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July 2009
Dann’s legal fees top $183,000
Former Ohio attorney general Marc Dann used his campaign account to pay legal bills totaling $183,665 in the first six months of 2009, according to a campaign finance report filed Friday July 31.
Dann, a Democrat, spent $192,585 out of the account and has $12,797 remaining.
Dann resigned under pressure in May 2008 after a series of management missteps and admitting he had an affair with a junior staffer.
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Gov. Strickland to bed down at state fair; he’ll feed horses, too
Gov. Ted Strickland next week will honor an Ohio governors’ tradition.
Strickland on Thursday, Aug. 6, will overnight at the Ohio State Fair at the Natural Resources Park, a press release said on Friday, July 31. Unlike some past governors who have slept in a barn, Strickland will spend the night in a tent, said Amanda Wurst, his spokeswoman.
Strickland, who grew up on a farm in southern Ohio, won’t make it a casual sleepover. He’s scheduled to rise early on Friday, Aug. 7, to feed the horses from 6 a.m. - 7:30 a.m., the release said.
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Supreme Court rejects challenge to casino petitions
In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court on Friday, July 31, provided a victory for backers of the plan to put a proposal for four gambling casinos on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The court rejected a request that it order Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and the Muskingum County Board of Elections to investigate possible violations of Ohio election law by circulators who gathered signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
The decision appears to clear the way for the proposal to appear on the ballot.
The request also had asked that Brunner be compelled to invalidate petitions with election law violations or that she order county boards of elections to throw out the petitions.
The request came from Scioto Downs, a Columbus-area racetrack. Bob Griffin, CEO of MTR Gaming Group, Inc., Scioto Downs’ owner said “we were disappointed” by the decision but would move on. His company “is definitely going to spend some money” to oppose the battle issue. Mountaineer owns a racetrack and casino in Chester, W. Va.
The court ruled that the casino backers submitted evidence rebutting much of Scioto Downs’ claims.
In addition, the court said that Brunner already has launched an investigation into possible election law violations and can then report any findings to county prosecutors or the attorney general for prosecution.
Brunner does not have the authority to use the results of this investigation to throw out petition signatures after her time to review the signatures has expired, the court said.
The court said that the time for Brunner to rule on the petitions has expired and that she and the boards have no more duty or authority to take the action requested.
Charlie Luken, chairman of the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, the group promoting the casinos, praised the decision in a prepared statement.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that the Secretary of State and the Boards of Elections performed their duties, and that Ohio voters deserve the right to vote on what we are convinced is by far the best casino proposal ever put before them,” Luken said.
In a prepared statement Brunner said that she was pleased with the decision.
“The high court correctly concluded that the secretary of state and Ohio’s boards of elections met their constitutionally mandated duties in reviewing and certifying the sufficiency of these petitions,” Brunner said.
Brunner has ruled that the casino backers have gathered more than the required 402,275 signatures required to get the issue on the ballot.
The casinos are planned for Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo.
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Strickland raises $2.5 million for re-election bid
Democrat Ted Strickland reported Thursday July 30 that he raised $2.5 million over the last six months for his gubernatorial re-election campaign. His campaign account now has $4 million in cash.
Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Seth Bringman said, “Gov. Strickland is grateful for all the support he has received across the buckeye state. Ohioans from all walks of life have invested in his campaign because they want a governor who will fight every day for our families on Main Street and who will work to turn our economy around, create jobs and invest in our children’s future.”
Strickland’s average contribution was $900 and the largest chunk — $388,270 — came from 38 people and organizations who contributed $10,000 or more. The state party also kicked in $337,650.
Strickland is expected to face Republican John Kasich, a former Congressman from suburban Columbus.
Semi-annual campaign finance reports are due Friday July 31.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Strickland’s approval rating stands at 46 percent. The poll also showed Kasich trailing Strickland 43-38 percent.
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Delegation booted out in the heat after Wednesday security scare
Staff for House Minority Leader John Boehner and U.S. Reps. Steve Austria and Mike Turner had to go mobile Wednesday after a suspicious package was investigated in Longworth House Office Building late Wednesday afternoon.
The entire building, which houses mostly congressional office staffs, was evacuated a little after 3:30 p.m., according to staff for the three lawmakers. They weren’t allowed back in until nearly 6 p.m. during one of the busiest days of the legislative season.
Staffers for Turner, R-Centerville, decamped to a nearby park for awhile during a day when temperatures were in the high 80s and humidity was high. After awhile, it began raining, a Turner spokesman said, and they set up office in the Rayburn cafeteria.
Boehner’s office also headed to the park for awhile, though some worked out of Boehner’s Capitol office, which he holds because of his title as minority leader. Boehner also had a previously planned 4:30 staff meeting, so that kept staffers housed for awhile.
As for Austria, R-Beavercreek: His staff scattered, with some going into meetings and dropping in to visit other lawmakers. Austria, Boehner and Turner were voting during much of the period when they couldn’t get into the office.
Capitol police eventually deemed the package safe and everyone’s back in their office today, Thursday, July 30.
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Brown raises cash, names team
Democrat Marilyn Brown raised more than $204,000 for her campaign for Ohio secretary of state, her campaign said Wednesday, July 29.
Brown, who is a Franklin County Commissioner, is likely to face state Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, who announced that he had raised $1.25 million for the race.
Brown named Cliff Schecter as her campaign manager, Don Spicer of Triumph Communications as a general consultant, and Andrew Dyer as her finance director.
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Schmidt airs commercials on Piketon decision
U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, upset about the Department of Energy’s decision not to offer loan guarantees for the USEC’s American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, has begun airing 30-second radio commercials throughout southern Ohio urging Ohioans to call the White House and ask President Obama to overturn the Department’s decision.
DOE announced Tuesday, July 28, that it had determined the centrifuge project is neither financially nor technologically ready for the marketplace. But the department did commit to an additional $150 million to $200 million per year for the next four years to accelerate environmental cleanup efforts at the project site, and estimated cleanup of the site will bring 800 to 1,000 new jobs to the site, which has a 15 percent unemployment rate and is one of Ohio’s poorest areas.
Obama, on Sept. 2 2008, wrote a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland pledging his support for loan guarantees. Schmidt has said she was dismayed by the decision. She’s using her campaign funds to pay for the radio ads.
“Pike County has one of Ohio’s highest unemployment rates at over 15 percent. These patriotic men and women have toiled enriching uranium for half a century. They took President Obama at his word when he told them he would back the loans,” Schmidt, R-Loveland, said. “Now his administration has done the exact opposite and every employee of the plant stands to lose their job.”
The ads began airing this morning and will run through the weekend.
Text of the ad is below:
Hi this is Jean Schmidt.
President Obama pledged that he’d support the American Centrifuge Plant.
Now the Department of Energy announced that they will not invest in the plant.
Everyone at Piketon on the project will lose their jobs.
We can’t allow this decision to stand.
Please join me
Call the President at 202.456.1414.
Tell him to keep his word.
202.456.1414
Join me in fighting for these jobs.
I am Jean Schmidt and I paid for this message.
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Portman launches RV Tour
Republican Rob Portman is all packed up and ready to hit southeastern Ohio later this week in an RV. He’ll be decrying the results of the stimulus bill and the state’s high unemployment rate as he makes his case for replacing Sen. George Voinovich in the U.S. Senate.
He’ll be at the Fayette County Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 30, at 10 a.m. before heaving to Circleville, where he’ll be at J.R. Hooks Cafe at noon. Then it’s over to Caldwell and West Lafayette on Friday.
It’s his first RV tour of what is expected to be many in this campaign. Portman faces Republican Tom Ganley of northeast Ohio in the Republican primary in May 2010, and will face either Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner or Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, both Democrats, next fall.
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Senate candidates: Website fever
The hip thing to do if you’re running for U.S. Senate, it seems, is to redesign your website.
Republican Rob Portman did it, with www.robportman, a flashy new site with pictures of the former congressman on the campaign trail. They announced it in a news release Tuesday.
Then, Democrat Lee Fisher announced he, too, had redesigned his site, www.fisherforohio.com
We didn’t see a release for Democrat Jennifer Brunner, but it looks like she’s revamped a few things at www.jenniferbrunner.com.
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Brunner asks IG to investigate leaks about husband
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wants the Inspector General to weigh in on whether supporters of her primary opponent for the U.S. Senate - the lieutenant governor of Ohio - snooped into her husband’s tax records, pushed to have his corporate charter cancelled and leaked details of the whole kit and caboodle to the press.
An attorney for Brunner’s husband, Rick Brunner of the Brunner Firm, asked Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles last week to investigate whether state officials publicly discussed the temporary cancellation of the Brunner Firm’s corporate charter. Charles has not indicated whether he plans to investigate.
David Dettman, Brunner’s campaign manager said Charles was asked to investigate “state officials who publicly discussed the temporary cancellation of Rick Brunner’s law firm professional corporation charter, the timing of the cancellation and circumstances under which supporters of U.S. Senate candidate Lee Fisher quickly learned about it.”
“The request for an inspector general investigation was not made lightly,” he said.
The investigation comes after the Brunner Law Firm received a letter from the Ohio Department of Taxation in June indicating that the firm hadn’t met all its filing requirements for 1998 and 2001. The department indicated it was cancelling the charter because it had not met its requirements. That information was leaked to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which has been writing about the incident as well as Brunner’s charges that it was politically motivated.
Since they received the letter, though, Brunner’s accountant has produced documents indicating that the Brunner Law Firm met all its filing requirements. The firm’s corporate charter has been reinstated.
Fisher’s campaign manager Geri Prado, called the charges “completely baseless and unfortunate.”
“It’s up to the Inspector General to determine whether to pursue this, and we will cooperate fully with his decision. Ohioans are being presented with a stark choice: Lee Fisher is talking about keeping good-paying jobs in our state and rebuilding the Middle Class, while his opponent alleges bizarre conspiracy theories and talks about anything but the issues,” Prado said.
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$79.3 million in stimulus cash coming for Ohio cops
Ohio cities, including Dayton and Springfield, will receive millions of dollars in federal stimulus money to pay for 336 police officers over the next three years, the White House announced Tuesday, July 28. The cities must commit to retaining the officers for a fourth year, under the terms of the grants.
These Miami Valley cities are expected to receive grants: Dayton $5.6 million for 21 officers; Springfield $1.3 million for seven officers; Hamilton $1.4 million for six officers; and Trotwood $438,000 for two officers.
Nationwide, $1 billion in federal funding is expected to pay for 1,046 officers.
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Dems launch site to beat up on Portman
Most people in southwest Ohio know or least know of Rob Portman, the former congressman turned Bush budget director now running for U.S. Senate.
The Democrats want to introduce you to “Robert Portman.”
The Ohio Democratic Party just launched www.robertportman.com, a parody website aimed at making Portman look like the man singlehandedly responsible for all the economic troubles of the Bush administration.
At least that’s what we’ve surmised from the title, “Architect of the Bush Economy.”
For the record, Portman’s real campaign website is at www.robportman.com.
Portman faces Northeast Ohio businessman Tom Ganley in the Republican primary and, should he prevail in that race, will face either Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner or Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the general election in November 2010.
“The Democrat hacks will say anything or do anything to try and distract Ohioans from the more than 338,000 jobs that have been lost during the Strickland-Fisher administration,” said Bob Paduchik, Portman’s campaign manager.
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Pawlenty to headline GOP dinner in Mason
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is the featured speaker at the “2009 Leading Ohio Dinner” at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason on Sept. 19.
The event is a fundraiser for the Ohio Republican Party.
Pawlenty, 48, was considered a likely vice presidential pick for 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain. He is not seeking re-election to the governor’s seat and is talked about as a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate.
The Sept. 19 dinner also features the top of the GOP’s slate of candidates for statewide offices in 2010 including:
Former Congressman John Kasich who is running for Governor.
Former Congressman Rob Portman who is running for the U.S. Senate.
State Auditor Mary Taylor who is running for re-election.
State Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, who is running for Secretary of State.
To register for the event, go to http://www.ohiogop.org/dinner/register.html?width=950&height=780
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Ryan endorses Fisher
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Youngstown, announced Monday July 27 that he is backing Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher over Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the hotly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Fisher also has the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, Gov. Ted Strickland, the United Auto Workers and Ohio Conference of Teamsters.
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Senators, Senate candidates spar on health care reform
Sen. George Voinovich admitted on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday, July 22, that Republicans’ resistance to health care was about half about scoring political points against President Obama and half about concerns that the Democrats’ proposal was too costly and too flawed.
Democrats leapt on that comment, particularly the part about scoring points against Obama.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a Democrat who’s running to replace the soon-to-retire Voinovich, sent out an e-mail to supporters capitalizing on those comments and urging supporters to contact Republican Voinovich to tell him to “ask his Republican colleagues to stop playing political games and pass health care reform legislation without delay!”
The email also criticized Republicans, saying they have no plans to reform health care. “Their only plan is to distort and delay the debate on reform until their special interest allies are able to concoct ways to block this critically important expansion of care,” Fisher wrote.
This email chafed Voinovich, who said he was “extremely disappointed” that Fisher “is politicizing our nation’s health care debate.”
He said he seeks a bipartisan solution to the nation’s health care crisis that would not create a long-term fiscal crisis.
Republican Rob Portman, who is also running for the U.S. Senate also weighed in, calling the Democrats’ health care plan a “job-killing” proposal and urging Fisher not to support it.
“The status quo is unacceptable, and reforms are needed to reduce costs and expand access,” he said. “Unfortunately, the big government approach Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has now endorsed will increase costs, cause many Ohio working families to lose their current coverage, raise taxes and lead to more job losses in Ohio.”
UPDATE:
Now Fisher’s firing back - at Portman.
“Rob Portman, who spent two decades in Washington and helped kill the last health care reform effort, now says the status quo on health care is unacceptable. This from the man who, as George Bush’s budget director and lead trade negotiator, led us into the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Fisher said. “He criticizes those of us working to fix what he broke, and refuses to put forward an alternative proposal of any kind.”
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Voinovich’s commission bill gets a little White House love - sort of
Sen. George Voinovich is claiming his victories where he can, and in this case, he’s claiming one on his idea of creating a commission aimed at examining how the federal government spends its money. After all, Voinovich has been flogging this idea since 2006. He brought it up again earlier this week on CNBC. After his appearance, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made positive comments about the idea . Then, came today’s Washington Post, which included an interview with President Obama endorsing the commission.
Well, sort of. Obama told the Post that he would endorse a commission where “everything is going to have to be on (the) table” when it comes to examining our tax and entitlement systems and presenting long-term solutions to place the United States on a fiscally sustainable course.
Voinovich wants to create a commission which would bring together the best minds on budget and economic policies to examine the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States and recommend reforms. He’s been introducing the bill regularly since 2006, with no movement.
He envisions an 18-member commission akin to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, one that would make recommendations that Congress would have to approve on an up- or down-vote. The commission would gather information through public town hall meetings around the country for a year.
Voinovich takes Obama’s comments as as a positive sign.
“America’s elected leaders know we face a fiscal train-wreck, but are choosing to ignore our economic reality as they push forward with trillion dollar health care proposals,” Voinovich said. “I thank President Obama for being honest with the American people about our nation’s unsustainable course. Americans are paying attention and asking how in the world we can continue to spend and borrow, taking on new health care responsibilities, at a time when we can’t handle the responsibilities we already have.”
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Former Ohio treasurer joins Girl Scouts in Wisconsin
Republican Jennette Bradley left politics behind for the greener pastures of the Girl Scouts Badgerland Wisconsin Council in Madison, Wisconsin.
Bradley, a Republican, took over as chief executive of the newly merged council in January. She operates a council in 21 counties across three states, serving 14,000 girls.
“It’s really neat. It’s a great opportunity. The whole focus is to develop leadership opportunities for young women,” Bradley said.
Bradley served as a Columbus City Council member, Ohio lieutenant governor, and state treasurer but says now, “I don’t see myself going back into elected office…There is life beyond politics.”
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Voinovich hobnobs with astronauts
Here’s one perk of the U.S. Senate gig: Sen. George Voinovich this week met with four of the astronauts of the STS-125. You’ll remember they recently conducted a 13-day mission aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in May to service the 19-year-old Hubble Space Telescope.
During that mission, they also conducted five spacewalks to extend the life of the observatory, installed two new instruments and repaired two others. Their work extended the operational lifespan of the Hubble Space Telescope until at least 2014 when the Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is expected to launch.

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DC paper criticizes Turner’s campaign for taking PMA money
The Washington Examiner Wednesday, July 22, spotlighted U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, for accepting $6,000 from the PMA Group, a defense lobbying group that is now the focus of multiple investigations. Turner’s campaign received $2,000 from PMA in the 2008 election cycle and $4,000 in the 2006 cycle. Before the lobbying group shut down earlier this year, they gave members of congress $3.4 million between 1989 and 2008. Seventy-nine percent of that went to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Here’s Turner’s response to the article:
“My campaign receives contributions from many companies and groups who support efforts to strengthen our national security and to grow the Dayton region’s military and defense industry jobs. The PMA Group, which represented the Dayton Development Coalition, was no different. Reportedly, the campaigns of over 100 House and Senate members have received contributions from the PMA Group. These contributions were received by my campaign in 2008 and in prior years and do not reflect the current campaign cycle.”
Since 1989, Ohioans including Sens. Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich, and U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek and Charlie Wilson, D-Bridgeport, have also received PMA contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
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Democrat Todd Book to challenge U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt
State Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott, on Thursday, July 23, announced that he’s running for the U.S. House in 2010 to challenge U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, in the 2nd District.
The district includes parts of Warren, Scioto and Hamilton counties as well as all of Pike, Adams, Brown and Clermont Counties.
“In these tough times, the people of southwest Ohio deserve a representative who will be independent, work with both parties to solve problems and stand up for Ohio values in Washington,” Book said in a press release.
In the recent state budget deliberations, Book was a prime mover behind successful efforts to put video slot machines at Ohio racetracks. A lawyer, he has served in the Ohio House since 2003.
Republicans appeared ready for the challenge.
“It’s hard to argue that a hand-picked candidate of Nancy Pelosi and a promoter of Ted Strickland’s reckless spending agenda will be any more successful than the Democrats’ other failed challengers in this seat,” Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a press release.
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Sen. Voinovich to be on CNBC Wednesday morning
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, will appear on CNBC’s Squawk Box Wednesday morning, July 22, at 7:30 a.m. According to a statement released by Garrette Silverman, the senator’s communications director, Voinovich will talk about “the economy, federal debt and his Securing America’s Future Economy Commission Act.”
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Brunner burning through campaign coffers faster than Fisher
Here’s the rest of the story on Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, apologies to Paul Harvey.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is burning through her so-far limited resources at a faster pace than her opponent in the Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, spending more in the second quarter of this year than she raised.
Brunner raised $228,021.57 in the second quarter, which ended June 30. She spent $255,123.93 during that period.
According to her report filed with the Federal Election Commission, Brunner ended the second quarter with $165,451.57 in cash on hand. So far during the campaign, she raised $435,257.43 and spent $269,805.86.
Fisher, meanwhile, raised $903,762.89 during the second quarter and spent $414,865.24 during that period. He ended the quarter with about $1.47 million still on hand, according to his report. That was after raising about $1.91 million over six months and spending $433,390.40.
Both trail Republican Rob Portman who had $4.3 million in cash on hand after six months.
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Casino ballot signatures get Brunner OK
County boards of election found that backers of a four-casino plan submitted enough valid signatures from voters to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner ruled on Tuesday, July 21.
The county boards reported 452,956 valid signatures statewide, more than the 402,275 required, Brunner’s office said in a press release.
Also, the Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan, the casino supporters, gathered signatures equal to more than 5 percent of registered voters in the 2006 gubernatorial race in 73 counties, surpassing the requirement that signatures equal to 5 percent of the voters be gathered in at least 44 counties.
The ballot proposal would ask voters to approve casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. It still faces challenges.
Opponents have asked the Ohio Supreme Court to order Brunner to investigate irregularities in how signatures were gathered with the apparent goal of knocking the issue off the ballot.
On Monday, Brunner launched a statewide inquiry into irregularities involving petition circulators with findings to be referred to the Ohio attorney general and local county prosecutors.
County boards found cases in which convicted felons illegally gathered signatures and in which signatures from deceased voters showed up on petitions. There also were questions about whether circulators listed their permanent addresses as required.
Brunner said that the Ohio Constitution gives the Supreme Court exclusive jurisdiction over challenges to ballot signatures.
However, her probe focuses on the potential for criminal prosecution for election wrongdoing, she said. She said she has independent authority to investigate alleged election law violations.
“While I’m obligated to fulfill my duties under the constitution and certify the issue, I believe it’s important to investigate these allegations to ensure the integrity of this and future ballot initiative elections,” she said.
Brunner previously has said that “in the end it is likely to be the Ohio Supreme Court that will detemine whether this issue is submitted to voters this fall.”
Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-casino group, said backers consider Brunner’s probe and the certification of signatures as separate issues and are preparing mount an aggressive campaign to win voter approval.
“What this allows is for the voters to make a decision on whether they want expanded gambling in Ohio and the jobs and economic development that go with it,” said Tenenbaum.
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Anti-slots group takes case to Supreme Court
LetOhioVote.Org on Monday, July 20, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to put the brakes on the plan to put electronic slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse racetracks without a vote of the people.
The group, formed to seek a public vote on any government-sponsored gambling, wants the high court to affirm the right of voters to decide the slots issue. If the court agrees, the committee will start a petition drive to put the issue before voters in the in the November 2010 election and the slots plan will be halted pending the outcome of the vote, said Carlo LoParo, spokesman for the committee.
The slots plan is part of the $50.5 billion budget Gov. Ted Strickland signed on Friday, July 17, and is projected to raise $933 million over two years. Voters four times since 1990 have rejected expanded gambling.
Members of the group include: former state Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Cincinnati; David Hansen, former president of the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions and Gene Pierce, a Columbus-based consultant.
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Obama coming to Cleveland area Thursday UPDATED
President Barack Obama will be coming to the Cleveland area Thursday to discuss health care, the White House confirmed Monday, July 20.
Obama will first tour the Cleveland Clinic, then move on to Shaker Heights High School, where he’ll hold a town hall meeting at about 2:30 p.m. on health care reform.
Members of the public wishing to attend the town hall should visit the following website to register to attend the town hall. The site will be available until 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. Or leave a voice message indicating interest to attend by calling (216) 295-6144. That phone line will be available until 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The White House will only be able to fulfill a limited number of requests for tickets.
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Husted says he has $1.25M for sec of state race
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, on Monday, July 20, announced that his campaign for secretary of state has more than $1.25 million on hand.
“I continue to be grateful for the overwhelming support I have received from so many supporters across the state,” Husted said in a press release. “The campaign is off to a great start and I look forward to building on our successes during the months to come.”
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is running for the U.S. Senate next year and Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown is seeking the Democratic nomination for secretary of state.
Husted’s announcement comes before the July 31 deadline for filing campaign finance reports with the secretary of state.
Clifford Schecter, Brown’s campaign manager, said that she would file her report by the deadline and that in the meantime “Marilyn Brown will continue to meet with regular Ohioans across the state and assemble the necessary resources to be our next secretary of state.”
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Supreme Court puts casino battle on fast track
The Ohio Supreme Court has put a lawsuit over the the four-casino ballot proposal on a fast track.
The court on Monday, July 20, ordered Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and the Muskingum County Board of Elections to file a response to the lawsuit by Wednesday, July 22.
Scioto Downs, a Columbus-area horse racetrack opposed to the casino plan, on Friday asked the high court to order Brunner to investigate alleged violations of Ohio election law including the use of convicted felons to gather signatures.
The lawsuit also asks the court to order Brunner to compel county boards of elections to investigate alleged election law violations and to throw out petitions circulated by people who gave false addresses.
The court’s Monday order gives Scioto Downs until Friday to present its evidence and then Brunner has until Tuesday, July 28 to present her evidence.
The lawsuit comes as Brunner prepares to rule Tuesday on whether casino supporters have gathered the required 402,275 valid signatures from registered voters to put the casino proposal on the Nov. 3 ballot. Supporters turned in petitions with more than 850,000 signatures.
The plan calls for casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
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Casino foes take case to Supreme Court
By William Hershey Staff Writer
COLUMBUS — The campaign to derail a Nov. 3 ballot issue that would permit four gambling casinos in Ohio already has moved to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Lawyers for Scioto Downs, a Columbus-area horse racetrack opposed to the casino plan, on Friday, July 17, asked the Supreme Court to order Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to investigate alleged violations of Ohio election law including the use of convicted felons to gather signatures.
The lawsuit also asks the high court to order Brunner, the state’s chief elections officer, to compel county boards of elections to investigate alleged election law violations and throw out petitions circulated by people who gave false permanent addresses.
Kevin Kidder, a Brunner spokesman, said “our legal staff will give it (the lawsuit) a full review and we will know more about the issue on Monday.”
On Thursday, however, Eleanor Speelman, Brunner’s legal counsel, wrote Luther Liggett, Scioto Downs’ attorney, saying “this office is not aware of any statute or constitutional provision empowering the Secretary to review or alter the findings of the boards (of elections) concerning the validity of part-petitions and signatures.”
Instead, the Ohio Constitution, through an amendment approved last year, gives the Supreme Court itself jurisdiction over such challenges, Speelman wrote. The lawsuit was filed as Brunner prepares to rule on Tuesday whether casino supporters have gathered the required 402,275 signatures to get on the ballot. If they fall short, they get an extra 10 days.
Brunner is reviewing tabulations sent back to her office from the 88 county boards of elections. In Montgomery County the elections board ruled more than half of the 82,624 signatures invalid and sent some petitions with questionable signatures to the county prosecutor for investigation for potential fraud. The petitions in Montgomery County included signatures from 23 deceased voters. Other county boards also reported finding deceased voters signatures on petitions.
The Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan, the group backing the casino proposal, submitted petitions with more than 850,000 signatures.
The group wants to put casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. Penn National Gaming, Inc. of Wyomissing, Pa. and Dan Gilbert, principal owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, are the financial backers.
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Strickland says state budget signed: “blueprint for growth and prosperity”
Gov. Ted Strickland said on Friday, July 17, that he signed the $50.5 billion, two-year state budget, according to Dayton Daily News reporter Tony Gottschlich. The official signing apparently occurred about 3 p.m.
Strickland made the announcement while at Thurgood Marshall High School in Dayton for a “ceremonial” repeat signing of the two-year spending plan.
“I believe this budget will be the blueprint for Ohio’s economic growth and prosperity,” Strickland said in Dayton.
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Mike DeWine to unveil 2010 plans Wednesday in Xenia
Former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, the Cedarville Republican, will announce his political plans for 2010 at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 22 at the Greene County Courthouse in Xenia, DeWine told the Dayton Daily News on Friday, July 17.
That’s where DeWine, 62, started his political career as Greene County prosecutor.
DeWine is expected to run for Ohio attorney general but he would not confirm that. His wife Fran and other family members will be at the Xenia event, he said.
The Xenia announcement will be followed by announcements at 12:15 p.m. at the Statehouse in Columbus and then at 3 p.m. at Cuyahoga County Republican headquarters in Cleveland, DeWine said.
“I’m energized,” said DeWine, who lost his U.S. Senate seat in 2006 to Democrat Sherrod Brown.
If DeWine runs for AG, he’ll face primary opposition from Delaware County prosecutor David Yost.
Yost this week announced endorsements from 44 county prosecutors - 42 Republicans and two independents.
“The whole reason I’m in the race is justice - to bring the attorney general’s office back to the basics of law and order,” Yost said in a press release. “It’s a true honor to receive the support of so many of my colleagues in the fight for justice.”
In Montgomery County, GOP Chairman Greg Gantt already is on the DeWine bandwagon.
“I think he would be an excellent attorney general,” Gantt said.
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Improper political contributions lead to securities license suspension
State officials suspended the securities and investment adviser license of Montford S. Will, who admitted to the Ohio Elections Commission in May that he improperly routed $121,000 in campaign contributions through relatives over three years.
Will has requested an administrative hearing with the state Department of Commerce division of securities. It is scheduled for Aug. 19.
State laws and regulations require securities dealers to be “of good business repute.” The division of securities cited the Elections Commission case against Will as evidence that he is “not of good business repute.”
The commission gave will a record fine — $95,000 — for using his relatives as conduits to make 19 different contributions to political parties and candidates. The case was not referred for criminal charges.
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Strickland due in Dayton Friday for “ceremonial” bill signing
Gov. Ted Strickland is set to be in Dayton at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 17, for a “ceremonial bill signing” at Thurgood Marshall High School, according to an advisory from the governor’s office.
It will be one of two Dayton-area stops for Strickland on Friday.
The bill is expected to be House Bill 1, the state budget bill, which the governor probably would sign officially before the ceremonial event in Dayton.
As of Thursday afternoon, however, Strickland still had not received the budget bill to sign. The House and Senate passed the bill on Monday.
If the bill is not ready for Strickland to sign, the governor is expected to discuss education reforms in the budget bill at Thurgood Marshall High School.
His second Friday event in Dayton is set for 6:15 p.m. when he is to give brief remarks at the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
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Lottery gets help on slots
Four former Ohio Lottery directors began meeting Monday to help the state bring slot machines to Ohio’s seven horse racetracks.
The advisory group will assist current lottery director Mike Dolan and the nine-member state lottery commission, according to the Strickland administration.
The four former directors are: Tom Chema, who served under Gov. Dick Celeste and is now Hiram College president; Tom Hayes, who served under Gov. Bob Taft and is now a part-time consultant; Mitchell Brown, who served under Gov. George Voinovich and is Columbus public safety director; and Ronald Nabakowski, who served under Celeste and is now a Lorain County Clerk of Courts.
The Strickland administration said the group will help develop a timeline and strategies for handling applications and licenses, limiting the number and locations of facilities, avoiding conflicts of interest, procuring vendors, and other issues.
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Brunner changes staff
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is hiring Mike Rankin, the former registrar of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, as her second-highest ranking official.
Rankin, 55, starts as assistant secretary of state on Aug. 3. He replaces Antoinette Wilson, who is returning to the private sector. Rankin will be paid $110,000 a year.
In addition to his experience at the BMV, Rankin served as chief deputy clerk for Franklin County Municipal Court, assistant Lucas County prosecutor, and chairman of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and worked in private practice as an attorney. Â
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Deceased voters “aid” casino petition drive
In Montgomery County, petitions to put a casino issue on the November ballot, include signatures from some deceased voters, Board of Elections Director Steve Harsman said on Wednesday, July 15.
Harsman said the board at its Wednesday meeting would consider turning the issue over to the Montgomery County prosecutor’s office for investigation.
The same problem has cropped up in Preble County. Board of Elections Director Virginia Weiler said one of the signatures on petitions there was from her father Joseph who died in 1974.
Opponents of the casino plan said in a press release that there are “widespread irregularities” statewide in the petition drive.
Casino backers support investigations into irregularities and “we think anyone who violated state law ought to be prosecuted to the fullest,” said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the backers.
They want to put an issue on the Nov. 3 ballot to put casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. They have filed petitions with about 850,000 signatures, more than double the 402,275 required.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has sent the petitions out to county boards of elections to be verified. Harsman said that in Montgomery County about 32,000 of the 82,000 signatures have been determined valid. In Preble County, 830 of 1,992 signatures were valid, Weiler said.
If the petitions don’t have enough valid signatures on the first try, they get 10 more days to gather more.
Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa. and Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, are financial backers of the casino plan.
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U.S. Senate campaign bucks: Portman, $1.7M, Fisher, $900,000, Brunner, $228,000
This just in from Dayton Daily News Washington correspondent Jessica Wehrman:
Republican Rob Portman raised $1.7 million for his U.S. Senate campaign in the second quarter, ending June 30, according to his campaign finance report. Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member, also raised $1.7 million in the first quarter.
Portman has $4.3 million on hand for the campaign.
Democrats Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner also released fund raising information.
“Ohioans are responding to our message that Washington isn’t doing enough to create jobs and opportunities for economic growth,” Portman said in a press release.
“Middle-class families are anxiously watching their budgets while Washington allows runaway spending to continue. The strong support I’ve received makes clear that Ohioans are looking for leadership on health care, energy and tax relief instead of implementing more job-killing policies.”
The second quarter contributions came from 2,216 individual donors; combined with first quarter donors, nearly 3,500 individuals are behind Portman, the release said.
Also, Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher’s campaign for the U.S. Senate said on Wednesday, July 15, that Fisher raised more than $900,000 in the second quarter.
That brings his total to more than $1.9 million raised since he entered the 2010 Senate race in February, the campaign said.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who’s battling Fisher for the Democratic nomination, raised more than $228,000 in the second quarter and overall has raised more than $435,000, Brunner’s campaign said.
Both Fisher’s and Brunner’s campaigns said they were pleased.
“We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from every corner of Ohio,” Fisher for Ohio campaign manager Geri Prado said in a press release. “This campaign is about keeping good-paying jobs in Ohio and creating new jobs by making our state the hub of the clean, green energy industry.”
“My campaign is hungrier, smarter, more disciplined and more focused on solid public policy that touches the lives of everyday Ohioans,” Brunner said in a press release.
“If it was all about money, Lee Fisher would have been elected governor more than a decade ago and saved Ohio from Bob Taft.”
Rob Portman and Cleveland-area auto dealer Tom Ganley are vying for the GOP nomination.
The candidates are seeking the seek now held by Republican Sen. George Voinovich who is not seeking re-election.
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Brown “disappointed and discouraged” that committee won’t push generics
Sen. Sherrod Brown faced a setback late Monday, July 13, in his efforts to create a pathway to generic biologic drugs.
His amendment to the health care reform bill, which would’ve given biologic drugs a seven-year period of exclusivity on the market before generics could be introduced, failed in the Senate Health, Environment, Labor and Pensions Committee. The committee instead opted for a 12-year period where they could go without competition.
Biologic drugs, typically administered by a health care professional, include Herceptin, which is administered for breast cancer, and Remicade, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. They can be incredibly expensive: Annual treatment for Herceptin runs about $48,000 and Remicade runs about $20,000 for a year. Part of the reason is there’s no current route to producing generic versions of these drugs.
Brown, D-Ohio, had hoped to give biologic drug producers a seven-year period to recoup the cost of creating the drugs, arguing 12 years was too much time and cut off access to for some consumers who needed the drugs. While costs for some biologic drugs are up to $100,000 a year, the average household in Ohio makes $46,000 a year, he said.
The vote against his amendment, he said, “was not in the best interest of taxpayers, it was in the best interest of the large drug companies.” He blamed his amendment’s defeat on the pharmaceutical industry’s influence over his fellow senators, and vowed to renew his fight when the bill hits the Senate floor.
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Mallory endorses Fisher
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory Tuesday, July 14, endorsed Lt. Governor Lee Fisher in his bid for the U.S. Senate, saying Fisher “has a deep understanding of the economic opportunities and challenges facing Ohio’s cities.”
“Lee has spent his career fighting for hard-working families, and he will be a champion for them in the Senate,” Mallory said in a statement issued by the Fisher campaign. “No one is more focused on keeping good-paying jobs in Ohio and creating new economic opportunities for our state.”
Fisher’s been bringing in the endorsements lately, including endorsements from 10 female Ohio legislators, the UAW and the Teamsters. He faces Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the Democratic primary to replace Sen. George Voinovich, who is retiring at the end of 2010. On the Republican platform, former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman and northern Ohio auto dealer Tom Ganley are running.
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Churches look to block slot machine plan
The Ohio Council of Churches and the United Methodist Church plan to ask the Ohio Supreme Court to declare the slot machine proposal as unconstitutional and pressure lawmakers to come up with other ways to raise money to pay for state services.
Lawmakers adopted a $50.5 billion, two-year operating budget on Monday, July 13, that calls for allowing slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse racetracks. The slots are expected to raise $933 million over two years to help pay for K-12 education in Ohio.
The Ohio Council of Churches is expected to hold a press conference Wednesday July 15 at the Statehouse to discuss their opposition campaign.
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Coughlin exits governor’s race; clears GOP field for Kasich
State Sen. Kevin Coughlin won’t be seeking the GOP nomination for governor next year.
Coughlin, from Cuyahoga Falls, announced in an e-mail on Monday, July 13, that “now is not my time.”
“Coming off so many years in the legislature and in the current economic environment, I just don’t have have the motivation to raise the financial resources to wage a successful campaign,” said Coughlin.
His departure reinforces former U.S. Rep. John Kasich’s status as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Kasich, of suburban Columbus, formally launched his campaign on June 1.
Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to seek re-election.
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Senate gives budget final OK, sends to Strickland
By a bipartisan 17-15 vote, the Senate on Monday, July 13, approved the $50.5 billion two-year state operating budget and sent it to Gov. Ted Strickland. The House earlier approved the budget 54-44.
Strickland is expected to sign the budget by Wednesday.
Five Republicans, all in leadership spots, joined the Senate’s 12 Democrats in approving the budget. Fifteen Republicans, including Jon Husted of Kettering, voted “no.”
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LaHood: Stimulus money is getting out there
What does Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood think of the ongoing sparring between House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester and the state’s department of transportation about how quickly transportation stimulus dollars are being spent?
“The idea that the money is not getting out in Ohio is just not accurate,” said LaHood, a Republican who last year called Boehner his leader, in an interview Monday, July 13. “Drive around the state. Talk to the Governor. Talk to the lady who runs the DOT there. Talk to people working there. Ohio’s getting the money.”
He said the state has “as strict a metric on their awarding of contracts” as any state, and that has “probably delayed them more than other states” but said he gave them credit “for wanting to do it right.”
LaHood said a meeting with Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland a few weeks back focused primarily on the state’s desire to get money for high-speed rail. “They want to make sure they’re in the game on high speed rail,” he said.
LaHood also downplayed his role in the state’s decision not to use seven percent of their $774 million in highway stimulus money for studies and planning. He said state officials “made that decision,” but also said the department has made it clear they were interested in seeing the stimulus money generate immediate jobs.
“We’d rather see people out on the roadways building roads,” he said. “Those are good paying jobs.”
An Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman told the Associated Press earlier this year that the decision not to use the money on studies was made at the request of federal transportation officials.
Boehner spokeswoman Jessica Towhey said the stimulus bill has done little to help the state. She said since the bill became law in February, Ohio has lost almost 80,000 jobs.
“Ohio was very nearly the last state to get the first 50 percent of its stimulus construction money obligated for construction projects, which is ridiculous,” she said. “As of late May, approximately, no contracts had been signed. Since that time, some contracts have been belatedly set in motion, but the entire process has been absurdly slow-moving.”
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Strickland gives go-ahead on video slots
Gov. Ted Strickland did his part in the great state gambling bargain on Monday, July 13 - issuing a directive to the Ohio Lottery to set up video slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse racing tracks. The slots are officially called Video Lottery Terminals - VLTs.
The House and Senate were expected to do their part later Monday by approving a $50.5 billion state budget with language implementing the video slots proposal.
Strickland expects the slots to bring in $933 million to the state over the next two years.
Here’s Strickland’s directive to the Ohio Lottery:
Directive to the Ohio Lottery
July 13, 2009
Implementing Video Lottery Terminals
Ohio is Facing Significant Economic Challenges. The national economic recession has caused many and substantial hardships for the people of Ohio. Many Ohioans rely on the health, safety and welfare services provided by the State. Declining employment and recessionary sales have led to declining tax revenues realized by the State, making it more and more challenging for the State to provide the educational, health and other services its people deserve. Without additional revenues, the State would be required to cut services even beyond the significant levels already undertaken and under consideration in current budget discussions.
The Implementation of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) is an Important Part of Ohio’s Balanced Budget Plan. The immediate implementation of VLTs by the Ohio Lottery is projected to generate approximately $933 million in net proceeds during the coming biennium. The dedication of that revenue to education programs is critical to our continued efforts to strengthen Ohio’s education system. Increased lottery revenues allow the state to dedicate scarce general revenue funds to critical programs benefiting the health, safety and welfare of Ohio’s citizens, avoiding devastating cuts to those programs.
Implementation of VLTs Should Only Be Undertaken With Strong Legal Footing. The Ohio Constitution authorizes the General Assembly to establish an agency of the State to manage lottery games to support education programs. The General Assembly has established the Ohio Lottery as that agency and has enacted various statutes authorizing the lottery to conduct and operate lottery games in accordance with the Constitution. The General Assembly has indicated to me its intent to pass legislation which would expressly acknowledge that the Ohio Lottery has the authority to implement VLTs under the existing laws of the State of Ohio and that the implementation of VLTs does not violate any provision of Ohio’s separate prohibitions on gambling activity.
The Lottery Director Should Immediately Take Steps to Implement VLTs. With an express acknowledgement of the General Assembly that the Ohio Lottery has the authority to implement VLTs, I believe that the Ohio Lottery can, and I direct the Lottery Director to, adopt rules regarding the implementation of VLTs and immediately take steps to implement VLTs in accordance with the following requirements unless and until they are modified or rejected by the General Assembly:
VLTs Should Only Operate At Licensed Racetrack Facilities. So as to limit the proliferation of gambling activity to locations in which the local community has expressed its support for such activity, the Lottery Director should assure that licenses to operate VLTs are issued only to those who will operate the VLTs at facilities operated by those already licensed to offer pari-mutuel betting.
VLTs Should Operate at Only Seven Racetrack Facilities at Any One Time. Again, in order to limit the proliferation of gambling in the state, the Lottery Director should assure that only seven licenses to operate VLTs are issued at any one time.
VLTs Licenses Shall Be Granted for a Minimum of Ten Years. To assure effective regulatory oversight regarding those licensed to operate VLTs, licenses should be granted for a minimum of ten years and should be transferred only in accordance with strictly established guidelines.
Strict Background Checks of Prospective VLT Licensees Shall Be Undertaken. Strict criminal and financial background checks of all prospective VLT licensees shall be undertaken prior to the issuance of any such licenses and only those meeting clearly articulated standards shall be granted such licenses.
VLTs Should Be Implemented Quickly, But Contracts Should Follow All Standard Bidding Requirements. The Lottery should use any existing contracts it has which would permit the rapid implementation of VLTs, but any Lottery Commission contract for services associated with the implementation of VLTs must be awarded by competitive bidding unless competitive bidding requirements are waived by the Controlling Board.
All VLT Profits Should Benefit Education Programs in Ohio. In order to comply with the constitutional requirement regarding the use of lottery net proceeds, all VLT net proceeds shall be deposited and utilized to benefit education programs in Ohio in the same manner as all other lottery net proceeds.
Absence of Implementing Legislation. If the implementing legislation described in Paragraph 3 is not enacted into law as part of or prior to the FY10-11 biennial budget law and such law is not signed into law by me within five days of the issuance of this Directive, the Directive shall then be deemed immediately null and void.
Ted Strickland, Governor
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Budget could force layoffs of 2,000-3,000 state employees
The new $50.5 billion state budget could result in layoffs for from 2,000 to 3,000 state employees, Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, told Dayton Daily News reporter Laura Bischoff.
Sykes is chairman of the House-Senate budget conference committee that approved the budget on Monday, July 13. The House and Senate planned to vote on the budget and send it to Gov. Ted Strickland to sign on Monday.
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Library cuts eased in proposed state budget - conference committee OKs budget
Public libraries still will be wounded but the wounds from state spending cuts won’t be as bad as they could have been in the new state budget approved on Monday, July 13, by a House-Senate conference committee.
The full House and Senate had floor sessions scheduled Monday to OK the budget and send it to Gov. Ted Strickland to sign.
The $50.5 billion two-year budget would reduce support to libraries by $84.3 million over two years. The budget-balancing plan introduced earlier by Gov. Ted Strickland called for cutting aid to libraries by $227.3 million over two years.
The goal is to get it to Strickland to sign before the current temporary budget expires Tuesday.
However, the Senate also was ready to pass another one-week temporary budget if Strickland doesn’t sign the new permanent budget before the temporary budget expires.
The proposed budget is balanced partly by $933 million projected to come from putting video slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse racing tracks.
The budget also will end a tuition freeze at Ohio’s public universities. They will be permitted to raise tuition by 3.5 percent each year, said Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, conference committee chairman.
The final version of the budget doesn’t include a plan to permit drilling for oil and gas at state parks that the Senate included in its version of the budget.
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Luckie hosting discussion on library funding
State Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton, will visit the Dayton Metro Library on Thursday, July 16, at 2 p.m. for a town hall meeting on funding cuts proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland.
The meeting will take place in the Main Library auditorium, 215 E. Third Street in downtown Dayton, and is free and open to the public.
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Lebanon Raceway may move to get slots
The Lebanon Raceway has called the Warren County fairgrounds home for more than 50 years but the horse racing operation may move to a new place — possibly in Montgomery County — so that slot machines can be added, according to government officials.
Gov. Ted Strickland and legislative leaders agreed Friday June 10 to a budget deal that calls for adding video lottery terminals at Ohio’s seven racetracks. The move is expected to raise $933 million over two years and help close a $3.2 billion hole in the $54 billion, two-year budget.
But a snag is that Warren County officials oppose slot machines being added at the privately-owned Lebanon Raceway, which sits on county-owned land.
State Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton, said he has been working on a plan to move the Lebanon Raceway to Montgomery County.
Owners of the raceway could not be reached for comment.
Warren County Commissioner Pat South said she doesn’t mind slots in the county, just not on the fairgrounds. Her fellow commissioner, Mike Kilburn, has said he opposes bringing slots to Warren County.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County commissioners sent a letter June 30 to Strickland, urging him to allow the state’s seven largest urban areas to add slot machines too. Strickland’s chief of staff, John Haseley, called Montgomery County commissioners on Thursday to see if they were still in favor of slot machines, County Commissioner Deborah Lieberman said.
“I think it could help economically and it would capture some of the money traveling out of stat in different directions right now,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley.
“If Warren County doesn’t want (the slots), we’d embrace it,” said Lieberman.
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State budget deal includes slots
State leaders reached a compromise deal on Friday, July 10, on the $54 billion, two-year state budget that includes adding slot machines at racetracks.
Gov. Ted Strickland will issue an executive order telling the Ohio Lottery director to establish video lottery terminals at seven racetracks. Lawmakers will pass supporting legislative language in the budget bill.
“I am pleased that we have been able to work through this difficult budget and to provide solutions that will help move Ohio forward. By reaching a bipartisan compromise on the implementation of video lottery terminals to limited locations where gambling already occurs, we will provide a balanced, two-year state operating budget,” House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, said in a press release.
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State budget deal in the works?
Democrats and Republicans appear to be getting closer to striking a deal on the state budget.
“I would just say that over the past few days a lot of progress has been made toward a conclusion,” said state Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering.
The state is operating on the second of two one-week interim budgets since the new fiscal year started July 1 while state leaders fight over how to make up a projected $3.2 billion revenue shortfall.
Gov. Ted Strickland proposed $2.4 billion in spending cuts and putting slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse racetracks to raise $933 million for K-12 education. Senate Republicans, however, have balked at the plan to expand gambling without a vote of the people.
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Fisher garners Teamsters endorsement
Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher Thursday, July 9, nabbed the endorsement of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters. Fisher, a Democrat, is hoping to succeed Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, in the U.S. Senate after Voinovich retires next year.
Fisher earlier this week grabbed the endorsement of the UAW. The Teamsters have more than 75,000 members across the state.
Roger Insprucker, President of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters, said Fisher has stood with the union “in good times and bad.”
Fisher faces Democrat Jennifer Brunner in the primary election for U.S. Senate. Republicans Rob Portman of Cincinnati and Tom Ganley, a northeast Ohio auto dealer, are also running.
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Austria: NASIC awards $600 million contract
The National Air and Space intelligence Center has offered a $600 million contract to three companies to improve the center’s Geospatial Intelligence and Measurement and Signature Intelligence missions, said U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek Thursday, July 9.
The contract, to be awarded over five years, is going to Ball Aerospace, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, which all have contractors in the Dayton region. It’s a follow-up to an existing contract for $499 million.
In a statement, Austria said he was happy to see the contract go to the trio of companies.
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Turner to Strickland: Tell VP to lay off NCR stimulus money
It’s safe to say U.S. Rep. Mike Turner is using all avenues to express his displeasure with a Columbus, Ga., request for $5 million to bring NCR manufacturing jobs to that city.
First he and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, wrote President Obama to argue that the request would be an inappropriate use of stimulus money. Then, yesterday, he grilled Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Nabors about whether the request was appropriate.
And today, Thursday, July 9, he sent a letter to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland asking him to urge Vice President Biden to investigate whether whether the stimulus is being used to lure NCR jobs to Georgia. Biden, tasked with overseeing the stimulus expenditures, was in Cincinnati Thursday to check on the status of stimulus dollars.
“Please bring this matter to the attention of the Vice President and ask that he use his oversight role to ensure that such funds not be used as part of the package that shifted jobs from Ohio,” Turner, R-Centerville, wrote to Strickland.
The $5 million Columbus, Ga. is requesting would be used to renovate and buy a building for manufacturing jobs currently being performed in South Carolina.
NCR earlier this year announced it was moving its world headquarters from Dayton to Georgia, and Turner argues any expenditure of stimulus money used to facilitate the consolidation of NCR jobs in Georgia would be dollars used to take jobs from Dayton.
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Ohio’s rainy day fund: Not quite an ITune, but one heck of a chicken taco
The state of Ohio has a mere 89 cents left in its rainy day fund. 89 cents. Three quarters, a dime and three pennies.
That’s all, folks. The fund, the state’s emergency piggy bank account, was drained of about $1 billion to finish off the last fiscal year when tax revenues took a nose dive in the bad economy.
With a fund so puny, you can’t buy a song off iTunes. You can’t buy a cup of joe from Starbucks, a ride on a public bus in Dayton or even anything off the dollar menu at McDonalds.
But let’s focus on the positive.
Here’s what 89 cents will buy you: Two first class stamps, a can of pop (not one of those larger plastic bottles), 1/3 of a gallon of gas, three gumballs, one tampon, one condom (you might have to shop around for this price), a Taco Bell chicken taco or a nano-second of payroll for the state’s 60,000 employees.
You could also buy 89 rides on the penny pony children’s ride at Meijer. That’s quite a bargain.
Eight-nine cents would also buy a 1.7 ounce pack of M&M’s, which contains 55 pieces. That means each piece would have to be shared by 207,273 Ohioans, although some might choose to pass on this sweet opportunity.
- Laura A. Bischoff and Jessica Wehrman
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Turner prods OMB director to reject NCR stimulus funding
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner has asked the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to bar the federal government from spending $5 million in stimulus dollars to move NCR jobs to Georgia.
During a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Wednesday, July 8, Turner, R-Centerville, related to OMB Director Rob Nabors how NCR was moving its world headquarters from Dayton to Georgia and how Columbus, Ga., had requested $5 million in stimulus money to help renovate a building to move manufacturing jobs from South Carolina to Georgia.
“Is this an appropriate and allowable expense under stimulus guidelines?” asked Turner, who with House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, wrote a letter to President Obama in June opposing the request in June.
Nabors responded that while he didn’t have specifics on the request, the description was “disturbing.”
“This does not sound like an appropriate use of recovery dollars,” he said.
He said he would talk to his office’s general counsel about the request.
While the $5 million would not go toward physically moving jobs from Ohio to Georgia, Turner argues any use of stimulus money aimed at facilitating the consolidation of NCR World Headquarters in Georgia is inappropriate. He said the expenditure would be the equivalent of using federal dollars to buy jobs away from other states, and “violates the spirit of the law.”
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UAW endorses Fisher
Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher Wednesday, July 8, garnered the endorsement of the state’s United Auto Workers, a group of more than 134,000. The UAW is one of the state’s largest unions, with workers at 291 facilities across the state, according to a release by Fisher’s campaign.
Ken Lortz, director of UAW Region 2B, covering all of Ohio, said Fisher “is a proven leader who will fight to keep manufacturing jobs in Ohio and work to strengthen our domestic auto industry.”
“American auto workers have been hit hard by the economic crisis and we need a voice in Washington that will stand up for the working men and women of Ohio,” he said.
Fisher formerly served as the state’s economic development director. He faces Democrat Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the primary to replace Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who is retiring at the end of 2010. Republicans running include northern Ohio car dealer Tom Ganley and former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park.
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Popular blood donation and MRDD bills signed by Strickland
Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law on Tuesday July 7 two bills politically popular bills.
The first allows 16-year-olds to donate blood with parental consent. Previous law said 17- and 18-year-olds can donate blood without parental consent but younger kids may not donate blood at all. High school students account for 10 percent of all blood donations and the law change is expected to bring in 10,000 more units per year.
The second bill drops the words “mental retardation” from the official titles of state and county agency names. The state Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities will be renamed the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
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Brunner: “I am in this race to stay”
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who faces Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, wants the world to know she has no plans to get out of the race.
In a blog post on her website, Brunner writes that she has been frequently prodded to give up her race for the U.S. Senate and instead run for re-election for Secretary of State.
One of the frequent topics is her fundraising - she has lagged far behind Fisher and further behind former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park. Portman has raised more than $1.5 million in the fundraising quarter that ended June 30. Neither Fisher nor Brunner has released their most recent numbers.
But she said she’s in it to stay.
“Public service for me has never been about the money. I know I must raise it. I always have, deliberately, steadily and having enough in the end to get the votes I need to win,” she wrote in a blog post on her site. “Because I grew up here, went to public school and state university here, lived much of this state’s history through my extended family’s stories and heritage, and because I believe in the future of Ohio, I am in this race, and I will not get out.”
Brunner also writes that she “vigorously” opposes “draconian cuts in state or federal funding that deprive the middle class of tools to achievement such as libraries.”
And she works to define herself as the fresh face in the race, describing Fisher as an insider.
“If this race for the U.S. Senate is about the trappings of insider politics, then I suspect Lee Fisher will be your man,” she writes. “But if Ohio’s Democratic faithful are willing to look toward a new way that is really nothing more than the old way of the Golden Rule, then Jennifer Brunner will be the first woman from Ohio to be both nominated and elected to the U.S. Senate.”
UPDATE: Here’s Fisher campaign manager Geri Prado’s take on the blog:
“Lee Fisher believes this campaign isn’t about him - it’s about Ohioans all across the state who are out or work, or worried about losing their job or their health care. If he gets the chance to serve in the Senate, he’ll continue what he’s always done in public life - fight for the hard working families of Ohio who are too often forgotten by politics-as-usual in Washington.”
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Senate GOP pitches new gambling idea
After picking apart Gov. Ted Strickland’s plan for slots at Ohio’s racetracks, Senate Republicans are pitching a constitutional amendment that would require voter approval in November. And the governor doesn’t like it at all.
Senate President Bill Harris outlined the new plan to Strickland in a two-page letter on Tuesday, July 7.
“The current VLT (video lottery terminal) proposal picks winners and losers and creates a gambling monopoly for a handful of predetermined property owners. We think that’s wrong,” Harris wrote. “A constitutional amendment could be constructed to ensure a fair, open, and competitive process for distributing licenses that would get the best deal for the taxpayers of Ohio.”
The Senate proposal is to competitively bid the 10-year licenses, starting at not less than $65 million per license. It does not specify where the slot machines would be placed.
“I don’t think it’s an answer to our budget problem,” Strickland said.
Lawmakers and Strickland are at a stalemate on how to close a $3.2 billion gap in the upcoming two-year state operating budget. Strickland proposed $2.4 billion in spending cuts plus adding VLTs at the racetracks to raise $933 million.
The state has been operating on weekly interim budgets since July 1 but the stopgap spending plans cost the state at least $13.7 million a week in lost fees and federal money, Strickland said.
Strickland said a small number of senators are blocking progress on the budget but declined to name them.
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Obama’s approval rating drops in Ohio
A new poll finds that President Barack Obama’s approval rating has dropped in Ohio to the lowest approval rating he’s had in the state since he was inaugurated.
Obama had a 49-44 percent approval rating in Ohio, down from 62-31 percent in a May 6 survey by Quinnipiac University, which regularly polls Ohio because it is a swing state.
Ohioans also disapproved of the way Obama is handling the economy by a 48 to 46 percent, down from a 57 to 36 percent margin May 6.
Sixty-six percent of Ohioans, meanwhile, are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the state.
The poll also found Democrats Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner are virtually tied for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio.
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Lt. Gov. gets endorsement love
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in 2010, claimed 10 endorsements from female members of the Ohio General Assembly Monday, July 6, according to his campaign.
They are: state Sens. Sue Morano, D-Lorain, and Nina Turner, D-Cleveland; and state Reps. Linda Bolon, D-Columbiana, Barbara Boyd, D-Cleveland, Edna Brown, D-Toledo, Denise Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, Nancy Garland, D-Gahanna, Marian Harris, D-Columbus, Sandra Stabile Harwood, D-Niles and Connie Pillich, D-Montgomery.
Fisher faces Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who is retiring. Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, is also running.
Fisher already has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, among others.
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Voters back ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation
By a large margin, Ohio voters backed a proposed state law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In the Quinnipiac University Poll released on Friday, July 3, voters supported the ban 57-35 percent.
They opposed same-sex marriage 60-33 percent but were in a virtual tie on same-sex civil unions, 46 percent for and 47 percent against.
The poll was taken from July 26 through Wednesday, July 1, with 1,259 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
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Poll: Voters support slots at tracks but want vote
Ohio voters overwhelming support putting video slot machines at Ohio racetracks but they want to have the final say on the issue, not the state legislature.
Those are results from a new Quinnipiac University Poll released on Friday, July 3, and they come as the debate over video slots continues to block agreement on a new state budget.
The poll found voters support putting slots at the tracks 65-31 percent. However, they said even louder, 84-13 percent, that they should decide the issue in a referendum and not leave it to the legislature.
Gov. Ted Strickland wants the legislature to authorize putting slots at the tracks without a vote of the people. Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, says voters should decide but that Strickland can do it on his own if he wants by expanding the Ohio Lottery. Voters four times since 1990 have rejected expanded gambling proposals.
The poll also found that voters support a proposed ballot issue to allow casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus. Also, voters by a 60-36 percent spread; support legalized gambling in general.
The poll was taken from July 26 through Wednesday, July 1, with 1,259 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
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Strickland approval drops sharply in new poll.
Gov. Ted Strickland looks politically vulnerable in a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Friday, July 3.
The poll showed that 46 percent of Ohio voters approved Strickland’s performance while 42 percent disapproved, down from 57-29 percent margin in a May 6 survey. This was the Democratic governor’s lowest approval rating since a 45-12 percent score on Feb. 1, 2007, just a month after he took office.
Voters disapproved Strickland’s handling of the state budget, 53-32 percent about the same as the 53-33 percent disapproval they gave him for handling the economy. Also, by a 40-34 percent margin they said Strickland had not kept his campaign promises.
The poll showed that former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, the Cedarville Republican, running neck-and-neck with Strickland in the 2010 governor’s race, with DeWine at 40 percent and Strickland at 41 percent.
DeWine, however, is expected to run for attorney general. Former U.S. Rep. John Kasich of suburban Columbus, the likely GOP candidate for governor next year, trails Strickland 43-38 percent, compared to 51-32 percent on May 6.
In GOP primary matchup, Kasich leads DeWine, 35-32 percent, a virtual tie but better for Kasich than the 35-23 percent lead DeWine had on May 6.
“The lousy economy and its impact on any politician’s ability to deliver the goods have taken their toll on governors throughout the nation and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is feeling the heat,” Peter Brown, assistant poll director, said in a press release.
“In addition, the squabbling over the state budget has taken its toll on Strickland’s image, and that of the legislature as well.”
While Strickland’s approval rating was down, he fared much better than the state legislature.
Voters disapproved of the legislature’s performance, 49-31 percent.
That’s less of a problem for individual legislators than it is for Strickland, however, said Brown. There’s only one governor and voters can take out their frustrations by voting against him or her.
However, while voters might be down on the legislature as a whole, they tend to look more favorably on the legislator representing them, Brown said.
The poll surveyed 1,259 Ohio voters from June 26 Wednesday, July 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
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Strickland won’t do slots without lawmaker OK
Gov. Ted Strickland on Thursday July 2 urged lawmakers to negotiate throughout the holiday weekend until a budget deal is struck.
He also said he cannot legally put video lottery terminals at Ohio’s racetracks without a law change. Last month, Strickland proposed adding video slot machines at the seven horse tracks as a way to generate $933 million over two years for the state budget but Senate Republicans are balking.
Strickland had said that he opposed expanding gambling, particularly since Ohio voters have said No to four gambling proposals since 1990. But he switched course to help bail out the budget even though it may be used against him later.
“I own the VLT issue. Some people say I’m looking for cover. Let me say to you as clearly as I can say it: I own that issue,” Strickland said. “And I realize that it is very likely to be an accusation in some future political campaign.”
The governor declined to answer whether he’d pick tax hikes or more budget cuts to balance the budget if the slot machine proposal doesn’t pass.
Ohio is facing a $3.2 billion budget gap for the upcoming two-year operating budget. Strickland noted that Ohio isn’t as bad off as some states that failed to pass new budget plans and discontinued negotiations.
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Chris Celeste backs Brunner over Fisher for U.S. Senate
Christopher Celeste, son of former Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste, is backing Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner over Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in 2010.
Celeste had considered entering the Senate race himself but in a statement released on Wednesday, July 1, said he “ultimately decided entering this particular race, at this particular time, would not be in my party’s, or my, best interest.”
He said both Fisher and Brunner were “formidable politicians.”
“….I have decided to support, invest in and personally work of behalf of Jennifer Brunner….,” he said.
“Jennifer’s public leadership demonstrates an impressive mix of creativity, collaboration and courage.”
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Portman expected to raise more than $1.5 million
Tuesday was the deadline for quarterly filing for the candidates for U.S. Senate, and while Democrats Jennifer Brunner and Lee Fisher aren’t revealing what they’ve raised - some of the checks are still coming in - Republican Rob Portman expects to raise more than $1.5 million, according to sources close to the campaign.
Portman raised $1.7 million last quarter, and the source said he would not be surprised if Portman, a former Cincinnati-area congressman and budget director for the Bush administration, raised that much again.
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House to hear from budget cut casualties
With no end in sight to Ohio’s budget crisis, the House Finance Committee on Thursday, July 2, will begin hearings on what harm an additional $933 million in budget cuts would do to Ohio’s needy.
House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, said the hearings are needed because the Republican-controlled Senate apparently is unwilling to authorize video slots at Ohio racetracks to raise the $933 million.
Budish said the committee wants to hear from “real people” about the pain more cuts would cause. Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, said the hearings will focus on “people who need food, people who need housing.”
The House hearings will start just as a new five-member Senate panel begins its hearings on Strickland’s slots proposal. Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Toledo, said the hearings will explore legal issues surrounding the slots plan and revenue estimates.
“I think Ohioans are tired of legislation by crisis,” said Wagoner, who will chair the hearings.
Also Wednesday, the House voted 84-11 for a second seven-day budget lasting from July 8-14. The current seven-day budget started Wednesday.
Talks on a permanent two-year budget have broken down over the slots’ proposal. Strickland says he needs legislative authority to proceed. Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, says Strickland already has the authority to expand the Ohio Lottery to include the slots.
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Senate President schedules hearings on Guv’s gambling plan
Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, announced on Wednesday, July 1,that he’s setting up a five-member Senate panel to examine whether Gov. Ted Strickland needs legislative authority to authorize video slot machines at Ohio racetracks.
“I continue to believe that the voters of Ohio should have the say,” Harris said in a press release. “The governor demands that legislators vote to allow him to expand gambling. How can the governor expect anyone to support him if we don’t even know what his plan actually is?”
Hearings will begin Thursday, July 2, said Harris.
The hearings could further delay efforts to agree on a new two-year budget. The state is operating on a seven-day temporary budget. The new fiscal year began on Wednesday.
A dispute between Strickland and Harris over the slots’ proposal has left negotiations on a new state budget in a stalemate. Strickland says he need legislative authority for the slots; Harris says Strickland already has the authority so expand the Ohio Lottery to include the slots.
The plan would bring in $933 million over two years to help fill a $3.2 billion budget hole, Strickland has said.
Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Toledo, will chair the task force holding the hearings.
Harris said he wants these questions answered:
*How did Strickland arrive at the $933 million figure?
*What happens to school funding if revenue projections don’t pan out? Lottery profits go to schools.
*Would the state and schools get more money if licenses for the slots were competitively bid?
*Is the Ohio Lottery Commission prepared to immediately take on new duties?
“Up until eleven days ago, the governor and I shared the same concerns about expanded gambling n Ohio,” Harris said. “Legislative hearings will help senators better understand the specifics of the gambling proposal the governor now say she supports.”
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Minors’ abortion records off limits, court says
In a split decision released Wednesday, July 1, the Ohio Supreme Court said the parents of a Cincinnati teen who had an abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic do not have the right to other minors’ medical records.
The parents of “Jane Roe,” who had an abortion in March 2004 as a 14-year-old, filed suit against Planned Parenthood, alleging the clinic didn’t properly get parental consent for the abortion or notify authorities of suspected sexual abuse of a minor. Although the clinic staff called a man who Jane said was her father and received consent, it turned out that it was her 21-year-old soccer coach, John Haller, on the other end. Later police found that Jane had been sexually abused and impregnated by Haller.
The lawsuit claimed Planned Parenthood’s handling of Jane’s case was part of a pattern involving minors who had obtained abortions.
As part of their lawsuit, the Roe family wanted copies of all medical records and child abuse reports for every minor who sought an abortion from the clinic in the last 10 years.
The court found that state law in effect at the time of the suit did not create a right to confidential medical records of people not involved in the lawsuit, even if the records redacted personal identifying information. The justices also said the earlier version of the law did not allow for civil damages for the clinic’s alleged failure to report the suspected abuse of Jane.
The court issued a separate opinion Wednesday in another case involving abortion. An appeals court handling a lawsuit over the constitutionality of Ohio’s law governing the prescription of RU-486 asked the Supreme Court for an interpretation of the 2004 law. The court said the law requires physicians prescribing RU-486 to follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations and treatment protocols.
Doctors are usually permitted to prescribe different doses and protocols once the FDA has approved a drug. Ohio’s law prohibits such “off-label” uses for RU-486. The FDA regulations call for administering the drug up to 49 days into a pregnancy while a common off-label protocol is to give it up to 63 days into a pregnancy.
