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Michael D. Pitman reports about Butler County, Ohio, politics, county government, countywide issues and Butler County people just like you for Cox Ohio Publishing (including the Hamilton JournalNews, Middletown Journal and several weekly papers in Butler County). He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment for him here or e-mail Michael at Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2010 > August
August 2010
WCTP to feature Sheriff Jones and U.S. Senate candidate
Near the end of September, the West Chester Tea Party will feature Dr. Michael Pryce, an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate. He is also the author of “Anathema! America’s War on Medicine.”
Pryce - according to a West Chester Tea Party e-mail on Aug. 31 - will speak about “what is wrong with our current health care system, and what it will take to fix it” from the perspective of a practicing physician.
Then Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones will speak on immigration, including “the problems it causes and how it effects you from both a personal and financial perspective.” (from the same West Chester Tea Party e-mail)
A Q&A will follow both presentations.
The West Chester Tea Party meeting starts at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Lakota West Freshman School, 5050 Tylersville Road, West Chester Twp. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m.
So, will you attend? If so, what do you hope to hear? What do you want to ask?
Cordray to speak in Oxford on Sept. 9
Next week, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray will be the featured speaker at the Butler County Progressive Political Action Committee’s quarterly “Candidate’s Night” meeting.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 and will be at the LCNB Bank, 30 Park Place West, in Oxford. It’s free and open to the public.
In a press release, Cordray said, “I pledge to the people of Ohio that I will use my office to stand up for them against the forces that wrecked our economy and caused so much pain for so many.”
The release also stated a number of accomplishments by Cordray (and you can see it attached below), but the one thing that stands out to me is, he was a five-time “Jeopardy” champion.
At the meeting, Cordray will introduce Middletown attorney, J.C. Shew, who is seeking to defeat incumbent Ohio Rep. Tim S. Derickson, R-Oxford, for the 53rd District seat.
Other Democratic candidates speaking, include:
• Bruce Carter (running against incumbent Ohio Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, for the 54th District seat, and independent Arnie Engel, of Fairfield);
• Suzi Rubin (running against incumbent Ohio Rep. Bill Coley, R-Middletown for the 55th District seat);
• Butch Hubble (running against Clerk or Court Cindy Carpenter for County Commission); and
• George Stephen (running against incumbent Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds for auditor).
So, will you attend? If so, what do you hope to hear from these candidates?
BC Progressive PAC August 2010
Butler County Commission meeting for Aug. 30
Here’s the agenda for the Butler County Commission meeting on Monday, Aug. 30.
Any comments?
Fox gets a new day in court
The new court date in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati for former Butler County commissioner and former state legislator Michael A. Fox will be in April 2011.
Just last week Fox pleaded not guilty to federal charges for allegedly receiving about $460,000 in kickbacks in exchange for helping Robert C. Schuler, a Columbus-area attorney, land a multimillion-dollar county contract.
Schuler is Fox’s co-defendant in the case. Fox also faces mail fraud, conspiracy and filing a false tax return charges. Schuler faces conspiracy, filing a false tax return and perjury charges.
The original trial date was set for Oct. 4. Fox’s attorneys, Ralph Kohnen and Aaron Herzig, have claimed the case is a politically motivated.
Do you believe the claim is politically motivated?
Elections board continues to mull over lawsuit options
The Butler County Board of Elections will now meet with the county commission in executive session to discuss if the county will proceed with its own lawsuit against Premier Election Solutions, or take its share of the Secretary of State’s settlement. Here is the last story written about this.
The executive session meeting with the commissioners was tentatively set for Monday, Aug. 30, but Butler County Board of Elections executive director Betty McGary said the meeting is likely going to happen in early September.
The board met Thursday, Aug. 26, and Friday, Aug. 27, to discuss their options - either sticking with its lawsuit against Premier where they are seeking about $5 million in damages, or take part with the Secretary of State’s settlement.
The elections board claims the Diebold machines had a glitch during the March 2008 primary election which initially caused more than 200 votes to go uncounted.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner settled on behalf of 47 counties. Each county that used Premier voting equipment will split $470,424, and receive up to $2.4 million in free software licensing for two years, free voting machines, a 50 percent discount on new generation optical scan equipment and the right to use other vendors for services. Premier had purchased the voting machines originally manufactured by Diebold Inc.
So, should the Board of Elections take the Secretary of State settlement deal or proceed with its lawsuit?
Progressive caucus endorses for Boehner’s opponent
Justin Cossoule has won the endorsement of the largest caucus inside the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Congress, which is co-chaired by U.S. Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, and Lynn Woolsey, D-California.
Cossoule is the Democratic Party’s candidate for the 8th Congressional District, running against U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp.
Below is the press release about the announcement.
And for equal time:
For information on Cossoule’s campaign, visit here.
For information on Boehner’s campaign, visit here.
Progressive Caucus Endorsement
Round 2 of the election disclaimer feud
Just a couple days after the county’s Democratic Party chairwoman filed a complaint against Ohio Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, for allegedly not having a disclaimer on a couple of his campaign yard signs, the Republicans cried foul against Combs’ opponent, Bruce Carter.
Butler County Republican Party’s Fairfield regional chair Don Carpenter received a flier advertising a fundraiser for Carter in February. It apparently did not have a disclaimer. The flier was not created - and the event was not organized - by Carter.
Carpenter filed the complaint on behalf of Combs to the Ohio Elections Commission on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Combs claims his signs does have disclaimers - and Carpenter quipped, “I guess they didn’t look close enough.” Combs said his disclaimer is under the word “state” in state representative. The flier announcing a Carter fundraiser (not organized by the candidate) did not have a disclaimer.
In the grand scheme of things, not having a disclaimer is a minor offense. The Ohio Revised Code indicates the fine is up to $500. Only about 40 of these types of complaints are received annually at the Ohio Elections Commission.
Combs said he knew of the lack of disclaimer on flier for a planned fundraiser for Carter, but wasn’t going to say anything - that was until the Democrats filed a complaint with the OEC on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
Jocelyn Bucaro said she created the flier before she was the chair of the county’s Democratic Party.
Combs said it doesn’t matter who paid for it, but it needs to be known who did pay for it.
It will be interesting to see how these to complaints play out with the OEC.
But in a back-and-forth of OEC complaints, who really wins? Who gains the political advantage?
Pass or no pass?
Ohio Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, apparently has two signs in Fairfield that don’t have a political committee disclaimer as required by the Ohio Revised Code. Read the story here.
Jocelyn Bucaro, the chair of the Butler County Democratic Party, sent a complaint on Tuesday, Aug. 17 about these two signs to the Ohio Elections Commission. The signs were placed this past weekend across the street from Sacred Heart Church on Nilles Road in Fairfield.
The section allegedly violated is 13: The disclaimer or identification described in division (A) of this section, when paid for by a campaign committee, shall be identified by the words “paid for by” followed by the name and address of the campaign committee and the appropriate officer of the committee, identified by name and title. The identification or disclaimer may use reasonable abbreviations for common terms such as “treasurer” or “committee.”
This rule, as it is written, has been in place since 1995, and there was a version prior to that, according to the Ohio Elections Commission.
Combs said he knows a disclaimer was taped to the signs and does not know why they were not on when they were spotted by Bucaro.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, the penalty for not having a disclaimer displayed can be as much as a $500 fine.
The Democratic challenger Bruce Carter said, “You’d think that a law maker would follow the law.”
But Combs’ other challenger, Arnold Engel, called the complaint “petty.”
I have a few things to ask: Is it “petty?” Or should a fine be assessed? And with this complaint, who has the most to lose?
Pay study payment gets another 2-1 approval
Bruce Jewett was named Butler County administrator Monday morning, Aug. 16. He stated Monday afternoon his pay will remain the same at $107,393.
That’s what the administrator’s pay was when Tim WIlliams left as county administrator in December (leaving for a private sector job in Dayton). And pending the results of the Clemans, Nelson and Associates pay study, Jewett’s salary — as well as other county employees — will remain as it is now.
The commissioners — or I should say two of the three commissioners — agreed last fall to pay Clemans, Nelson and Associates roughly $98,000 for the study that will evaluate the departments that report to the county commissioners. The price tag on the study initially was upwards of $107,900.
Commissioner Charles Furman doesn’t agree with the study, having previously stated that past studies were collecting dust.
The study specifically will look at Job and Family Services, Children’s Services, Water and Sewer and the Child Support Enforcement Agency. The departments for other elected county officials aren’t involved in the study, but will have access to the results.
It will be up to those elected officials if they will do anything with the study.
Today the commission OK’d in a 2-1 vote another payment to Clemans, Nelson and Associates in the amount of $1,496.25. To date, the county’s paid $75,822.50.
It won’t be known how beneficial the study will be until it’s in hand, but until it is what are your thoughts? Do you think it’s needed?
Boehner, Bernstein blog battle wages on
U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., and Jared Bernstein, Vice President Joe Biden’s chief economic adviser, both came out swinging in round two of battle of the blogs yesterday.
This debate is an interesting glimpse into party talking points on both sides of the aisle, and how each side will attempt to frame the argument over job creation, stimulus and deficit in this election year.
While I’ll post the text of the blogs here, you should go to the blogs to see links both proffer to back up their arguments.
Since Boehner got the last jab in before the bell in round one, we’ll start with the White House blog:
In a blog post on this site yesterday, we noted that if Congressman Boehner really wants to end the stimulus, then he really wants thousands of Ohioans to lose their jobs.
In response, the Congressman was quoted as saying that our administration owed his constituents “…an explanation of how raising taxes on small businesses will do anything but further hinder job creation in Ohio and across the country.”
Again, Congressman Boehner is confused. So we thought we’d take him up on the invitation to explain to the people of Ohio who has been fighting for small businesses here in Washington and who’s been obstructing that fight.
President Obama has consistently worked with anyone who would join him to help small businesses lead this economy back to health. But in virtually every case, House Republicans led by Rep. Boehner have opposed our attempts, while Republican Leaders in the Senate have used procedural gimmicks to keep them from even coming up for a vote.
Most recently, and most egregiously, House Republicans voted against the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010 (the Democratic majority passed the bill, only to have the vote blocked by Senate Republicans). This bipartisan bill would have reduced taxes on small business by zeroing out capital gains taxes on their investments, “bonus” depreciation, and immediate expensing of equipment purchases (all three of these significantly lower their investment costs). The bill would also create a fund for small, community banks to lend to small businesses.
So here’s a bill that helps small businesses and small banks, strongly supported by the White House (and, for that matter, small business advocacy groups like the Chamber and NFIB), yet Rep. Boehner’s team opposed it.
Unfortunately, that’s not a new position for them. They tried to block the HIRE Act (a tax cut for businesses that hire the long-term unemployed), Recovery Act loan guarantees and fee forgiveness supporting around $30 billion of small business lending, and let’s not forget their opposition to a $40 billion tax credit for small businesses that provide health care to their workers.
What, then, was Rep. Boehner talking about in that quote? He and his team want to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest households, and they’re trying to do so under the guise of helping small business.
Again, the facts of the case point exactly the other way. Virtually every small business would benefit from President Obama’s plan to preserve the tax cuts for families with incomes below $250,000. Only three percent of filers report small business income above that level, and they’re mostly high-end professionals like someone with a small legal practice—perfectly worthy business folks, of course, but not the small entrepreneurs we’re trying to reach with the plans the Republicans continue to block.
Check out this graphic to see for yourself who benefits from the tax cut Rep. Boehner is advocating. Compared to what the President wants to do, it delivers less to the middle class, and, at the expense of adding billions to the deficit, massively delivers to millionaires.
So, collecting his positions over the past couple of days, Rep. Boehner wants to: a) end the Recovery Act that has put more than 100,000 Ohioans to work, b) add $37 billion to the deficit by cutting taxes of the wealthiest households, and c) block tax cuts and new lines of credit to middle-class, small businesses.
It all sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s precisely the policy prescription that got us into this mess. And it’s the last place we want to go back to.
And, of course, Boehner has a response. This time it was posted on the GOP Leader Blog:
For the second time in as many days, the Vice President’s chief economist, Jared Bernstein, has used the official, taxpayer-funded White House blog to rant about Republicans’ opposition to raising taxes on American families and small businesses in a weak economy.
This is a tax hike plan, by the way, that is opposed by a majority of the American people and economists on the left, center, and right - including ‘stimulus’ booster and Obama Administration favorite Mark Zandi, who wrote last week in The Washington Post that “raising taxes on anyone now … would be a mistake.”
One thing Mr. Bernstein failed to mention during his diatribe is that according to the non-partisan Joint Economic Committee, half of the small business income in America will face higher taxes under the president’s plan. This bears repeating: at a time when Americans are asking ‘where are the jobs?’ and small businesses are being declared “missing in action,” President Obama and Mr. Bernstein want to raise taxes on half of small business income in America.
In his post, Mr. Bernstein also trots out Democrats’ canard about the ‘cost’ of stopping tax hikes on families and small businesses. Only in Washington would it be acceptable to think that taxpayers should have to pay for the privilege of not having to send more of their hard-earned money to the federal government. But if indeed there is a ‘cost’ to stopping all of the Democrats’ tax hikes, how much will the president’s plan to stop some of the tax hikes ‘cost’?
As Leader Boehner said yesterday, “We will not fix the deficit until we cut spending and have real economic growth - and we won’t have real economic growth if we keep raising taxes on small businesses.”
Washington Democrats are certainly fighting for somebody here, but it’s not small businesses and it’s not jobless workers. It’s the public-sector union bosses who strong-armed Speaker Pelosi into calling a special session this week to pass a $26 billion ‘stimulus’ bailout. It’s the state governments that desperately needed this handout because they followed Washington’s lead and spent well beyond their means. What about the small businesses agonizing over the prospect of higher taxes on top of all the job-killing policies of the last 18 months? What about the 15 million unemployed workers who just saw Congress make it more expensive to create jobs in the United States and less expensive to create them overseas?
This is a moment when we should be listening to the American people and setting out clear and positive solutions to cut spending and create jobs. Instead we are getting more Obama Administration attacks and more of the same failing ‘stimulus’ policies. It’s time for Mr. Bernstein to go back to the drawing board (though hopefully not the same one that produced the report he co-authored showing that the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ would keep unemployment below eight percent.)
Washington Democrats’ failure to lay a strong and stable foundation for recovery has left our economy rudderless. These job-killing tax hikes on families and small businesses won’t change that.
So, who do you think won round two?
Saying hello to a new adventure
For the past five years I have been the Fairfield reporter for the Fairfield Echo and Hamilton JournalNews. And for the past 18 or so months I’ve covered Fairfield Twp.
I believe I’ve written many quality stories involving these two communities.
Now, as Josh Sweigart makes his exit north to the Springfield News-Sun, I will take on the news coverage duties of Butler County government.
Josh did some good work for the JournalNews, Middletown Journal and the Butler County weekly newspapers. He truly was a watchdog of Butler County.
But just as everyone has a personality unique to themselves, my reporting style will likely differ from Josh’s. My approach to the job may also differ. But regardless of how the news is acquired, the bottom line will still be the same — I will shed light where there is darkness and continue the ongoing discussions of important news stories.
I also plan to start new conversations.
I often try to follow some sage advice once said by Albert Einstein: “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
This blog will likely not see many changes outside of my name and contact information in the bio box and my picture instead of Josh’s.
So if you have any story ideas, let me know.
Boehner, White House blog face off over local impact of stimulus
U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner and a top White House staffer faced off in a war of words today, Aug. 11, over the potential impact of the West Chester Twp. Republican’s call to stop stimulus spending on local projects.
The squabble started when Boehner made the Sunday talk show circuit Aug. 8.
“Whey don’t we stop the stimulus spending?” Boehner said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “There’s still about $400 billion or $500 billion of the stimulus plan that has not been spent. Why don’t we stop it. It’s not working.”
Jared Bernstein, chief economic advisor to the vice president, shot back today on the official White House blog.
“Though we’re sure he didn’t know it, the Congressman is advocating to kill the expansion of the Butler County Community Health Center and bring some of the twenty-five highway projects across the district to a grinding halt,” Bernstein wrote.
Bernstein went on to list other things stopping the stimulus would do, including ending a tax credit for 4 million Ohioans, halting unemployment checks and unfunding more than 100 clean energy projects across the state.
Finally, Bernstein took issue with Boehner’s numbers, pointing to a Politifact report that only $292 billion of the $787 billion stimulus plan has not been spent, and much of the it has already been obligated.
Less than two hours later, Boehner issued his own statement.
“The people of my district are looking at President Obama’s ‘stimulus’ policies and asking a simple question: where are the jobs?,” Boehner said in the release. “The fact is, the president’s ‘stimulus’ spending spree is not delivering the results he promised it would, whether you’re looking in Ohio or anywhere else in America.”
“A nation in our fiscal condition should be spending less, not more,” he said, decrying Democrats’ call to end tax cuts enacted under President George Bush that Boehner said would amount to a tax hike on 50 percent of small businesses in America.
“I hope Vice President Biden’s economist today will provide the people of the Eighth Congressional District with an explanation of how raising taxes on small businesses will do anything but further hinder job creation in Ohio and across the country,” he said.
Butler County roundup - Time stands still, auditor says property values to level
Two stories of note in today’s paper:
In this story, we get a forecast of the housing market from the Butler County Auditor’s Office:
Homeowners in much of Butler County are expected to see property values stabilize next year.
But the downward spiral in home values in Middletown and the East Side of Hamilton are projected to continue to slide, said county auditor’s office officials Tuesday, Aug. 10, during a town hall meeting on real estate trends and the county’s finances.
“There is stabilization in certain pockets of Butler County. Farmland is holding its values, West Chester and other suburbs are stabilizing. But urban areas are suffering,” Butler County Chief Deputy Auditor Michael Tilton said.
And in this story, we learn that the broken clock atop Butler County’s historic courthouse probably won’t be fixed any time soon:
When the clocks atop the Historic Butler County Courthouse chimed noon Tuesday, Aug. 10, the hands on the four clocks differed. The east-facing clock said it was 12:05; the south-facing clock said 12:07.
The clock facing High Street said it was 10:10. But that’s what it always says. It has been broken for months.
County officials say they would love to fix the icon that is the centerpiece of the county seal, but they aren’t sure they can afford it.
Clock repair companies have told the county it would cost $2,800 just to diagnose the problem — it would have to be completely disassembled — and up to $28,000 to replace the broken clock, according to county management and budget director Pete Landrum.
“It is the symbol of the county. It’s on our stationery. It is important to the commissioners. But we’re trying to make the best budgetary decisions now,” Landrum said. He added that the county may be able to budget for it next year.
Any thoughts on either of these issues?
The time has come to say goodbye
All good things must come to an end. And my time with Butler County News and Issues is no exception.
I am leaving Butler County to take a job with the Springfield News-Sun. Starting next week, I will be covering Clark County, doing roughly the same job I’m doing here, with different scenery. It’s an exciting opportunity.
But worry (or celebrate) not. This blog isn’t going away. Michael Pitman will be taking over Butler County coverage and this blog. Mike has been with our paper for many years covering several beats including Fairfield and Middletown. I’m sure he won’t miss a beat.
So thank you, dear readers, for your attention and your comments over the years. It has been a great ride.
If anyone knows of any brewing issues I should keep an eye on in Clark County, feel free to drop me a line. The Springfield paper is part of the same company, so my e-mail won’t change: jsweigart@coxohio.com.
Butler County treasurer to reduce office hours to save money
Press release from the Butler County Treasurer’s Office:
Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix announced that she will be reducing her office hours beginning Monday, August 16, opening one half hour later and closing one half hour earlier. The Treasurer’s Office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm.
Since taking office in June 2007, Treasurer Nix has reduced personnel by 35%, including two employees who will be laid off this week. Nix has been credited for holding the line on spending and working with other county leaders to trim costs. “It has been a very arduous process,” said Nix about the budget cuts. The reduction in office hours from 40 to 35 per week is a budget move, saving the county $35,313 this year.
With regard to the new hours of operation, Nix stated: “Our office will maximize our efficiency and offer the same quality service the public has come to expect. While it is not easy to offer fewer hours of operation, difficult budget times call for difficult measures. The Treasurer’s Office will continue to do more with less, and work hard to meet the needs of Butler County residents. Hopefully, the public will adjust to the new hours very quickly, and will work with us on these budget issues.”
The Treasurer continues to encourage the public to utilize the on-line services on the website: www.butlercountytreasurer.org.
Boehner wants GAO to investigate Delphi pension treatment
Press release from the office of U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp.:
Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a non-partisan, independent analysis of the federal financial assistance provided to the General Motors (GM) Corporation and its treatment of certain Delphi retirees.
“Neither GM nor the Automotive Task Force has provided a full explanation about why some Delphi pension obligations will be met by GM while the salaried retirees are not made whole,” Boehner said. “Was this yet another decision by the Obama administration to reward union bosses and liberal special interests? Tens of thousands of affected families, and all American taxpayers, deserve answers.”
“On the surface, the result of the GM bankruptcy proceedings appears to be a union bailout,” said Wicker. “While union pension benefits were left in-tact during these proceedings, other non-union counterparts lost most of their retiree benefits. American taxpayers deserve more openness from the administration regarding how these pension decisions were made and whether union members received preferential treatment.”
To date, over $70 billion in taxpayer funding has been transferred to GM to keep the company afloat. Under the Obama administration, the federal government acquired a 60 percent ownership of GM following the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Additionally, the United Auto Workers Union received a 17.5 percent ownership in the auto manufacturer. Many are concerned that the federal government, acting through GM, picked winners and losers in the GM bankruptcy proceedings. Pension agreements are altered routinely during bankruptcy proceedings, but in the GM case, certain pension beneficiaries were protected during the process while others were not.
GAO is expected to begin the report in the coming months.
A full copy of the letter sent to the Acting Comptroller General of the United States is below:
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBCG) protects the pensions of more than 44 million private sector workers and retirees in over 29,000 employer-sponsored defined benefit pension plans. When a bankruptcy occurs and an underfunded plan is terminated, PBGC assumes control of plan assets, calculates benefit amounts, and pays recipients a guaranteed benefit. Securing assets and determining benefit amounts can be a long and complicated process, especially in bankruptcy cases involving large companies with multiple plans, foreign assets, and a mix of union and non-union employees.
Over the past decade, several examples of large bankruptcies and plan terminations have occurred across the airline and steel industries, and more recently, the auto industry. One of the largest auto suppliers in the world, the Delphi Corporation, filed for bankruptcy in 2005 and had its pension plans terminated in 2009. The Delphi case was especially complicated, not just because it involved a number of large complex plans, but because of Delphi’s relationship with its parent company, General Motors (GM). During the period leading up to the termination of the Delphi plans, GM was negotiating its own restructuring through the bankruptcy process, with considerable taxpayer assistance and involvement of the U.S. Treasury.
In light of the complexity of the process and the role of GM and the U.S. Treasury in the Delphi case, we are concerned that not all Delphi retirees were treated equitably and that the process lacked transparency. To assess whether Treasury’s concern for the financial viability of GM may have had an impact on decisions regarding Delphi’s pension plans, we request that Government Accountability Office compare the process for terminating the Delphi pension plans with PBGC’s process for terminating other large, complex plans, with a special focus on the following:
- What precipitated PBGC’s decision to terminate the plans and what role did Treasury play in this decision, if any?
- Following termination, how effective was PBGC at securing domestic assets through the bankruptcy process, and at securing foreign assets through the establishment of liens?
- How did PBGC treat collective bargaining agreements in the benefit determination process, and to what extent did such agreements result in disparate treatment of union versus non-union employees?
- Following Delphi’s bankruptcy, did all of Delphi’s unionized retirees that received supplemental retiree pension benefits from GM have pre-existing collective bargaining agreements that stated such benefits would go into effect in the event of a Delphi bankruptcy, and what role did Treasury play in the decision to provide supplemental benefits, if any?
- What information was communicated to employees about the termination of their plans and the reasons for any benefit reductions?
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely,
Roger F. Wicker, United States Senator
John Boehner, House Republican Leader
County courts to overhaul indigent defense system
From this story:
Butler County commissioners this morning, Aug. 9, approved an overhaul of how the county’s common pleas court appoints defense attorneys for indigent defendants.
Court officials said the change could save the county $500,000 per year.
Under the plan, a non-profit will be created that will appoint two or three attorneys to each of the common pleas court’s seven judges. For up to $46,000 per year, they will be dedicated to handling all the cases before each judge.
The attorneys will be under contract, not county employees, so they can continue to pick up additional private practice work.
Under the current system, judges approve a pool of several dozen attorneys and go through the list when new cases arise. Those attorneys then bill the county for the hours they work, meaning the county has no control over the total cost.
The change was proposed by Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Michael Sage with the blessing of the county public defender commission.
Sage said the new system would cost the county about $700,000 per year, while indigent defense this year is on pace to cost the county $1.2 million.
“This is an area where we know we can save significant money,” Sage said, while providing “better representation.”
“Hopefully we’ll get the best of the attorneys in the system, so we’ll increase the representation,” Sage said.
“We’re on board with Judge Sage’s goals,” said Chris Pagan, president of the Butler County Public Defender Commission.
Sage said it would also eliminate attorneys fraudulently claiming hours they never worked, including one instance where a lawyer billed the county for a 26-hour day.
Sage had proposed a similar plan in the past, but it came under fire from the bar association and others because it called for the judges to appoint their defense attorneys. Under this plan, that would be handled by a stand-alone non-profit contracted by the county.
“The devil is in the details,” Pagan said, warning that there may be unforeseen hurdles with such a large change. But he and Sage both said the plan looks like a win-win for the county, for attorneys and for defendants.
“This is exactly what we’ve been looking for,” Commissioner Donald Dixon said, referencing the county’s ailing budget.
It’s unclear how long it will take to get the new system running, but Sage said he’s like to get it going “as quickly as we can.”
PACs take another ‘swing’ at Boehner
I’m told this attack ad against U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., will start playing on cable TV in Butler County this week.
Note this is a follow-up to a billboard Blue America put up last week in Hamilton County with claims disputed by Boehner’s office.
The new video came out with this press release:
The lavish golf habit of John Boehner (R-OH), Republican House Leader and would-be Speaker, is the target of a new cable TV ad campaign set to begin next week in his Ohio district. The ad’s narrator intones - in a pitch perfect parody of the Mastercard “Priceless” ads:
Golf rounds: 100 plus. Golf expenses: $83,000. Membership at All Male Club: $75,000. Special interest travel including golf junkets: $159,000. Raising the retirement age to 70 and voting to end unemployment benefits: priceless. For those who want an out of touch pro golfer for a Congressman, there’s John Boehner. For everyone else, there’s Justin Coussoule.
Justin Coussoule, Boehner’s general election opponent, is a businessman, retired Army Captain and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
According to public records, Boehner’s golf habit has cost him, his PAC, and special interests between $150,000 and $250,000 over the past 10 years - or three to five times the median household income of his constituents ($46,000).
Despite his own lax, golf-friendly work ethic, Boehner believes Ohio and America workers should work harder and longer - and don’t deserve help if they lose their jobs.
In June Boehner told the Pittsburgh Tribune he believes the Social Security retirement age should be raised to 70. Boehner has also repeatedly urged Congress vote down the extension of unemployment benefits to jobless Americans, even in the current tough recession - and despite the fact his own brother lost his job.
Now Boehner is leading House Republicans in opposing aid to states to avoid laying off teachers, police, firefighters and other state employees in a vote to be held next week.
“John Boehner is angry at teachers, cops, and firefighters for interrupting his summer golf schedule,” said Howie Klein, co-founder of Blue America PAC. “After all, his golf game is more important than their jobs.”
Responding to a billboard sponsored by Blue America about his golf habit, Boehner’s office said the Republican golfed only seven at events held by his leadership PAC in 2009.
But Golf Digest, the golfing world’s publication of record, reported in 2005 that Boehner golfs “100 plus” times per year. And Boehner’s trips to St. Andrews in Scotland, Pebble Beach and other golfing meccas are well documented.
“Where did Boehner golf, and how many times did he golf there?” asked Dan Manatt, co-director of Americans for America. “This isn’t Watergate - this is about whether John Boehner is so addicted to golf that he doesn’t earn the salary Ohio’s 8th district pays him for a full day’s work. And it’s about whether his lavish golf lifestyle has made him out of touch with the challenges facing Ohio’s working families. If Golf Digest is wrong, Boehner should set the record straight.”
Boehner’s willingness to engage Blue America and Americans for America on how frequently he golfs thrilled the PACs.
“John Boehner’s press office just hit the issue of his golf habit into the sand trap - and now they’re acting like the golf hack who flails away at the ball, but only digs the ball deeper and deeper in,” said Manatt.
“A debate on the number of times John Boehner plays golf - that’s a debate America needs to have,” added Klein. “Boehner’s staff has a bunker mentality - they say he only golfs seven times a year - but Golf Digest says he golfs 100 plus times. So which is it? Hopefully reporters can ask him and get hard evidence of his answer - at least as hard as the greens at Burning Tree.”
Klein was referring - as does the ad - to the all male Burning Tree Club in Maryland, which bars women from setting foot on the grounds - a policy far more disciminatory than that of clubs such as Augusta National in Georgia, which allows women to play the course as guests.
Boehner has not said if he will resign his membership if he replaces the first ever female Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
The ad is the first in a TV campaign being mounted by Blue America and Americans for America PACs, two progressive political action committees. The ad buy will air on cable stations in Boehner’s 8th Congressional Distict beginning August 9.
The ad also marks the official kickoff of the joint venture between the two PACS to produce and air campaign ads across the country during the fall campaign.
“Boehner has a record of catering to wealthy corporate special interests and ignoring the needs of working families and his own constituents. Whether it’s handing out tobacco lobbyists’ checks on the floor of the House or using shady PAC contributions to help elect other corporate shills like himself, hardworking families in western Ohio deserve much more. That’s why Blue America is so enthusiastic about supporting Justin Coussoule, who is a smart, dedicated, honest and committed West Pointer with a young family and an urge for the kind of change Ohio is craving, rather than the stale, failed formulas that Boehner has been pushing for decades,” said Howie Klein, co-founder of Blue America.
“Americans for America and Blue America are fired up this fall to shine a light on the Republican/Tea Party’s hypocrisy and wrongheadedness - and the remarkable accomplishments of the Obama Administration and this Congress,” said Dan Manatt, co-director of Americans for America.
Blue America is the PAC/consortium comprising of three of the leading progressive blogs in America: Hullabaloo (http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/), DownwithTyranny.com, and CrooksandLiars.com
Americans for America PAC is a political action committee with a singular goal: targeting Republicans who obstruct the Democratic majority agenda. Their motto: “Americans for America PAC: If you’re not with us, you’re un-American.”
The spot was produced by ManattMedia.com.
Tea Party gearing up for November election
Press release from the West Chester Tea Party:
The West Chester Tea Party will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, August 17th at EnterTRAINment Junction, 7379 Squire Court (off Kingsgate Way just south of Tylersville Rd.) in West Chester. Registration and networking starts at 6:30, the meeting begins at 7:00. There is no charge for attendance. All are welcome.
Preparations for the November election will be the focus of this meeting. Our speaker will be Peter Wolf, West Chester resident and co-founder of the Voices of America, www.thevoicesofamerica.org . The Voices of America are grass-roots, non-partisan individuals interested in enabling like-minded people and groups to educate and mobilize the “Silent Majority”, using proven Precinct Organizing Best Practices, and show them how to have their voices heard. Mr. Wolfâ•˙s presentation will include information on what precinct organizing is and how it will be effective in creating results in the November election.
The West Chester Tea Party will use this presentation and meeting to launch a community-wide get out the vote drive for the November 2010 general elections. Meeting participants will be encouraged to participate in this effort within their precincts.
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the Ohio Project and sign the Health Care Freedom amendment. The Ohio Project is a grassroots effort of Ohio citizens to bring a proposed state constitutional amendment to the November 2011 ballot. This amendment will give Ohioanâ•˙s the freedom to choose whether they carry health insurance, negating the federal mandate placed upon them in the Health Care bill. The amendment will also stop any finance penalties for not carrying health insurance. Registered voters will be asked to sign the petition to put the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the November 2011 ballot. Training for Ohioans interested in circulating the petition will also be available. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sign the petition to repeal Ohioâ•˙s Estate Tax.
The West Chester Tea Party is a grassroots, non-partisan organization of private citizens united by our shared values and opposed to wasteful government spending.
We believe in fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets. Our mission is to organize like-minded individuals, educate and inform others based on our core values, to secure public policy consistent with those values, and to positively affect the outcome of elections. For more information visit our website www.westchesterteaparty.org.
Fore! Billboard claims Boehner spends too much time on the green
From this story:
Motorists headed to Cincinnati on Interstate 75 are likely to notice a billboard that went up this week featuring a photo of U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., swinging a golf club.
“When was the last time you golfed 119 times in one year?” the sign asks.
The billboard is an attack on Boehner funded by the national Blue America Political Action Committee. The PAC has raised $16,000 for billboards and other media attacks on Boehner.
“We think we’re going to spend much, much more than that on Justin (Coussoule, Boehner’s Democratic opponent),” said Blue America PAC founder Howie Klein.
The billboard refers to reports that Boehner’s PAC spent more than $80,000 on golf outings last year, and Boehner headlined 119 Republican fundraisers.
Boehner campaign spokesman Cory Fritz calls the billboard’s claim “false.”
“Congressman Boehner held seven golf events last year, not 119,” Fritz said. “He did hold 119 events in the District and across the country to benefit conservative candidates…but only seven were golf outings.”
“Being minority leader or speaker of the House means John Boehner has a bigger platform to push for the priorities and values of the people of the 8th District of Ohio,” Fritz said. “If that makes him a bigger target for folks outside of Ohio who disagree with those priorities, so be it. It goes with the territory.”
Despite Boehner’s prominence on the national stage as he aims to become speaker if Republicans take back the House in the fall, Coussoule’s campaign says this sort of help from outside the district has been unusual.
“We are really, really a grassroots campaign,” said Alliea Phipps, Coussoule’s campaign manager. “I don’t think we’re getting more money because he’s running for speaker of the House, but I think we’re getting more money because he’s forgotten the office he’s currently holding and the people he’s representing.”
Coussoule’s campaign has raised $60,407 by June 30, according to his July Federal Elections Commission filing. The vast majority coming from Ohio residents donating less than $500 each.
Boehner’s campaign has raised nearly $4.5 million. His biggest source was also small individual contributions; those required to be listed were mostly from Ohio. He also received roughly $1.7 million in large contributions from PACs across the country.
Fox charges amended to include bribery and kickbacks
From this story:
Federal prosecutors have amended an indictment against former longtime Butler County politician Michael Fox to specifically refer to his actions as “a bribery and kickback scheme.”
The changes filed Wednesday, Aug. 4, tailor the charges against Fox to a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in June that narrowed the law that Fox was charged under to cases including evidence that defendants accepted bribes or kickbacks, according to Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This does not change anything to do with the charges or any of the facts, or any of the penalties,” Alverson said.
But attorneys for Fox said in a statement today, Aug. 5, that the new indictment “could call into question the government’s motives in prosecuting Mr. Fox.”
“We do not think that taking the same facts and dressing them up to look like a new crime will save the government’s indictment,” said the statement from Cincinnati-based attorneys Ralph Kohnen and Aaron Herzig.
Fox’s attorneys have long claimed the entire corruption case has been a politically motivated attack on someone who made “powerful political enemies” in his more than three decades as state lawmaker, Butler County commissioner and Children Services director.
“The indictment that was handed down today appears to advance allegations made by some of Mike’s detractors, who placed a target on the back of a good and decent man,” they said.
Wednesday’s filing could push back the trial date. U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith granted an order this week to stay the original Oct. 4 trial date, and has set a scheduling conference for Aug. 18.
Fox and co-defendant Robert C. Schuler were charged in October 2009 with conspiring to improperly benefit off a contract to build Butler County’s fiber optics network.
Fox is accused of not properly reporting roughly $460,000 from Schuler — a Columbus-area attorney who took over the company NORMAP during construction of the fiber optics system — and other vendors doing business with the county when Fox was a commissioner.
Fox is also charged with mail fraud for allegedly failing to disclose conflicts of interest in Ohio ethics disclosure statements he mailed each year from 2004 through 2007.
Schuler also is charged with perjury for alleged false testimony he gave to a federal grand jury on Oct. 1, 2008.
More press releases to come
In response to several comments on my more recent posts (below), I feel I should clarify what we’re doing here.
These are not news articles. These are blog posts.
It can be a confusing distinction, as I do frequently post news articles on the blog (usually with a link to the original story).
But I also post press releases, to give readers a full picture of what’s being said. Usually, you would only see a paragraph or two from a release (if we do anything with it at all), and one of the features of this blog is to give readers more background than they would receive in a news story.
In addition to posting financial records, meeting agendas and other documents, press releases are some of what I called in my very first blog post the “little snippets of the greater debate that historically ended up on the cutting room floor.”
I will always let people know when I’m posting a press release and where it comes from, so they can make the appropriate assumptions about the biases of the statements therein. If we write a full story, I will usually update the post with a link to that as well.
If you disagree with that practice, don’t hesitate to let me know (I’m sure you won’t).
Coussoule calls for earmarks to help Grand Lake St. Mary’s
Press release from campaign for Justin Coussoule, the Democrat running against U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., in the fall:
Absence of Leadership from the Minority Leader
Coussoule suggests Boehner “get out of the way”
In yet another colossal failure of representation and leadership, Friday John Boehner sputtered through a meaningless list of talking points in response to a clandestine meeting in Celina, regarding the catastrophic toxic algae blooms currently poisoning Grand Lake St. Mary’s. Although the meeting was held at Boehner’s request, with a record of playing golf 119 times in a year, he is surely more familiar with the water hazards at Pebble Beach than the bodies of water inside his district.
Justin Coussoule (kuh-soo-lee), the 2010 Democratic candidate for the Ohio 8th Congressional District, challenges Mr. Boehner to do his job and help the residents, small business owners, and communities that he claims to represent.
Coussoule has taken the time to listen to concerned community members and understands that Grand Lake St. Mary’s, the largest inland lake in Ohio, is nearly dead. Justin is well aware that the current toxicity of Grand Lake is not only an economic challenge for the area’s tourism and agriculture, but is also an actual health hazard. Justin has done enough research to know about work being done to try and save the lake and the economic interests of the people who live in the area.
“There is potential for solutions, that will protect the tourism economy without requiring the agricultural community to take on the total burden of the cost,” Justin observes. “I think it is important for our federal representative to support the search for alternatives, such as the continued study of ways to create an algae load in the lake that not only is less toxic but has the potential to provide biofuel and possible agricultural feed.”
Justin elaborates “Mr. Boehner should stop hiding behind an empty stance against earmarks (that he only seems to apply to the 8th District and the rest of Ohio) and fight for federal dollars to help pay for the cost of cleaning up Grand Lake St. Mary’s, as well as eliminating the sources of contamination to the lake.”
Justin appreciates the numerous members of the community around Grand Lake St. Mary’s who brought this matter to his attention like Maria Suhr RN, who offers, “After months of us begging Mr. Boehner to come to visit our Lake, he finally comes here for a practically closed door meeting where he offers nothing? If this is the type of ‘help’, we can expect after 20 years of representation under this man, we must all work very hard to make sure the country doesn’t call him ‘Speaker’ Boehner.”
Justin Coussoule is prepared to lead on important issues and invested in what is affecting the lives of the people of the 8th district. “I won’t take the constituents for granted. I will be involved with what matters to the people here and suggest that with his complete absence of leadership in the district Mr. Boehner get out of the way.”
Boehner on paper
As a follow-up to this story, U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner sent a letter last week to President Barack Obama in response to local paper workers’ call for an end to China’s paper industry subsidies.
Here’s how Boehner’s office prefaces the letter in a release:
Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) yesterday sent a letter to President Obama urging Congress and the Administration to work together now to create thousands of American jobs and foster a more vibrant manufacturing base. The letter, written after recent meetings with constituents who are concerned about the future of Ohio’s paper industry, encourages President Obama to act on several pending trade agreements that promise to create Ohio jobs and boost the economy without adding to our staggering deficit.
It’s worth noting, this is different from another letter signed by more than 100 members of congress (the letter local paper workers were asking Boehner to sign).
Here is a copy of Boehner’s letter:
Dear Mr. President,
The forest and paper industry is an important part of our nation’s manufacturing base. As you may know, a petition has been filed with the International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce to investigate possible subsidies and dumping of certain paper products. While I believe it is critical that these investigations proceed unimpeded by politics, I also believe the Administration and Congress should work now to create new export opportunities in order to foster an even more vibrant manufacturing base.
Specifically, I encourage you to act on your commitment to move the three pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea - trade agreements that stand to benefit the paper industry in Ohio and across the country. As you have said, passage of the pending agreements will increase trade, which is a step towards your stated goal of doubling our exports in five years. You have often noted that increasing our exports by 1% will create more than 250,000 jobs. Independent reviews by the International Trade Commission estimate that implementing pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea will increase U.S. exports by more than one percent. As I mentioned, the paper industry in Ohio, and across the country, stands to benefit tremendously from passage of the pending trade agreements. Between 2005 and 2007, the U.S. exported $725 million worth of paper and paper products to South Korea. Upon implementation of the agreement, 100% of duties will be eliminated immediately. In 2007, the U.S. paper industry exported $234 million worth of products to Colombia and $72 million to Panama in 2006. Most tariffs will be eliminated immediately upon implementation of these agreements, with remaining tariffs being phased out over a period of ten years or less.
Ohio’s paper industry and scores of other manufactures across the country stand to benefit greatly by the adoption of the pending trade agreements. Opening doors to overseas markets creates jobs and new opportunities without costing the taxpayers. I urge you to act on these agreements.
Mr. President, as you know, nearly 1 in 10 Americans today is unemployed. In my district, Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District, families continue to struggle with a jobless rate that is nearly a full point higher than the national average. As I listen to the small business owners who are essential to getting our economy moving again and creating new jobs, I hear concerns about new taxes, mandates and obstacles that are filling them with uncertainty and keeping them from hiring, investing, and leveraging their hard work and innovation to take advantage of new opportunities at home and abroad.
I appreciate your attention to this issue, and I look forward to working with you to address the tough issues that face our country’s economy.
Sincerely,
John A. Boehner, Member of Congress
