American Idol 2012 finale
News hounds (5/24/12)
Fenwick vs. Felicity
Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > December > 02
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Obama, Jesus tied in write-in votes
Hillary Clinton and Ron Paul received the most write-in votes on Butler County voting machines on Nov. 4, according to Board of Elections records.
They received 57 and 41 votes, respectively, both securing landslide victories over Mickey Mouse.
Tied for third was Barack Obama and Jesus, with six votes each.
Of the 282 write-in votes for president, only the six for independent candidate Alan Keyes — who fielded a legitimate write-in campaign — were valid.
Other votes went to fictional characters, real politicians who weren’t running and several celebrities and sports stars.
Here is the complete list of write-in votes on touchscreen machines:
Click on the top right corner to enlarge. Do you know any of these people?
The analysis:
Election officials said several voters both voted normally and wrote out the name of legitimate candidates. In these cases, each voter got one vote.
“All those had to be remade because our scanner wouldn’t take them like that,” said Deputy Board of Electiosn Director Lynn Kinkaid.
An analysis of the 168 votes rendered on machines — the county doesn’t track invalid votes on paper ballot — found many wrote in the name of someone who wasn’t running, such as “George W. Bush” and “Gandi”.
Some of these may have been in protest, such as votes for Clinton, Paul or Mike Huckabee. Or more dramatic protest: “N/A”, “No one” and “None of the above”.
Misspellings were common. Clinton’s name was spelled 16 different ways.
Still others vote for fictional characters, such as Batman and Bozo the clown. Mickey Mouse received only two votes, tying him with John Edwards and Sarah Palin.
Celebrities and sports stars won some political support, including Martin Sheen, Stephen Colbert, Pete Rose, Tiger Woods, Mike Ditka and Brett Favre.
Though election officials say a write-in vote must include both the candidate for president and vice-president, few people did this. Those that did, decided to build their own ticket: Palin’s name was written in with both Clinton’s and Obama’s. Clinton was also paired with Jesse Ventura.
But the most unusual ticket was a write in that said, “JESUSRONPAUL.” The voter didn’t specify which he or she wanted at the top of the ticket.
The self vote
Jonah Haberstroh also received one vote.
“I just wasn’t in love with either of the two candidates so I figured instead of throwing my vote away on an independent that wasn’t going to get in, I threw it away on myself,” said Haberstroh, 26, of West Chester Twp.
Haberstroh said he only went to the ballot to vote on statewide issues; specifically, the payday lending measure, because he works in that industry.
“Pretty much everything I voted for went the other way,” he said. “I couldn’t even get my wife to vote for me.”
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Board of Elections
EPA loans county $3.2 million for Blue Max problem
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is loaning Butler County $3.2 million to replace sub-par underground water pipes, the agency announced Tuesday, Dec. 2.
The polybutylene pipes have been a soggy thorn in the county’s side since developers installed them between 1988 and 1996 in Fairfield, Liberty and West Chester townships.
They were supposed to last until 2040, but roughly 700 of them break or fail every year, according to Bob Leventry, deputy director of Butler County Water and Sewer Department.
The county sued Shell Oil, which developed the pipe material under the brand Blue Max, and settled in 2005 for $10.45 million. Local leaders called the settlement one of the largest of its kind, according to JournalNews archives.
But there were more than 14,000 water main connections using Blue Max, and they cost roughly $2,000 each to replace, Leventry said. The county budgets $1.5 million every year to replace failing pipes and there are roughly 7,000 left.
“We plan on having most of them replaced in 7-10 years,” Leventry said.
This is where the Ohio EPA loan comes in. For two years, it will cover the cost of replacing these pipes with copper.
With an interest rate of 3.52 percent, it will save the county roughly $798,000 compared to market rates, according to Ohio EPA Spokeswoman Heather Lauer.
The money is available through the Ohio EPA’s Water Supply Revolving Loan Account because dysfunctional water pipes are an environmental concern.
“If they can’t get drinking water because the pipes are rupturing or collapsing, that’s a problem,” Lauer said.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Water and wastewater
Cates fights for funding fix for fast-growing schools
See the press release below from Ohio Sen. Gary Cates, R-Butler County. Do you think these are needed measures?
The release:
COLUMBUS—State Senator Gary Cates (R-Butler County) today gave sponsor testimony on two important bills designed to address major challenges facing school districts in Butler County and across the state.
In the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee this afternoon, Sen. Cates urged his colleagues to support Senate Bill 363, legislation that would help ease the financial impact on fast-growing school districts like Lakota in Butler County, which is one of 19 districts across the state that see growth of 100 or more students per year.
Currently, the state school funding formula does not account for this jump in enrollment, so districts must scramble to find funds to pay for these extra students. SB 363 would help alleviate this funding gap by paying school districts, which experience growth of more than 100 students in a year, an additional transitional aid amount in fiscal year 2009.
“Since passage of the last budget bill, I have heard from students, parents, teachers, administrators and other concerned residents from across Ohio, asking the state to solve this funding dilemma and provide our schools with the funds they need,” said Cates. “While there are several areas of the state’s school funding system that could be improved, SB 363 is an important part of this effort that will ease the financial burden on Ohio’s fast-growing districts and allow these schools and communities to enjoy continued success.”
Sen. Cates also gave sponsor testimony in the Senate Education Committee on Senate Bill 360, a proposal which works to modify the state’s performance rating system for school districts and buildings.
Cates explained that in the past year, several high-performing schools that were previously rated “Excellent” have seen their state ratings drop to “Continuous Improvement,” because they failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards for certain subgroups of students. SB 360 would revise these standards by preventing a school district or building from dropping by more than one classification based solely on AYP requirements.
Specifically, a district or building would be declared “Excellent” if it meets at least 94 percent of the applicable state performance indicators or has a performance index score established by the Ohio Department of Education. However, if two or more of the same subgroups do not make adequate yearly progress for three or more years, the school would be declared “Effective.” If a district or building meets at least 75 percent of the state performance marks, it would be rated “Effective” unless two or more of the same subgroups do not make adequate yearly progress for three or more years. Then, the school’s rating would drop to “Continuous Improvement.”
“The state’s current rating system does not accurately reflect the overall performance of our school districts, threatening to cloud the reputation of traditionally high-performing schools,” said Cates. “SB 360 would create a system that provides more accurate information about the performance of our schools, while still holding districts and buildings accountable for the yearly progress of each student.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Statewide issues
NRCC blasts Driehaus for ties to Rangel
See press release below from the National Republican Congressional Committee. I put in several calls to Driehaus’ office, but none were returned.
Here’s a primer on the many allegations facing Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. And here is the latest.
I checked with the Federal Elections Commission, and it appears Rangel indeed gave thousands of dollars to Driehaus’ campaign. Though it was a tiny fraction of the $1.2 million total war chest.
Driehaus, whose district includes Morgan, Reily, Hanover and Ross townships, unseated incumbent Republican Steve Chabot with a slim majority, and lost Butler County by a landslide.
Do you think Driehaus should give back the money? Do you think he has been “conspicuously silent,” as Republican allege?
The GOP release:
Driehaus Backer Caught Making Sweetheart Deals
Will Steve Driehaus Condemn His Benefactor or Keep Taking His Dirty Money?
Washington - It’s no secret that Steve Driehaus’ recent bid for a seat in Congress was bankrolled by the ethically tarnished New York Congressman Charlie Rangel. And now, Driehaus’ financier is in even more hot water - Rangel has been called upon to step down from his position as House Ways and Means Chair by yet another major editorial board for his appalling disregard of the most basic ethical standards.
The Washington Post takes Rangel to task for a possible quid pro quo deal with a major donor:
“[The] latest revelation of Mr. Rangel’s ethical tin ear is the most galling yet. While he remains innocent until proven otherwise, he should step aside as chairman while the ethics committee expands its inquiry.
“The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Mr. Rangel helped preserve a valuable tax loophole for an oil and gas drilling company while the company’s chief executive, Eugene M. Isenberg, was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York. Mr. Rangel insists that the mutual favors were entirely coincidental. And quite a coincidence it seems to have been. On Feb. 12, 2007, the Times reported, the day the tax legislation was being considered in his committee, Mr. Rangel met in New York City with Mr. Isenberg to discuss the businessman’s support of the Rangel School. Then Mr. Isenberg escorted Mr. Rangel across the room to his lobbyist, Kenneth J. Kies, who wanted to make sure Mr. Rangel would not close the loophole.” (Washington Post, 11/29/08)
The New York Post joined in by once again calling on its corrupt home town Congressman to give up his gavel and remove himself as the House’s chief tax legislation writer:
“Speaker Pelosi has all but ruled out relieving Rangel of his chairmanship, pending the Ethics Committee probe.
“Rangel’s ‘fear’ of that panel was illustrated by how quickly he reported himself: He knows it’s rare for members to get much more than a slap on the wrist.
“Bolder Democrats on the Ways & Means Committee need to step forward.
“Tax and spending bills begin in that committee: Do its members really think Rangel can credibly push through an ambitious agenda, given the cloud over his head?
“Charlie Rangel has fatally compromised his effectiveness as chairman of one of the most powerful congressional panels.” (New York Post, 11/30/08)
Now that the man who helped fund Steve Driehaus’ run to Congress has been outed for his most galling ethical violations to date, will Driehaus finally condemn Rangel’s actions and demand that the Harlem legislator step down from his post in the best interest of the American people? Or will Driehaus look the other way while Speaker Pelosi sweeps yet another of Rangel’s multitude of offenses under the rug? Given that Rangel lined Driehaus’ campaign coffers with $14,000 in campaign contributions, Ohio voters probably shouldn’t expect to hear Driehaus denounce his benefactor’s almost constant wrongdoing.
“Steve Driehaus was elected to Congress with the help of dirty money from one of Washington’s most blatantly corrupt legislators,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. “If Driehaus truly is the ‘independent voice’ that he claimed to be on the campaign trail, he’ll come forward and join the calls for Charlie Rangel to step down from his committee chairmanship for the benefit of the American people. So far, though, Driehaus has been conspicuously silent, and he’s sending a clear signal to the people of Ohio that his idea of being an ‘independent voice’ is shirking his responsibilities to his constituents in an effort to stay in good graces with crooked Washington insiders.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: National issues
