two Republican Ohio Supreme Court justices on the Nov. 2 ballot - Maureen O’Connor and Judith Lanzinger -, Redfern announced on Thursday, June 24.
Redfern’s complaint follows a complaint that Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine filed earlier against Democratic Chief Justice Eric Brown.
Redfern’s complaints allege that the two Republicans violated a rule prohibiting political endorsements by judges. O’Connor is running for chief justice against Brown and Lanzinger is running for re-election against Democrat Mary Jane Trapp, a state appeals court judge.
Jason Mauk, executive director of the Ohio Republican Party, in an e-mail dismissed Redfern’s complaints as “a silly public relations stunt designed to create a distraction from the far more serious accusations facing the chief justice.”
All complaints were filed with the high court’s Disciplinary Counsel.
DeWine’s complaints alleged that Brown violated two sections of the Code of Judicial Conduct regarding fund-raising.
Before the complaint was filed, Don Spicer, Brown’s campaign consultant, said Brown did not violate judicial ethics because he was only encouraging attendance at a fundraiser, not directly asking for contributions.
Redfern’s letter quotes O’Connor at an Ashtabula County dinner in February as saying:
“We are not allowed, as members of the judiciary, to endorse one another or any other campaign, so I cannot tell you how much I would endorse Justice Lanzinger if I could.”
The letter quotes Lanzinger at a June 19 GOP event in Columbus as saying:
“We cannot endorse anyone…..But I can tell you that, you know, all of the Lanzingers are going to be voting for Maureen O’Connor. That’s all I can say about that.”
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TweetCleveland think tank proposes budget-balancing plan
The Center for Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based public policy research and advocacy group, on Thursday, June 24, unveiled a three-pronged plan for resolving Ohio’s looming budget crisis, including a potential $8 billion shortfall.
“Thinking the Unthinkable - Finding Common Ground for Resolving Ohio’s Fiscal Crisis” proposes to solve the problem with equal one-third shares of:
*New tax revenue
*Reductions in tax expenditures or tax breaks
*Spending reductions
Release of the report comes as a bipartisan six-member state legislative commission studying the looming budget crisis prepares to hold its first meeting on Tuesday, June 29 in Columbus.
John Begala, the group’s executive director and author of the study said in a press release that the report “seeks an analytical tone, and unapologetically strays into a call for moderation in addressing a fiscal crisis of the first order.”
Begala urged “the spirit of collaboration in common cause critical to overcoming the customarily contentious interest group politics in Columbus…to both pursue new ideas and make concessions from cherished programs and special benefits provided under current tax law.”
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TweetMike DeWine sets ice cream social for Sunday
Republican Mike DeWine, the former U.S. senator from Cedarville, and his wife Fran will hold the family’s annual ice cream social on Sunday, June 27, as DeWine campaigns for attorney general against Democratic incumbent Richard Cordray.
The ice cream social is at their home, 2587 Conley Road, from 1-5 p.m. and is open to the press and public, a press release said.
“When Mike first ran for (Greene County) Prosecutor, we tried to think of a campaign event where people could bring their children and families. We wanted to bring everyone together for a day of old-fashioned fun,” Fran DeWine said in a press release.
Other Republican candidates expected to attend include: state Sen. Jon Husted of Kettering, running for secretary of state; Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, running for state auditor and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Lanzinger, running for re-election.
DeWine and the other candidates are expected to speak at 3 p.m., the release said.
For more information, contact John Hall, 614-218-9759 or john@mikedewine.com, the release said.
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TweetKasich takes spokesman to “woodshed” over Strickland “chicken shack” comment
Republican John Kasich said on Wednesday, June 23, that he took campaign spokesman Rob Nichols “to the woodshed” over Nichols’ comment about Democratic governor Ted Strickland “having grown up in a chicken shack.”
“I just heard about it last night. I was not happy. I told Rob that. I more or less took him to the woodshed,” Kasich, who’s running against Strickland for governor, told reporters as he prepared to speak at an event in Columbus sponsored by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
Kasich referred to an apology that Nichols released earlier Wednesday.
Nichols’ original comment came in a prepared statement reacting to a speech on Tuesday by Yvette McGee Brown, Strickland’s lieutenant governor running mate, about their plans to help Ohio cities.
“Not until Ted Strickland feared needing their votes did he give urban Ohioans a second chance. Having grown up in a chicken shack on Duck Run, he has all but ignored our cities’ economies and their workers.”
As a boy Strickland lived briefly in a chicken coop after a fire at his family home on Duck Run in rural Scioto County.
Nichols’ comment drew sharp rebukes from Democrats who cast it as a slur against Appalachian and rural Ohio and was widely distributed on the Internet.
In his apology, Nichols said: ” I was using Governor Strickland’s own words but shouldn’t have and I apologize. When he says those things about himself it’s different than when others say them, and it could be viewed pejoratively. That certainly wasn’t intended.”
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TweetUPDATED- Kasich spokesman apologizes for “chicken shack” reference-Strickland’s “chicken shack” becomes gov race issue
Gov. Ted Strickland’s “chicken shack” appears to have become an issue in Strickland’s campaign for governor against Republican John Kasich. As a boy, Strickland lived briefly in a chicken coop after a fire at his family’s home in rural Scioto County.
“Not until Ted Strickland feared needing their votes did he give urban Ohioans a second thought,” Rob Nichols, Kasich’s campaign spokesman said in a press release on Tuesday, June 22.
“Having grown up in a chicken shack on Duck Run, he has all but ignored our cities’ economies and their workers. It’s a disgraceful record.”
On Wednesday, June 23, Nichols apologized in this email message:
“I was using Governor Strickland’s own words but shouldn’t have and I apologize. When he says those things about himself it’s different than when others say them, and it could be viewed pejoratively. That certainly wasn’t intended.”
Nichols Tuesday had commented after Yvette McGee Brown’s speech on how she and Gov. Ted Strickland would deal with the problems of Ohio cities if they win the Nov. 2 election.
McGee Brown is Strickland’s lieutenant governor running mate.
Lis Smith, Strickland’s campaign spokeswoman, took offense.
“Only the congressman from Wall Street would be so out of touch as to insult Ted’s humble upbringing,” Smith said in a press release.
“While Congressman Kasich may have spent a lot of time in boardrooms at Lehman Brothers and rubbing elbows with lobbyists at cocktail parties in Washington, Ohioans are looking for a Governor who will represent their values-and clearly that is not John Kasich.”
Chicken coop or chicken shack aside, the disagreement flared as the U.S. Census Bureau reported more shrinking problems for Ohio cities and others in the Rust Belt.
The national trends were not as pronounced in the Dayton area, the Census found.
Dayton lost an estimated 718 residents from 2008 to 2009, less than half of 1 percent. That was down from an estimated loss of 945 for 2008. Over the decade, though, the city has declined by almost 12,000, or 7.2 percent.
Click here to read more about the cities’ problems.
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TweetUPDATED: Ohio Dems mock Kasich for praising Nevada; Kasich campaign responds
The Ohio Democratic Party on Monday, June 21, launched a Web video mocking John Kasich, the Republican candidate for governor, for Kasich’s praise of Nevada and Nevada tax policies.
Nevada is one of seven states with no state personal income tax and Kasich has proposed phasing out Ohio’s personal income tax over time.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics last week reported that Nevada had the highest unemployment rate among the states for May, 14 percent. It was the first time Nevada had the highest rate among the states and the first time since April 2006 that a state other than Michigan ranked first in joblessness, according to the BLS.
Ohio’s May jobless rate was 10.7 percent, the 14th straight month of double digit unemployment.
Here’s the video:
Kasich campaign spokesman Rob Nichols fired back at the Democrats in an e-mail:
“Over the past 10 years, states without an income tax - including Nevada — saw their populations grow by millions, their average job growth outpace Ohio’s by more than 20 percentage points, and their overall economic outputs more than double Ohio’s.
“It’s a fact Ted Strickland and the Democrats can’t deny and a problem we can only fix by reducing government spending so we can lower taxes.”
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TweetBrunner launches “My Dream for Ohio”
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has launched a new Facebook page “My Dream for Ohio” Â to urge Ohioans to share their visions for the state’s future.
Brunner, who lost the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, announced the initiative on Monday, June 21, as one of four goals for the rest of her term as secretary of state which ends this year.
“There’s still more we can do before I turn over the reins of this office to a new secretary of state,” Brunner said in a press release.
“It has been my pleasure to share our journey, and I look forward to our final six months as we show the nation once again that Ohio’s reputation for innovation and moving forward is not just part of our heritage, but our future.”
The other goals are:
Increasing citizen participation in elections, focusing on under-represented groups such as youth, seniors who no longer live in their homes and communities of color.
Using information that her office has collected through its “Better Lives, Better Ohio” online statistical resource to develop a “Social Health Report Card” for the state.
Using secretary of state activities to help economic development, including connecting innovation with resources needed to create jobs.
Brunner announced the goals as she opened the three-day conference of county elections officials in Columbus.
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TweetYvette McGee Brown to offer “major” speech on urban issues
Yvette McGee Brown, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s lieutenant governor running mate, will deliver a “major campaign address” on issues facing Ohio’s urban areas on Tuesday, June 22, in Columbus, Strickland’s campaign announced on Monday, June 21.
McGee Brown’s speech will be at 11 a.m. in the Cardinal Health Ballroom, 769 E. Long St., the campaign said.
Her speech will follow by a few hours Strickland’s appearance in Dayton at a Tuesday campaign event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel sponsored by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Strickland is running for re-election against Republican John Kasich whose lieutenant governor running mate is Auditor Mary Taylor.
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TweetGOP Governors Association blasts Strickland in new TV ad
The Republican Governors Association on Monday, June 21, rolled out a new TV ad attacking incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and also unveiled a new Web site, www.TedFailedOhio.com, to highlight what the group called the “low lights” of Strickland’s first term.
The ad features two men in hard hats in a truck discussing job losses in Ohio during Strickland’s term as governor. Republican John Kasich is running against Strickland. It is the RGA’s second TV ad blasting Strickland.
Here’s the ad:
Jobs from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo.
“Ted Strickland rode a whole raft of grand promises into office four years ago,” Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for the Republican Governors Association, said in a press release.
“The reality is that he has broken so many of them. Far from being the economic dynamo he promised to be, he has overseen the loss of 400,000 jobs, rampant unemployment and massive budget shortfalls. Ted Strickland has been a painful disappointment to Ohioans.”
Lis Smith, Strickland’s campaign spokeswoman, responded to the ad in an e-mail:
“Like Congressman Kasich, the Republican Governors Association seems to have a short memory regarding how this global economic recession started.
“Ohioans understand that this recession didn’t start in Ohio, it started on Wall Street and in Washington, where Congressman Kasich supported unfair trade deals and trickle-down economic policies that helped him make a fortune at Lehman Brothers, but didn’t work out so well for Ohio companies and workers.”
The job loss charge in the ad is a little high; the most recent information from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the state has lost 383,000 jobs since Strickland took office in 2007
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TweetMorgan heads back to campaign trail - for Kasich
State Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, is headed back to the campaign trail to support Republican John Kasich’s campaign for governor.
Morgan, who lost the GOP primary for state auditor to Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, will join the Kasich campaign’s door-to-door grassroots efforts on Saturday, June 26 in Huber Heights, Morgan said on Monday, June 21.
“We will continue to advocate for issues and candidates,” Morgan said. “John Kasich is just one of those.”
Morgan said he will meet with others at 7135 Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights, office of dentist Dr. William Gioiello, and walk from about 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Mike Henne, the GOP candidate to succeed Morgan int he 36th House District, is expected to join the group, said Morgan. Henne is running against Democrat Carl D. Fisher Jr.
Kasich is running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.
As for his own future political plans, Morgan said he is considering several options which he declined to discuss - yet.
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TweetFix-the-budget commission finally announces meetings
Nearly a year after the passage of the current $50 billion, two-year-state budget, a special legislative commission that’s supposed to help solve a potential $8 billion hole in the next budget finally is getting around to meeting.
Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, and Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, - the co-chairs - on Friday, June 18, announced that the first meeting will be on June 29 and the commission will hear from the nonpartisan Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
The second meeting will be on July 7, with presentations from Gov. Ted Strickland’s Office of Budget and Management and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Additional meetings will be determined by Sykes and Jones, a press release said.Â
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TweetPresident Obama touts federal stimulus
President Barack Obama used the startup of a $15 million federal stimulus-funded road project in Columbus to kick off his administration’s six-week “Recovery Summer”.
The program is to tout the success of the $862 billion stimulus program in creating jobs and turning around the economy.
Outside on a sunny day against the backdrop of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a a giant flag hanging from a crane, Obama said the stimulus has created jobs, cut taxes and helped reverse the economic slide he inherited. But there’s more to be done, the president said.
“There are still too many people here in Ohio and across the country who can’t find work,” Obama said.
The road project, which is to provide better access to the hospital, is expected to create 325 construction jobs.
Ralph Jones, 47, one of the construction workers who met the president, praised Obama.
“He’s done pretty good,” said Jones.
However, U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, was among Republicans panning the Democratic president even before the event.
In a prepared statement, Boehner noted that Ohio’s May unemployment rate of 10.7 percent, reported Friday, marked the 14th straight month of double-digit joblessness.
“Again President Obama has come to Ohio and again he will tout a ‘stimulus’ that is failing to meet his promises by every reasonable standard,” Boehner said.
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TweetGov. Strickland urges President Obama to send space shuttle to Air Force museum
Gov. Ted Strickland on Friday, June 18, personally urged President Barack Obama to send one of the soon-to-be retired space shuttles to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Obama made no commitment but listened carefully as they rode from the Columbus airport to a groundbreaking ceremony for a $15 million road projected funded by the federal stimulus, Strickland said.
“He seemed to understand the arguments,” Strickland said.
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TweetColumbus event to kick off Obama’s “Recovery Summer”; Boehner responds
President Barack Obama’s appearance in Columbus on Friday, June 18, will kick off “Recovery Summer”, the Obama administration’s six-week campaign to highlight results of the $862 billion federal economic stimulus program.
In Columbus, Obama is set to participate in the groundbreaking for a $15 million street improvement project that is to improve access to Nationwide Children’s Hospital east of downtown. The project is supposed to generate 325 construction jobs.
It is the 10,000th federal stimulus road project to get started, the White House said. The program already has put about 2.5 million Americans to work, according to the White House.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and some Democratic members of Ohio’s U.S. House delegation are flying on Air Force One to Ohio with the president, the White House said.
Gov. Ted Strickland, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman also are to be at the Columbus event.
The event coincides with the release Friday of Ohio’s May unemployment rate of 10.7 percent, down from 10.9 percent in April but the 14th months of double-digit unemployment in the state.
U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, noted the state’s continuing high unemployment in a response to the Obama visit.
“As today’s jobs report shows, this will be no ‘recovery summer’ for the more than 100,000 Ohioans who have lost their jobs since the ‘stimulus’ was enacted,” Boehner said in a prepared statement.
“While any positive growth is encouraging, there appears to be no relief in sight for middle-class families and small businesses struggling as a result of Ohio’s painfully high unemployment rate,” he added.
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TweetFisher names new campaign manager; former head of “Equality Ohio”
Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has named Lynne Bowman, former executive director of Equality Ohio, the new campaign manager for his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Rob Portman.
Equality Ohio advocates for fair treatment and equal opportunity for lesbian , gay, bisexual and transgendered Ohioans.
Bowman has the experience and ability to get along with people of all political persuasions needed for the job, according to the campaign.
Bowman will be Fisher’s third campaign manager, replacing Jay Howser who will become a consultant. Howser took over in February for Geri Prado, the first campaign manager.
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TweetGOP Chairman DeWine files complaint against Chief Justice Brown
Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine has filed a complaint against Democratic Chief Justice Eric Brown of the Ohio Supreme Court, alleging that Brown violated two sections of the Code of Judicial Conduct regarding fund-raising.
The complaint was filed in a letter to the high court’s Disciplinary Counsel and relates to phone calls Brown made for a fundraiser at a Columbus nightclub last month..
DeWine, in the June 4 letter, said Brown violated a rule that says “a judicial candidate shall not personally solicit or receive campaign contributions” and a second that says a judicial candidate may not participate in a fundraiser that categorizes or identifies participants by the amounts they give.
Don Spicer, Browns’ campaign consultant, said such complaints are confidential until probable cause is found and declined comment.
However, in a previous Dayton Daily News story on the issue, Spicer told reporter Laura A. Bischoff that Brown did not violate judicial ethics because he was only encouraging attendance, not directly asking for contributions.
“There were people at the event who did not, in fact, contribute one penny. We were trying to build a crowd obviously. He was inviting people to the event, but not soliciting contributions,” Spicer said in the story. “I will say that apparently some people are misunderstanding that. We won’t be doing that in the future.”
In his complaint letter, DeWine said that Brown didn’t have to name a contribution amount because he was following up on an invitation that put the amount at $1,000.
“Any reasonable person who got such an invitation and then received a call as a ‘follow up’ would perceive this as a solicitation. And (the rule) says that it is unethical and a violation for a judicial candidate to make such a solicitation,” DeWine said in his complaint.
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TweetPresident Obama to speak at road project groundbreaking
President Barack Obama will use his visit to Columbus on Friday, June 18, to meet with workers and speak at the groundbreaking of a road project paid for with federal stimulus money, the White House announced on Wednesday, June 16.
It will be Obama’s eighth visit to Ohio since taking office as president and will come the same day as Ohio’s unemployment rate for May is released.
Obama’s fellow Democrats welcomed the president’s visit while Republicans scoffed.
“We are always happy to have President Obama in Ohio,” Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern said in an e-mail.
“He has fought side-by-side with our Democratic leaders to lay the path for Ohio’s recovery. Our Democratic leaders look forward to continuing to work with him to build an economy that works for all Ohio families.”
Jason Mauk, Ohio Republican Party executive director, in an e-mail had a different reaction:
“…. it’s great that we have all these new roads.
“Unfortunately, more than 650,000 Ohioans can’t use them to go to work because they don’t have jobs. Ohioans see these road projects every day, and they’ve become symbolic of the massive debt and failed economic policies of this administration.”
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TweetDayton Chamber to host Strickland, Kasich for guv race events
Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland and Republican challenger John Kasich are coming to Dayton for separate events in their race for governor.
The appearances are sponsored by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Strickland will be in Dayton on Tuesday, June 22 for a breakfast event; Kasich will appear on Thursday, July 1 at a luncheon.
Both events are at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 33 E. Fifth St. Attendance is open and without charge but advance registration is required.
Registration deadline for the June 22 event is noon, June 21. The breakfast is at 7:15 a.m. followed by the program from 8-9 a.m.
Registration deadline for the July 1 event is noon, June 30. The luncheon is at 11:30 a.m., followed by the program from noon-1 p.m.
To register, call Stephanie Precht, 937-226-8277 or e-mail to sprecht@dacc.org.
“Both of these gentlemen if elected, will have an impact on the Dayton-area business community and we want to provide an opportunity for Dayton-area businesses to interact with them prior to the November election,” Chris Kershner, the chamber’s vice president for public policy and economic development, said on Tuesday, June 15.
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TweetPresident Obama coming to Columbus on Friday
President Barack Obama is coming to Columbus on Friday, June 18, the White House announced on Tuesday, June 15.
Details of the event are to be announced later. It will be Obama’s eighth trip to Ohio since taking office, according to Ohio Democratic Party records. The president so far has not visited the Dayton area.
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TweetStrickland maintains $2M campaign cash edge over Kasich
Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland continues to have a campaign cash edge of about $2 million over his Republican challenger John Kasich, according to post-primary campaign finance reports filed on Friday, June 11.
Strickland had nearly $7.7 million in cash on hand through June 4, while Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, had about $5.7 million.
Strickland raised slightly more during the reporting period - April 15 to June 4 - than Kasich, $1.31 million to about $1.28 million.
Strickland also had an edge of about $2 million over Kasich when the pre-primary reports were filed on April 22.
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TweetFisher launches web ad to counter Portman TV ad
Democrat Lee Fisher has launched a web ad in an effort to counter the TV ad that Republican Rob Portman unveiled on Thursday, June 10, in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race.
Fisher, the lieutenant governor, uses the ad to criticize Portman’s views on trade and to try to link Portman to former President George W. Bush. Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member, was U.S. trade representative under Bush.
The ad says Portman “backed deals that shipped tens of thousands of Ohio jobs overseas”, the U.S. trade deficit with China grew and corporations that exported jobs got tax breaks.
“Washington insider Rob Portman. He’s not what Ohio needs,” the ad says.
Click here to see the ad.
Jessica Towhey, Portman’s spokeswoman, responded in an e-mail:
“All Ohioans need to know about Lt. Gov. Fisher is in this ad: no vision for Ohio’s future and nothing more to offer than the same failed policies that led to the loss of 400,000 jobs in the last three years.”
“In startling contrast, Rob Portman boldly takes on Ohio’s challenges with a positive plan to get our economy going again.”
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TweetHusted says he has $2.2M on hand for Sec of State race
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, is entering the general election campaign for secretary of state with $2.2 million in his campaign treasury, his campaign said on Thursday, June 10.
Husted has raised more than $500,000 in less than two months and the post-primary campaign finance report he will file on Friday will show the $2.2 million on hand, the campaign said
“The momentum of our primary victory generated even more interest and support for our campaign,” Husted said in a press release. “With our fund raising success and grassroots support, we will get our winning message of reform and renewal out across Ohio.”
Husted faces Democrat Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, Franklin County Clerk of Courts, in the Nov. 2 general election.
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TweetStrickland signs casino bill; rips tax deduction provision
Gov. Ted Strickland on Thursday, June 10, signed House Bill 519, legislation establishing rules for Ohio’s four new casinos.
Strickland made clear he doesn’t like a provision in the new law creating an income tax deduction for gambling losses.
“…I am disappointed that this bill also creates a new income tax deduction for gambling losses on bets placed at casinos, horse races, bingo halls and other forums, both in state and out of state,” he said in a press release.
“This new tax deduction represents a policy shift for the state of Ohio, which has never before used its income tax laws to subsidize losses incurred from gambling. The Ohio Department of Taxation estimates that this tax deduction will reduce the state budget by $60 million to $80 million per budget cycle starting in fiscal year 2014.”
The governor may have been getting a little ahead of himself, however, with his pledge to try to remedy the situation.
“I will be working diligently to reverse this fiscally irresponsible and misguided decision in budget discussions next year,” he said.
To get to the budget talks, Strickland first must win re-election on Nov. 2 against Republican challenger John Kasich.
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TweetKasich wants to “Fix Ohio Now”
John Kasich, the Republican candidate for governor, on Thursday, June 10, announced a new Web site, FixOhioNow.com, to get ideas from voters on how to “get Ohio back on track.”
Here’s a video with Kasich discussing the effort.
In a press release, Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, said incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s bad decisions have hurt Ohio and proposes reducing taxes and government regulations.
“I want to hear what Ohioans have to say about these ideas, as well as any others they may have,” said Kasich. “We’re all in this together, however, so it’s going to take the combined effort of everyone to get us going again.”
Strickland campaign spokeswoman Allison Kolodziej responded in an e-mail:
“As governor, Ted has already done what Congressman Kasich only talks about — reduced the size of state government, overseen tax cuts, and made Ohio a better place to do business.”
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TweetPortman launches “jobs” TV ad
Rob Portman, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, on Thursday, June 10, unveiled a new TV ad touting his commitment to job creation. The ad is to run across the state, including in the Dayton area.
Here’s the ad:
Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and top aide to President George W. Bush, is running against Democrat Lee Fisher, the lieutenant governor.
The ad describes Portman’s proposal to redirect federal stimulus dollars and to suspend for one year the payroll tax to help both small businesses and workers.
In an e-mail, John Collins, Fisher’s spokesman, responded to the ad:
“Congressman Portman spent 20 years in Washington supporting failed trade policies that sent Ohio jobs overseas. If Ohio voters want to see the jobs Congressman Portman created after decades in Washington, they will have to go to Mexico, India, and China.”
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TweetDem video blasts Kasich Wall St. ties; Kasich campaign fires back
The Ohio Democratic Party on Wednesday, June 9, unveiled a new web video that attempts to contrast Republican John Kasich’s past willingness to discuss his Wall Street connections with Kasich’s tendency to downplay those connections in his campaign for governor against Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland.
“Congressman Kasich, you can’t have it both ways,” Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern said in a press release,
Kasich campaign spokesman Rob Nichols fired back in an e-mail, saying “Strickland’s failures and incompetency have left him with no political option but to try to smear John Kasich.”
Here’s “Two Years”, the video:
Kasich, a former U.S. House member from suburban Columbus, worked as a managing director for Lehman Brothers after leaving Congress in 2000.
Redfern said that the video shows Kasich described his work at Lehman Brothers differently before the firm’s collapse in 2008 than he has during the campaign for governor when he has said he worked out of a two-man office in Columbus.
“You can’t run on your business experience and then run on your claim that you played no role at that business,” Redfern said.
Nichols said that recent polls - a Rasmussen Reports poll showed Kasich leading Strickland - showed that “Ted Strickland’s negative attacks are backfiring and actually making him less popular.”
Kasich and state Auditor Mary Taylor, the Republican lieutenant governor candidate, “are focused on talking with voters about how to revive Ohio’s economy and create jobs because that’s the essential work that must be done to bring Ohio back.”
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TweetNew poll: Kasich edges Strickland; Senate race “dead heat”
Republican challenger John Kasich leads Democratic incumbent Gov. Ted Strickland, 47-42 percent among likely voters in a Rasmussen Reports poll released on Monday, June 7.
A Rasmussen Reports poll also shows a dead heat in U.S. Senate race between Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Republican Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and top aide to President George W. Bush. Each candidate has 43 percent support.
In the governor’s race, Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, regained a slight lead after April and May results that showed the candidates essentially even. Before that Kasich led.
The results come after an Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, released on May 28, showed Strickland leading Kasich, 49-44 percent, and Fisher edging Portman, 47-46 percent.
Other findings in the Rasmussen Reports poll:
*55 percent somewhat (25 percent) or strongly disapprove (30 percent) of Strickland’s job as governor while 43 percent strongly approve (13 percent) or somewhat approve (30 percent) Strickland’s performance,
*58 percent would favor an Arizona-type immigration law for Ohio.
*50 percent somewhat disapprove (8 percent) or strongly disapprove (42 percent) President Barack Obama’s performance while 49 percent strongly approve (34 percent) or somewhat approve (15 percent) the president’s performance.
Both polls were taken on Thursday, June 3, with 500 likely voters and have margins of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
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TweetIn chief justice race - O’Connor “highly recommended”, Brown “recommended”
The Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates on Monday, June 7, released ratings for candidates in two state Supreme Court races on the Nov. 2 ballot.
In the race for Chief Justice, Republican Maureen O’Connor, currently a Supreme Court justice, was “highly recommended” while Democratic Chief Justice Eric Brown, appointed to the post by Gov. Ted Strickland, was “recommended.”
In the second race, incumbent Republican Justice Judith Lanzinger and her Democratic challenger, Mary Jane Trapp, a judge on the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals in Warren, both were “highly recommended.”
The commission did not issue a rating in the third Supreme Court race in which incumbent Republican Paul Pfeifer is unopposed.
To win a superior “highly recommended” rating, a candidate had to receive favorable votes from at least 75 percent of commission members. To receive a “recommended” rating, a candidate had to receive favorable votes from at least 65 percent of commission members.
Brown, a former Franklin County Probate Court judge, is the only Democrat on the seven-member court. He was appointed by Strickland after the death of Republican Chief Justice Thomas Moyer in April.
The 25-member commission evaluated the candidates on eight non-political criteria - legal knowledge and ability; professional experience; judicial competence; integrity; diligence; health; personal responsibility and public/community service, a press release said.
The process makes it possible for two or more candidates to receive the same rating, the release said.
Cleveland attorney Robert F. Ware chaired the committee. There also were members from the OSBA’s 18 geographic districts and six at-large members, the release said.
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TweetStrickland spares killer’s life
Gov. Ted Strickland decided to commute the death sentence for inmate Richard Nields to life in prison without parole.
Strickland made the announcement Friday, June 4, six days before Nields was scheduled to die by lethal injection.
The Ohio Parole Board recommended in May that Nields be granted a commutation to life in prison without parole. The board cited medical testimony at Nields’ trial that was later called into question, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeiffer’s dissenting opinion when the court upheld Nields’ conviction, and concerns expressed by judges on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Strickland said he reviewed that material and more and decided to concur with the Parole Board.
Nields, now 60, was convicted in the March 1997 aggravated murder and robbery of Patricia Newsome in Springfield Twp., in Hamilton County.
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TweetHouse, Senate appear to agree on “green energy” tax breaks
House and Senate negotiators on Thursday, June 3, appeared to reach agreement on tax incentives aimed at attracting renewable energy projects such as wind farms and the jobs that come along with them to Ohio.
The House Ways and Means Committee voted 12-5 on a modified version of Senate Bill 232, sponsored by Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield, and approved last month by the Senate.
The full House and Senate were expected to approve the new version later Thursday and send it to Gov. Ted Strickland who is poised to sign the bill, said Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman.
“It’s a good jobs bill,” said Wurst.
Under the legislation, companies that qualify would pay annual fees based on how much energy their projects generate instead of property taxes, both real and tangible.
Widener said the legislation could produce as many as 1,000 jobs.
Revenue from the taxes goes to school districts and local governments and a coalition representing these groups objected to the bill.
One wind project is pending in Champaign County.
Widener and other backers say tax incentives are needed to help Ohio catch up with other states in attracting renewable energy projects. The fees in the bill are comparable to fees in neighboring states, said Widener.
Ohio now is last in the Midwest in the amount of renewable energy capacity the state has and in renewable energy facilities, Widener said. Also, the energy bill passed in 2008 requires that 12.5 percent of Ohio’s electric energy must be generated from renewable sources by 2025.
Ohio’s current effective tax rate for renewable energy technologies is up to eight times higher than neighboring states competing for the same projects, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
County approval would be required for companies to receive the tax breaks and counties could increase the per megawatt fee up to $9,000. Otherwise, the top per megawatt fee would be $8,000.
Highlights of the bill:
*It would apply to solar, hydroelectric, biomass, solid waste (noncombustive), biological methane, wood by-product, wind, geothermal and fuel cell alternative energy projects.
*It also would apply to clean coal, nuclear and cogeneration alternative energy projects.
*Solar projects would pay $7,000 per megawatt.
*All other projects would pay these fees based on percentage of full time employees from Ohio in construction and installation jobs: 75 percent, $6,000 per megawatt; 60-74 percent, $7,000 per megawatt and 50-59 percent, $8,000 per megawatt.
*For solar projects, at least 80 percent of construction and installation employees would have to be from Ohio; for other projects, at least 50 percent of the employees would have to come from the state.
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TweetHouse passes bill aimed at highlighting Kasich’s wealth
The already heated campaign for governor erupted on the House floor on Thursday, June 3, as Democrats pushed through a bill aimed at highlighting the wealth of Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich.
The vote in the Democratic-controlled House was 54-42. The Republican-controlled Senate appears unlikely to follow up, at least right away.
“It’s not something we’re taking up this week,” said Maggie Ostrowski, spokeswoman for Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland.
House Bill 504, patterned after a Florida law, would require a candidate for statewide nonjudicial office to file a financial disclosure statement identifying the candidate’s net worth, assets and liabilities in excess of $1,000.
Also, it would require that the statement be accompanied by the candidate’s most recent four federal tax returns or a sworn statement identifying all sources of income in excess of $1,000 for the past four years.
Rep. Mike Foley, D-Cleveland, a joint sponsor, said the bill was aimed at promoting transparency and helping voters know more about candidates. He and Rep. Bob Hagan, D-Youngstown, the other joint sponsor, made clear, however, that they had Kasich, a former U.S. House member from suburban Columbus, in mind.
Foley said one candidate for governor had worked for Lehman Brothers and made a $500,000 bonus.”
“It sure make it easy for me and Rep. Hagan to bring this forward,” said Foley.
Hagan asked “why is it that corporate America, including those working at Lehman Brothers, they use this money of ours as if it’s a Monopoly game?”
Rep. Dean Stebelton, R-Lancaster, called the legislation a “new low” for the Ohio House.
Rep. Robert Mecklenborg, a Hamilton County Republican, said the legislation would have a “chilling effect” that would keep people in the private sector from seeking office.
Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, said it showed that the sponsors don’t understand how the private sector works. Morgan said it it applied to statewide candidates, it also should apply to legislators.
Kasich in April permitted a handful of reporters to examine but not photocopy a summary of his 2008 federal income tax return. The information showed Kasich received a $432,000 bonus from Lehman Brothers in January 2008 for work done in 2007. It also showed that he and his wife Karen had taxable income of more than $1.1 million in 2008.
Rob Nichols, Kasich’s campaign spokesman, has said in an email that Kasich and his wife Karen already have disclosed more financial information than required by law.
“I doubt, however, that the 386,000 Ohioans who lost their jobs on Ted Strickland’s watch believe that this is the most pressing issue they face right now,” Nichols said.
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TweetTelecom bill clears House
Ohio lawmakers pushed through a bill to overhaul how telephone companies are regulated, despite opposition from consumer groups who say it’ll wipe out consumer protections and bring higher monthly bills.
The Ohio House voted 98-0 on Thursday, June 3, in favor of the bill, which is supported by the Ohio Telecommunications Association and the Communications Workers of America.
Landline customers with bundled services will no longer have protections, such as an automatic month of credit if their phone is out for more than 72 hours or guarantee that their service will be reconnected within 24 hours of paying a bill, said Marty Berkowitz, spokesman for the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
The bill also allows phone companies to hike basic service fees by up to $15 a year, he said.
The telecom industry pushed the bill as a much-needed modernization of regulations now that more and more Ohioans get their telephone service through wireless companies or cable TV providers.
In 2001, there were 7 million landline and 4.7 million wireless telephone lines. By 2008, landlines had dropped to 4.5 million, while wireless climbed to 9.1 million.
The bill goes back to the Ohio Senate for agreement on changes made by the House.
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TweetSenate votes to abolish inmate work program at Governor’s residence
The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday, June 2, voted to abolish the inmate work program at the Governor’s residence.
The program was at the center of a controversy that resulted in the Senate refusing to confirm Cathy Collins-Taylor as director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Senate Bill 260, sponsored by Sen. David Goodman, R-New Albany, now goes to the Democratic-controlled House where speedy action is considered unlikely.
After refusing to confirm Collins-Taylor last week, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed Tom Stickrath, Strickland’s new appointee at Public Safety.
Strickland already has suspended the inmate work program after learning last week of inmates consuming alcohol while in the program.
Goodman’s bill also is aimed at making sure “that the State Highway Patrol can conduct criminal investigations without needing clearance from the Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), the Governor or their legal counsels,” a press release from his office said.
“This legislation started out with the simple goal of ensuring the safety of the residents of Bexley, the first family, residence employees, DRC employees and inmates,” Goodman said in the release. “However, as more information about the lack of oversight for the program became available and in light of the events of last week involving inmates consuming alcohol, I believe the most responsible step we can take is to end this program.”
The governor’s residence is located in suburban Bexley in Goodman’s Senate district.
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TweetCourt strikes down part of sex offender law
The Ohio Supreme Court struck down parts of a new, more restrictive sex offender registration law, saying parts of the Adam Walsh Act violate the separation-of-powers doctrine in the Ohio Constitution.
The court released its decision on Thursday, June 2.
In 2007, lawmakers repealed “Megan’s Law” and replaced it with the more restrictive Adam Walsh Act which imposed more restrictive registration and community notification requirements for sex offenders. The Adam Walsh law required the state attorney general to reclassify all sex offenders who had been previously classified under Megan’s Law.
Three offenders received notice from the attorney general’s office in November 2007 announcing that they would face stricter registration and notification rules than what they were given by judges under Megan’s Law. They filed lawsuits on constitutional grounds in the Sixth District Court of Appeals, which consolidated their cases into one.
In a 5-1 opinion, the Supreme Court said that the Adam Walsh Act’s provisions that tell the executive branch to re-do sex offender classifications established by the judicial branch was unconstitutional.
“The reclassification scheme vests the executive branch with authority to review judicial decisions, and it interfers with the judicial power by requiring the reopening of final judgments. It is well settled that a legislature cannot enact laws that revisit a final judgment,” wrote Justice Maureen O’Connor in the majority opinion.
Ohio has 19,364 registered sex offenders.
The court decision leaves in place the Adam Walsh registration and notification requirements for offenders classified on or after Jan. 1, 2008. It also reinstates the requirements imposed by judges in prior cases.
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TweetAG Cordray, Frances Strickland, Chief Justice Brown to headline Dayton campaign kickoff for Dems
Attorney General Richard Cordray, Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland and Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Brown will headline a campaign 2010 kickoff for Ohio Democrats in Dayton at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 5.
The event at Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters, 131 S. Wilkinson St., is expected to attract local Democratic officials and candidates and is open to Democratic supporters and volunteers, said Seth Bringman, Ohio Democratic Party spokesman.
It is one of 31 kickoff events being held across the state, said Bringman. One is also planned for Springfield, he said.
After the headliners speak, local volunteers will campaign door-to-door. In conjunction with the kickoff events, 150 voter canvasses will be held, said Bringman.
Cordray and Mrs. Strickland will give local volunteers an “inside look” at the 2010 campaign while Brown will discuss “why judicial races are critical,” a press release said.
Brown was appointed chief justice by Gov. Ted Strickland after the death of Republican Chief Justice Thomas Moyer in April.
Brown faces Republican Justice Maureen O’Connor on the November ballot while Cordray is being challenged by former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville.
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TweetSenate confirms Stickrath as Public Safety Director
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday, June 2, confirmed Gov. Ted Strickland’s appointment of Tom Stickrath, 55, as director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Stickrath was confirmed along with a number of other Strickland appointments by a 31-0 vote.
Stickrath replaces Cathy Collins-Taylor whose appointment as public safety director was rejected by the Senate, 18-15, last week. Stickrath had been director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
The Senate rejected Collins-Taylor’s appointment in the wake of her role in a controversy surrounding a canceled contraband sting operation at the governor’s residence in suburban Columbus. The sting involved an effort to intercept contraband to be delivered to an inmate at the residence.
Stickrath’s salary is $128,544, the governor’s office said earlier.
The Senate on Wednesday also was to consider legislation ending the inmate work program at the governor’s residence.
Strickland already has suspended the inmate work program after learning last week of inmates consuming alcohol while in the program.
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TweetHouse committee targets Kasich’s finances with disclosure bill
By a 7-4 party-line vote, the House Elections and Ethics Committee on Tuesday, June 1, approved financial disclosure legislation aimed at highlighting the wealth of Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich.
The Democratic-controlled House is expected to vote on House Bill 504 on Wednesday or Thursday, said Rep. Mike Foley, D-Cleveland, the sponsor.
The bill, backed by committee Democrats and opposed by Republicans, would require a candidate for statewide office to file a financial disclosure statement identifying the candidate’s net worth, assets and liabilities in excess of $1,000.
Also, it would require that the statement be accompanied by the candidate’s most recent four federal tax returns or a sworn statement identifying all sources of income in excess of $1,000 for the past four years.
The bill, patterned after a Florida law, is aimed at increasing transparency, said Foley but he added:
“We’re obviously taking advantage of a personal circumstance of one candidate for governor.” Foley then mentioned income that Kasich had received from Lehman Brothers, where Kasich had worked as a managing director.
Rep. David Daniels, R-Greenfield, called the bill “political gamesmanship.”
Kasich in April permitted a handful of reporters to examine but not photocopy a summary of his 2008 federal income tax return. The information showed Kasich received a $432,000 bonus from Lehman Brothers in January 2008 for work done in 2007. It also showed that he and his wife Karen had taxable income of more than $1.1 million in 2008.
Kasich is running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland who recently released his federal income tax returns for 2006-2009. The returns showed that he and his wife Frances had total income of $166,321 in 2009, most form his $142,356 salary as governor, and $116,783 in taxable income after deductions and exemptions.
Rob Nichols, Kasich’s campaign spokesman, released this statement:
“John and Karen have already released more information than required by the law so they are clearly comfortable with greater transparency and, of course, with whatever the General Assembly decides.
“I doubt, however, that the 386,000 Ohioans who lost their jobs on Ted Strickland’s watch believe that this is the most pressing issue they face right now.”
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TweetSenate committee OKs public safety director; wants to end inmate work program
The Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday, June 1, gave its OK to Gov. Ted Strickland’s appointment of Tom Stickrath, 55, as director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
The approval for Stickrath paves the way for a vote by the full Senate.
The committee also approved legislation to end a program that permits prison inmates to work at the governor’s residence.
Stickrath replaces Cathy Collins-Taylor whose appointment as public safety diretor was rejected by the Ohio Senate, 18-15, last week. Stickrath had been director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
The Senate rejected Collins-Taylor’s appointment in the wake of her role in a controversy surrounding a canceled contraband sting operation at the governor’s residence in suburban Columbus. The sting involved an effort to intercept contraband to be delivered to an inmate at the residence.
Stickrath’s salary is $128,544, the governor’s office said earlier.
Strickland already has suspended the inmate work program after after learning last week of inmates consuming alcohol while in the program.
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TweetPortman names county leaders for Senate campaign
Republican U.S. Senate candidate on Tuesday, June 1, announced county leaders for his campaign. The group includes 135 chairs and co-chairs from all 88 counties.
In Montgomery County, county GOP Central Committee Co-Chair Greg Hanahan and Sandra Basington, executive and political director of the county GOP, will be the leaders in Portman’s campaign against his Democratic opponent Lee Fisher, the lieutenant governor.
In a press release, Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and top aide to President George W. Bush, said the county chairs “will be a critical part of the team as we discuss our pro-growth, pro-job message with all Ohioans.”
Other leaders from the Dayton-area are:
*Butler County
Recorder Danny Crank
Michael McNamara
*Clark County
Ashley Knowlton
State Sen. Chris Widener
*Champaign County
John Steinberger
*Darke County
Barbara Martin
State Rep. Jim Zehringer
*Greene County
Grace Ramos
County Commissioner Marilyn Reid
*Miami County
Troy City Councilman Jarrod Harrah
County Prosecutor Gary Nasal
*Preble County
Gene Lindley
*Warren County
County Commissioner Pat South
County Commissioner Dave Young
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TweetAmerican voters want Arizona-type immigration law in their states
Nearly 50 percent of American registered voters want their states to pass immigration laws similar to the one in Arizona that has stirred national debate, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, June 1.
In the poll, 48 percent of voters said they want their states to pass such a law while 35 percent were opposed.
Also, by an overwhelming 76-12 percent margin, voters said that plans by those who oppose the law to boycott Arizona was a bad idea.
The desire for the law comes despite a 45-40 percent belief by voters that it would lead to discrimination against Hispanics.
Other findings about the Arizona law:
*Voters approved it, 51-31 percent.
*By a 45-36 percent spread voters said it would reduce illegal immigration.
*Voters said 66-26 percent that immigration reform should move in the direction of stricter enforcement rather than integrating immigrants into American society.
In Ohio, state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones have said they are launching an effort to put a proposal on the 2011 ballot to give voters a chance to approve an Arizona-type law.
In Arizona, state and local law enforcement officers are required to determine the immigration status of a person during any legitimate contact such as a traffic stop “if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the U.S.”
“The strong plurality who says they would like a similar law in their own state probably portends the law will be an issue in many, many campaigns this November across the country,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“Depending on how those elections and court challenges come out, copy cat Arizona laws could be a hot issue in state capitals after November.”
From May 19-24, the poll interviewed 1,914 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
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