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March 2010
Ohio BMV picks Beautiful Ohio plate as standard issue
The new “Beautiful Ohio” license plate is so popular that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles decided to make it the standard issue design starting in June.
The bucolic scene on the new plate replaces the old “Sunburst” red-white-and-blue design that’s been available since March 2004. But fans of those plates will still be able to order those as replacement plates through June 6 and as new plates through November 30.
The “Beautiful Ohio” plates made their debut in November 2009 after sitting in a Columbus warehouse for a year. Since they became available, they’ve been outselling the Sunburst plates by a three-to-one margin, the BMV said.
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TweetRob Portman: people want a change to the status quo!
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman blasted out a fund-raising e-mail message to supporters on Wednesday, March 31, that says, in part: “I am out on the campaign trail in western Ohio today, and I don’t have to tell you, people are ready for a change to the status quo!”
The wording might leave the recipient wondering if Ohioans like the current status quo or if they want to change to the status quo when Portman was part of it. Or maybe readers might conclude that Portman’s campaign staff needs to do a better job proof reading before hitting the send button.
“It was a typo. A typo,” Portman campaign spokeswoman Jessica Towhey.
Portman, a former Congressman, White House budget director and U.S. trade representative, will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary between Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.
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TweetCOAST endorses Shannon Jones in GOP state Senate primary
COAST, the anti-tax, anti-government spending group, has endorsed incumbent Shannon Jones of Springboro in the Republican primary in the 7th Senate District, which includes Warren County and part of Hamilton County.
Former state Rep. Michelle Schneider, also a former Madeira mayor, is running for the GOP nomination against Jones. Jones was appointed to the seat last August to fill a vacancy caused by the death of former Sen. Robert Schuler.
“In endorsing Jones, COAST cited not just her promises on fiscal issues, but also her solid voting record in both the Ohio House and Senate against tax and spending increases,” a press release issued on Wednesday, March 31, said.
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TweetDems on top in Ohio in new poll
Democratic fortunes appear to be on the upswing among Ohio voters as a new poll finds Gov. Ted Strickland leading for re-election and both Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate ahead of their likely Republican opponent.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released on Wednesday, March 31, also found Democratic President Barack Obama’s approval in Ohio on the rebound after congressional approval of his health care overhaul plan.
In the governor’s race, Strickland leads Republican John Kasich, the former suburban Columbus U.S. House member, 43-38 percent, about the same as Strickland’s lead in a Feb. 23 poll. Strickland’s job approval rating - 49-40 percent - and favorability rating - 46-35 percent - are statistically the same as in the February poll.
Despite his edge against Kasich, Strickland fares poorly with voters when it comes to his handling of the economy. Just 35 percent approve of his handling of the economy, compared to 52 percent who disapprove.
In the Senate race, Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher leads Republican Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member, 41-37 percent, reversing a 40-37 percent lead for Portman last month.
Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner also leads Portman, but just barely, 38-37 percent, reversing a 40-35 percent Republican lead last month.
Obama’s approval rating is now an almost even as 47 percent approve and 48 percent disapprove, up from last month when 52 percent disapproved and 44 percent approved.
“Perhaps it’s the passage of the health care overhaul and the fact that people like being with a winner,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
Whether it’s the beginning of a long-term trend, won’t be known for some time, “perhaps until November,” said Brown.
The poll also finds that most Ohioans still oppose Obama’s health care overhaul, but opposition is waning. In the new poll, voters disapprove the plan, 50-43 percent, compared to 55-36 percent in November.
Independent voters appear to be helping Obama. They disapproved his performance 57-38 percent in February, but in the new poll disapprove his performance 40-54 percent.
Not all the news is good for Democrats. The poll finds that voters say 38-25 percent that they are more likely to vote against their congressman if he or she supported Obama’s health care overhaul.
Also, voters narrowly say, 46-44 percent, that they don’t want the state’s next U.S. senator to generally Obama’s policies.
Obama still fares better than former Republican President George W. Bush. Voters say by a 45-32 percent margin that Obama is a better president. Even independents give Obama the edge, 35-31 percent.
The poll interviewed 1,526 registered voters from March 23 to Monday, March 29, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
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TweetDems would give up moratorium to get deal on foreclosure help
The Democratic sponsors of legislation aimed at helping Ohioans survive the foreclosure crisis would consider giving up a six-month moratorium on foreclosures if it would help get a deal with the Republican-controlled Senate on other key elements of foreclosure prevention.
“If it helps the bill I’m willing to be practical,” state Rep. Michael Foley, D-Cleveland, said on Tuesday, March 30, after a press conference. Rep. Denise Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, joint sponsor with Foley of House Bill 3, also attended the press conference and said she would consider dropping the moratorium to get agreement with the Senate.
Key elements that Driehaus and Foley said need to stay in the bill include: state regulation of mortgage servicers and a requirement that a filing fee of $750 and a current appraisal accompany the filing for a residential mortgage foreclosure.
The two lawmakers complained that the Senate has taken no action on House Bill 3 since the house passed it last May and the foreclosure crisis has continued in Ohio. They also complained that the Senate hasn’t acted on House Bill 9, also passed by the House last May.
It protects tenants when their landlords face foreclosure.
Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said it was ‘good” that House Democrats would give up on the moratorium but expressed little interest in working on House Bill 3.
Rather, he said House Democrats should work with Senate Republicans on Senate Bill 197, sponsored by Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, setting up mandatory mediation in foreclosure cases.
Harris said he didn’t have a timetable for the Senate to act on Jones’ bill.
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TweetBill Clinton seeks campaign cash for Lee Fisher
Former President Bill Clinton is seeking campaign cash for Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in Fisher’s campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.
In an e-mail on Tuesday, March 30, Clinton asked for contributions of $5 or more by Wednesday, close of the first quarter of 2010. Candidates must file campaign finance reports detailing first quarter activity.
“On March 31, at midnight, the first quarter of 2010 will come to a close and Lee will have to file a critically important financial disclosure report,” Clinton said in the e-mail.
“With a tough primary just weeks away, you can help give Lee a crucial shot of momentum by doing your part to strengthen this report.
“Make a donation of $5 or more before midnight on March 31 and help show you’re there with Lee!
“Honestly, I don’t think the man could stop fighting if he tried.”
Fisher is running against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination. The winner will take on Republican Rob Portman, who is unopposed for the GOP nomination. Portman is a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and budget director and U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush.
Fisher had a big advantage over Brunner in the most recent campaign finance reports, with $1.8 million on hand, compared to $60,859 for Brunner. Portman, however, was way ahead of both of them with $6 million on hand.
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TweetFisher leads Brunner in Dem Senate primary; many voters undecided
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher leads Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner among likely voters in the race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, but 40 percent are undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, March 30.
Also, the poll, released with five weeks to go in the primary, found that 65 percent of those who back a candidate say they might change their mind.
Overall, Fisher leads 33-26 percent, with the 40 percent undecided. The winner will face Republican Rob Portman, a former U.S. House member from suburban Cincinnati, in the general election. Portman is unopposed for the GOP nomination.
“Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher is ahead as the candidates enter the home stretch, but the lead is not that large and the size of the undecided vote with a relatively short period until primary election day underscores the volatility of the contest,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
A big plus for Fisher appears to be voters’ belief that he’d have a better chance of defeating Portman, a former budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush.
By about a two-to-one margin - 37 to 18 percent - voters say Fisher would be more likely than Brunner to win the general election. Still, 42 percent say they don’t know.
With so many undecided voters, a key factor in the next five weeks will be the candidates’ ability to get their messages out to undecided voters. According to the most recent campaign finance reports, Fisher is much better equipped with campaign cash for possible TV ads. He had $1.8 million on hand, compared to $60,859 for Brunner. Brunner, however, has said she can overcome this disadvantage with a strong grassroots effort.
The poll, released on the same day that early voting starts across the state, finds that many Democrats don’t know much about either candidate.
Fisher, active in statewide politics for nearly two decades, gets a favorable rating from 33 percent, with 8 percent unfavorable, but 56 percent say they don’t know enough about him to judge.
Brunner, meanwhile, has a 24-7 favorable-unfavorable rating, but about two thirds - 67 percent- say they don’t know enough about her to have an opinion.
The poll was taken from Thursday, March 25 to Sunday, March 28, with 978 Ohio likely Democratic primary voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
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TweetOhio loses out to Tennessee and Delaware
Federal education officials picked Tennessee and Delaware — not Ohio — to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in the first round of Race to the Top funding, officials said Monday, March 29.
Earlier this year, 41 states applied to get a piece of the new $4.35 billion program being established by the Obama administration to encourage innovation in education. Ohio made the first cut as one of 16 semi-finalists but only Tennessee and Delaware were tapped for first-round funding.
Gov. Ted Strickland and State Superintendent Deborah Delisle said in a written statement that they were disappointed but pledged to retool Ohio’s application for round two of funding. “Our students deserve our best efforts to transform education and to build on the tremendous progress that we are making in Ohio,” they said. Ohio requested $409 million in Race to the Top funding.
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TweetHusted, Brunner clash on party switch directive
State Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, a candidate for the GOP nomination for secretary of state, is clashing with Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner over Brunner’s directive on challenges to voters switching parties to vote in primaries.
Husted on Monday, March 29, called on Brunner to rescind the directive. It requires that Democratic and Republican voters switching to the other major party in the May 4 primary be challenged and that they sign a form saying they support the principles of their new party.
“With absentee balloting to start on Tuesday, this last-minute directive will cost boards of elections both time and money and wrongly deny voters of both major political parties the right to have their voice heard in this primary election,” Husted said in a press release.
Husted also said it “adds unnecessary bureaucracy and confusion to voting and undermines our local elections officials.”
Jeff Ortega, spokesman for Brunner, said the directive follows “long-standing state law.”
“This is nothing new,” he said. “….There’s no authority for the secretary of state to waive state law. It’s interesting that Sen. Husted believes you can waive state law.”
The directive does not apply to those switching to the Libertarian, Green, Socialist or Constitutional parties which were certified this year as minor parties for the first time, according to the directive.
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TweetEarly voting for May 4 primary starts Tuesday
Early voting for Ohio’s May 4 primary starts on Tuesday, March 30.
Voters may vote by mail or in person at county boards of elections. Voters don’t have to have a special reason to cast ballots early.
For a directory of county boards of elections, click here.
Nancy D. White, a retired school teacher in Harrison Township in Montgomery County, is among those who plan to vote early. She said she’ll cast her ballot by mail.
“It gives you an opportunity to actually read what the issues are,” said White.
In the 2008 presidential election, about 30 percent of the votes were cast by early voting.
The deadline for registering to vote in the primary is April 5.
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TweetMiddle class must sacrifice to close deficit - poll
Middle class Americans will have to make financial sacrifices to close the federal budget deficit, according to a national Quinnipiac Poll of registered voters released on Monday, March 29.
In the poll, 84 percent said middle class sacrifices must be made but more than 75 percent oppose raising income taxes on the middle class or limiting the growth of Social Security and Medicare.
As for the correct recipe to reduce the deficit, 49 percent said all budget reductions should come through spending cuts while 4 percent wanted only tax hikes. Forty two percent favored a combination.
If there’s a combination of cuts and tax hikes, 29 percent wanted an equal amount from each while 52 percent supported more spending cuts and 12 percent backed larger amounts in tax increases.
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, said in a press release that Social Security and Medicare are the two largest domestic items in the budget, make up more than a third of federal spending and in future years will eat up even a larger percentage of federal budgets.
“Given those numbers, it’s clear that those who want serious budget deficit reduction have their work cut out for them in convincing the public, which seems adamantly opposed to cutting the programs with the largest budgets,” said Brown.
There was bipartisan agreement on both the need to sacrifice and opposition to higher taxes on the middle class.
On the need to sacrifice, 92 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of independents felt that way. On raising taxes on the middle class, 83 percent of Republicans, 81 percent of independents and 75 percent of Democrats were opposed.
There also was no partisan gap in the opposition to limiting the growth of Social Security and Medicare. On Social Security, 73 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of independents were opposed.
On Medicare, 80 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independents said “no.”
The poll was conducted March 16 - March 21 with 1,907 registered voters nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
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TweetTV ad thanks U.S. Rep. Driehaus for health care support
Groups backing the health care overhaul signed into law by President Barack Obama have released TV ads thanking members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, from Ohio’s First District, who voted for the plan.
The ads on CNN and MSNBC, started Thursday, March 25, and will continue through Tuesday, March 30, a press release said. The groups behind the ads are Progress Ohio, a liberal advocacy organization, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Health Care for America Now, a health care campaign.
“Congressman Driehaus proved he is on our side by voting ‘yes’ on the health care bill,” Brian Rothenberg of Progress Ohio said in the press release. “This is an historic moment, and we are proud that Rep. Driehaus will be on the right side of history.”
The $63,000 for the Driehaus ad buy is part of a larger $1,000,000 thank you advertising campaign led by HCAN and AFSCME, the release said. Driehaus faces a tough re-election campaign against former U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati.
Here’s the Driehaus ad:
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TweetNon-union contractors endorse Morgan in GOP auditor’s race
Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, Inc., the non-union or “merit shop” contractors’ group, has endorsed state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, for the Republican nomination for state auditor, Morgan’s campaign announced on Friday, March 26.
“As state representative, Seth Morgan demonstrated he has the character and strength to be a strong, independent and trustworthy watchdog of the Ohio treasury,” Thaddeus Claggett, Chairman of the ABC of Ohio board, said in a press release.
Morgan is running for the GOP nomination against Delaware County prosecutor Dave Yost. Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper is the Democratic candidate.
Associated Builders and Contractors is the largest construction association devoted to the merit shop contractor, the press release said. ABC of Ohio includes three Ohio chapters, representing nearly 1,000 companies, the release said.
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TweetSen. Voinovich blasts violence in health care protests
U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, on Thursday, March 25, issued a statement sharply criticizing violence associated with protests against the new health care overhaul signed into law by Democratic President Barack Obama.
Here is the statement from Voinovich, Ohio’s senior senator, who is retiring at the end of this year:
“The national debate on health care has been at times frustrating, heated and tense.
“While I am absolutely opposed to what the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats have done - on both the policy and process - I cannot condone any action of violence or threat of violence against anyone who holds views different from my own.
“Our country is looked upon around the world as the beacon for fair and free elections; a democracy unparalleled in history. Voters spoke in 2008 and this is a clear illustration that elections have significant consequences.
“For those who have concerns, I would urge them to circle November 2, 2010, on their calendars - the day their voices can and will be heard the loudest and clearest. That is the way Americans express their dissatisfaction with elected officials whose decisions they disagree with. Violence against any person in public office or their family is reprehensible and shall not stand.”
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TweetRomney takes early 2012 lead in Ohio
It’s a long way off but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has taken a narrow lead among Republican primary voters in Ohio for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination in a poll released on Thursday, March 25.
In the survey from Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., Romney got 32 percent support, compared to 28 percent for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and 26 percent for Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate.
Romney also led Huckabee and Palin in a similar poll in Wisconsin, where he got 32 percent compared to 27 percent for Palin and 23 percent for Huckabee.
“It’s far too early to declare someone the leading candidate for the 2012 Republican nomination,” Dean Debnam, PPP president, said in a press release. “But it’s certainly not bad news for Mitt Romney that we find him leading in state after state after state.”
The poll surveyed 400 GOP primary voters in both Ohio and Wisconsin on Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, and each survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
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TweetDemocratic county chairman thinks some protests going too far
This entry comes from Steve Bennish, staff writer:
Someone threw a heavy rock at a picture window fronting the Hamilton County Democratic Headquarters on Sunday night, an act suspected of being connected to the contentious health care vote in Congress.
The four-foot by eight-foot window at the party’s headquarters in Cincinnati’s Pleasant Ridge neighborhood will have to be replaced.
Caleb Faux, executive director of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, said Wednesday, March 24, that the attack comes amid hateful telephone calls to the office and other abuse heaped on Democratic political offices elsewhere.
The calls have been about the health care debate in Congress, he said. The window vandalism is the first in the three years the party has occupied its office there.
“Suddenly, in the heat of all of that (debate), somebody is throwing rocks at our windows. It’s hard to not think it’s connected.” He added: “When people call me and are angry, I always try to talk to them.
“If they are remotely able to engage in discussion, we can talk. I spent an hour on the phone talking to one woman. But other people call me. One woman was convinced that (White House Chief of Staff) Rahm Emanuel is Iranian and gay, and that Barack Obama is a Muslim. It’s just nuts.”
Faux said that Congressman Steve Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, has gotten death threats. There’s talk of organizing protests at his home.
“In the past few weeks we’ve gotten many, many calls” Faux said.
The rhetoric has tipped over into murderous rants.
One furious caller advocated taking Democrats to “concentration camps” for extermination by means a lethal gas used by the Nazi regime, Faux said.
“This is not how we engage in political discussion in this country,” Faux said.
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TweetStrickland, Kasich both back plan to move casino
Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and former U.S. Rep. John Kasich, Strickland’s Republican challenger for re-election, have endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that would permit moving a proposed Columbus casino from the city’s upscale Arena District to a closed GM plant on the west side.
Both the Ohio Republican Party and Ohio Democratic Party also have endorsed State Issue 2 on the May 4 ballot, according to a press release from the campaign for the amendment.
“The Ohio legislature’s strong bipartisan support for this ballot proposal speaks volumes.” Strickland said in a prepared statement.
” … While this initiative asks Ohioans to support an address change for the planned Columbus casino development, it will in fact mean the revitalization of a former GM Delphi auto-parts plant that has been vacant for years on Columbus’ West Side.”
Kasich, from suburban Columbus, in his statement, said:
“I support Issue 2, which will give Columbus local control in determining the location of its casino and in determining the future course of economic development plans for its downtown.”
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TweetPoll: Opposition to health care overhaul dropping
American voters still mostly disapprove of the overhaul of the health care system but opposition is dropping, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday, March 25.
The poll also finds that President Barack Obama gets a small positive bounce from passage of his priority legislation but that his approval grades still are low.
In the survey, voters disapproved of the health care overhaul, 49-40 percent, compared to 54-36 percent disapproval before the vote.
Also, 45 percent of the voters in the poll on Monday, March 22, and Tuesday, March 23, approved Obama’s performance after passage of the health care bill, compared to 46 percent who approved his performance and 49 percent who disapproved it in a survey that concluded on Sunday, March 21, when the House gave final passage to the bill.
Still, voters trusted Obama more than Republicans in Congress to handle health care, 45-35 percent, compared to a 42-42 percent split before the House vote.
Also, voters said 51-40 percent that action proposed by several state attorneys general to block the health care plan is a “bad idea.”
A vote for the bill, however, could affect lawmakers’ re-election chances. Just 25 percent of voters said they’d be more likely to vote for a member of Congress who voted for the bill compared to 38 percent who said they’d be less likely to vote for a supporter.
“The White House believes that now that the legislation has been signed into law they can sell it to the American people,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“Approval of health care reform is growing - or disapproval is shrinking - but the president still has his work cut out for him.”
From March 16 to Sunday, March 21, the poll surveyed 1,907 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
From Monday, March 22 to Tuesday, March 23, the poll talked to 1,552 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
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TweetKeyes to guest at tea party event
Former presidential candidate and conservative commentator Alan Keyes will be the keynote speaker at the Dayton Tea Party’s April 13 rally.
The event, dubbed a “Freedom Rally”, will be held at the Ervin J. Nutter Center at 7 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
According to the group, other speakers include U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, former U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen, Greg McAfee, president and owner of McAfee Heating and Air, Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani, founder and chairman of RagingElephants.org, author William Federer, talk show host C.L. Bryant and Steve Curtis, Ohio Director of Fairtax.
The Dayton Tea Party is partnering with the Homemakers for America in hosting the rally. The event is free but special seating is available for $15.
For more information visit www.daytonlibertyweek.com.
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TweetHouse gives final OK to sale of former Twin Valley hospital
The House gave final legislative approval, 98-0, on Wednesday, March 24, to legislation approving the sale of the former Twin Valley state psychiatric hospital in Dayton to Amamata LLC, a private Columbus-area health care company.
Approval of the sale was added in the Senate as an amendment to House Bill 313, legislation that permits counties to organize land banks to acquire abandoned properties and make plans for reusing them.
The Senate gave its approval to the amended version of House Bill 313 and sent it back to the House for the 98-0 concurrence vote.
Gov. Ted Strickland will sign the bill, said Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman.
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TweetOhio House OKs texting-while-driving ban
The Ohio House on Wednesday, March 24, approved legislation that bans text messaging while driving.
The vote was 86-12. The bill now goes to the Senate. House Bill 415 makes texting while driving a primary offense - a motorist can be stopped for this activity alone - and sets a maximum penalty of a $150 fine. It provides a six-month grace period during which only warnings would be issued.
Twenty states, the District of Columbia and Guam already ban text messaging for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Fifteen states, Washington, D.C. and Guam have primary enforcement.
Rep. Barbara Sears, R-Sylvania, spoke against the bill. She said the real problem is distracted driving which includes shaving, putting on makeup and many other activities besides texting. Police should be encouraged to enforce existing laws against distracted driving, Sears said.
“I think we need to keep our eye on what the real issue is, teaching ourselves to be more attentive when we drive,” Sears said.
Rep. John Domenick, D-Smithfield, said he was tired of waiting to pass the bill. There are plenty of other distracting activities, including “scratching yourself.” The issue, he said, was “texting.”
“It’s time to save lives,” Domenick said.
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TweetLand bank bill clears Senate
The Ohio Senate voted 31-1 on Wednesday, March 24, for a bill that allows more counties to set up land banks, a tool used for redeveloping blighted properties.
Sponsored by state Representatives Roland Winburn, D-Dayton, and Peter Ujvagi, D-Toledo, the bill allows counties with populations of 60,000 or more to establish a County Land Reutilization Corporation. About 40 Ohio counties will qualify but they won’t be required to establish land banks.
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TweetPoll: Portman has slight edge in U.S. Senate race
Republican Rob Portman has a slight edge over both Democratic candidates- Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher - among voters in the U.S. Senate race in a poll released on Wednesday, March 24.
The major finding from the poll from Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., however, was that voters don’t know much about any of the major candidates in the race to replace Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who is retiring.
About two-thirds - 66 percent - don’t know enough about Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush, to have an opinion about him..
Sixty two percent said the same thing for Brunner and 55 percent weren’t sure what to think of Fisher.
In the matchups, Portman leads Brunner, 38-37 percent, a virtual tie, and is ahead of Fisher, 41-36 percent.
A key to the race may be how voters feel about Democratic President Barack Obama and that’s not good for Democrats. Fifty-three percent disapprove of the president’s job performance while just 40 percent give Obama good marks.
“None of the candidates in Ohio is really standing out right now,” Dean Debnam, Public Policy Polling president, said in a press release.
“But if Barack Obama’s numbers in the state remain this low it’s not likely to elect a Democratic senator this year. His popularity could be the deciding factor in the race.”
The poll was taken Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, with 630 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
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TweetNew poll: Voters favor Tea Party - barely
More American voters - 28 percent - favor the Tea Party than have an unfavorable opinion - 23 percent -, but nearly half - 49 percent - don’t know enough about the movement to take a position.
That’s a key finding of a national Quinnipiac University Poll released on Wednesday, March 24.
The poll also found that if Tea Party candidates are on the ballot in congressional races, Democrats would benefit. Voters overall said by a 44-39 percent margin that they will vote for a Republican over a Democratic candidate for Congress.
However, if a Tea Party candidate is on the ballot, the Democrat would get 36 percent while the Republican would get 25 percent and the Tea Party candidate, 15 percent, the poll found.
“The Tea Party movement could be a Republican dream or a Republican nightmare,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“Members could be a boon to the GOP if they are energized enough to support Republican candidates. But if the Tea Party were to run its own candidates for office, any votes its candidates received would to a very great extent be coming from the GOP column.”
The Tea Party movement has been active both nationally and in Ohio, most recently helping lead the opposition to the overhaul of the health care system just signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Other key findings in the poll:
*74 percent of those in the Tea Party are Republicans or independent voters leaning Republican.
*16 percent in the Tea Party are Democrats or independents leaning Democratic.
*5 percent are solidly independent.
*55 percent in the movement are women; 45 percent are men.
*88 percent are white.
*77 percent voted for Sen. John McCain for president in 2008; 15 percent voted for Obama.
Brown said that the poll paints a picture of the Tea Party as a movement that takes in a broad swath of the American middle class, but right now is a minority group. The numbers in the Tea Party equate to about the size of the African-American electorate overall, said Brown.
The poll surveyed 1,907 voters from March 16 - Sunday, March 21 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
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TweetOhio senator to introduce legislation challenging health care bill
State Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, on Wednesday, March 24, is set to unveil legislation that would prohibit requiring individuals to obtain health insurance policies.
Jones and Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, have scheduled a news conference to discuss the legislation which would undo part of the historic health care bill signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Grendell, with Jones as a cosponsor, already has proposed a constitutional amendment similar to the legislation being introduced Wednesday. The idea is to work both on a constitutional amendment and a state law, said Jones.
Grendell and Jones are trying to put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot by a vote of the legislature while Tea Party activists have started a campaign to get a similar amendment on the ballot by gathering signatures from registered voters.
“We’re advancing on all kinds of tracks,” Jones said.
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TweetJones drives and tweets. At the same time?
Democrats are accusing state Sen. Shannon Jones of tweeting while driving on the eve of a House vote on a bill that would ban such dangerous activity.
Jones, R-Springboro, sent out three text messages using Twitter between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23, and arrived in Columbus for legislative meetings around 10 a.m. but Jones said the 9 a.m. messages were sent while she stopped for gas.
“I was driving. Period. And then I was tweeting. Both of those things happened but not at the same time,” Jones said.
Jones, who is critical of the Strickland administration’s plan to bring passenger rail to Ohio, tweeted: “Sshhhh… Don’t tell anyone but I’m driving twice as fast on 71 to Columbus as Strickland’s slow speed rail.” and “Even my soccer mom mobile can far exceed slow rail speeds.”
State Rep. Nancy Garland, D-New Albany, who is sponsoring a bill to ban texting while driving, scolded Jones.
“She obviously enjoys engaging in social media, but sending a text message while driving is not appropriate,” Garland said. “Texting while driving is dangerous and I would hope Sen. Jones would set a better example. Perhaps when my texting bill gets to the Senate, she will take the time to understand the potential consequences of distracted driving.”
The American Automobile Association recently found that someone sending a text message is 50 percent more likely to be in an accident.
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TweetKasich leads Strickland in new poll, 42-37%
Republican challenger John Kasich leads incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, 42-37 percent among Ohio voters in a poll released on Tuesday, March 23 by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C.
Kasich, a former U.S. House member from suburban Columbus and former Lehman Bros. investment banker, has the lead even though 50 percent of those in the poll said they didn’t know enough about him to have an opinion. Of the 50 percent who did know Kasich, 25 percent held a favorable opinion and 24 percent saw him negatively.
“Those usually aren’t the kinds of popularity numbers we see for someone leading an incumbent,” the poll analysis said.
The analysis added: “Strickland, though is an unusually popular incumbent.” The poll found 33 percent of voter approved of his job performance, while 47 percent disapproved.
“If you’re a politician right now, if you’re an incumbent, you’re not a popular guy. That’s pretty much universal,” Dean Debnam, Public Policy Polling president, said.
So far the election is a referendum on Strickland, the analysis said.
“One of the reasons Kasich is this far ahead is (that) he’s not Strickland,” said Debnam.
The poll was taken on Saturday, March 20, through Sunday, March 21, with 630 Ohio voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
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TweetLegislation aims to cut college textbook costs
Two Democratic Ohio House members on Tuesday, March 23, unveiled legislation aimed at cutting the cost of college textbooks.
“We must make the dream of attending college a reality for more Ohioans,” Rep. Matt Lundy of Elyria, who is a joint sponsor of the proposal with Rep. Matt Patten of Strongsville, said at a press conference.
Their proposal would: promote the use of e-book technology; require bulk purchasing programs for universities; improve book resale options for students and provide publishing requirements to aid students with disabilities, said Lundy
E-books in some cases cost just 52 percent of what printed books cost, said Lundy.
The bill would provide a two-year timetable for complying with the e-book requirements and publishing requirements for students with disabilities, said Lundy.
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TweetLake County GOP endorses Morgan in auditor’s race
The Lake County Republican Party in northeastern Ohio endorsed state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, for the GOP nomination for state auditor on Monday, March 22, Morgan’s campaign announced.
“The momentum and groundswell of support for Seth Morgan is astounding,” Rob Scott, Morgan’s campaign spokesman, said in a press release.
Morgan is running for the nomination against Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost.
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TweetDems won’t endorse in U.S. Senate primary
The Ohio Democratic Party won’t endorse in the race between Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, party spokesman Seth Bringman announced on Monday, March 22.
“The Lee Fisher for Ohio campaign has informed us that, in the spirit of Party unity, they will not pursue an Ohio Democratic Party endorsement,” Bringman said in an e-mail.
“The party remains neutral in the primary and united toward defeating Rob Portman and winning at all levels in November.”
The winner of the May 4 primary will face Republican Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush, in the general election.
Fisher and Brunner, who had opposed an endorsement, provided responses to the party’s decision.
Fisher sent a letter to members of the state party’s executive committee announcing his decision. It said in part:
“Well over 100 members of the Ohio Democratic Party State Executive Committee have pledged to support our campaign, and we have the support we need to earn the State Party’s endorsement in this primary.
“But it has become clear to me that winning such an endorsement may jeopardize our Party unity this Fall. There is simply too much at stake this year to risk dividing our Party. Therefore, I have decided that I will not seek the Ohio Democratic Party’s endorsement.
“In that spirit of unity, I pledge today that I will do everything in my power to elect Jennifer Brunner Ohio’s next Senator if she wins the May primary and becomes our nominee.”
John Collins, Fisher campaign spokesman, said the Fisher campaign earlier had asked the state party to consider an endorsement, which he described as a procedural request.
In a press release, Brunner said:
“I am pleased that the voters, not the party elite, will decide this contest.”
Her campaign had launched an e-mail campaign with her supporters urging executive committee members not to endorse. Her campaign said supporters sent more than 74,000 e-mails to executive committee members.
Brunner said she would not be able to pledge do do everything in her power to help Fisher win if he gains the nomination because of her position as secretary of state, Ohio’s chief elections officer.
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TweetConsumers expected to snap up rebates quickly
Ohioans looking to buy new energy efficient appliances in the coming weeks could be eligible for rebates worth $100 to $250, funded through $10.5 million in federal stimulus money.
The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel said the rebates will become available March 26 when the Ohio Department of Development launches the program. The rebates are expected to be exhausted within a few weeks.
“This program underscores the importance energy efficiency has for Ohioans,” Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said. “Consumers who take advantage of the rebates will see considerable savings on the purchase of new appliances and will save on energy and water costs for years to come.”
A purchase must be made after March 25 and the old appliance must be properly recycled. More information is available at www.OhioApplianceRebate.com.
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TweetAll local House members vote against health care bill
All Dayton-area members of Congress voted against the health care bill on Sunday night.
In a statement released late on Sunday, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, said he “opposed this bill because it will increase budget deficits and decrease the quality of our health care services. Furthermore, it will cut more than $500 billion in Medicare resulting in reduced health care for seniors.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, released the following statement:
“As America engaged in a national discussion over health care for the past year, I heard directly from thousands of our constituents. They called, e-mailed. wrote letters and attended town hall meetings. They talked to me at the grocery store and even traveled to Washington. Their message was clear: We don’t want this bill.”
“Unfortunately, instead of listening to the American people, Democrat leaders twisted arms, used taxpayer money to cut deals, and made a mockery of the legislative process in order to get the votes necessary to pass this legislation.”
“Our healthcare system needs reform, not a government takeover. I helped develop an alternative reform measure that was never considered, and I offered an amendment to this bill last week to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion, which was defeated when so-called pro-life Democrats changed their votes to no.”
“Americans want Congress to focus on job creation and getting federal spending under control. Instead, President Obama and Speaker Pelosi continue pressing forward with their big government agenda. Ten years from now, when the government-run health care system has grown beyond expectation and the American people are trying to stop Congress from rationing health care to contain costs; we will look back on this day with great regret.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, and U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, also voted against the bill.
Check here for how all members voted.
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TweetBoehner makes final plea against health care bill
As the last member of the House to speak before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the vote on the health care bill, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, gave a heated plea against the bill.
“Can you go home and tell your senior citizens that these cuts in Medicare will not limit their access to doctors or further weaken the program instead of strengthening it? No, you can not,” Boehner said. “And look at how this bill was written. Can you say it was done openly, with transparency and accountability without backroom deals struck behind closed doors, hidden from the people? Hell, no you can’t.”
Boehner’s House district represents parts of Dayton, Riverside and Huber Heights as well as Miami, Darke and Preble counies as well as parts of Mercer and Butler counties.
Watch his speech here:
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TweetBrunner mounts “no endorsement” campaign in Dem Senate race
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner doesn’t want the Ohio Democratic Party to make an endorsement in her race with Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.
“Hands Off Our Primary” is Brunner’s battle cry. In an e-mail, she said that Fisher has sent the state party a letter asking for its endorsement.
“Until now, the party has remained neutral. We need your help to keep it that way—not just for me, but for Ohio,” Brunner wrote.
“A state party endorsement at this late date provides no conceivable benefit for anyone but my opponent. As Democrats, we’re all in this together. A party endorsement would alienate supporters of the candidate not endorsed and hurt party unity after the primary election.”
Her request comes just before the party’s executive committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 24.
Seth Bringman, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, confirmed that the executive committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday but declined comment on whether the party had received a letter from Fisher or whether the committee planned an endorsement vote. If the committee doesn’t take an endorsement Wednesday, it could consider one later.
The Fisher campaign has not returned calls or responded to an e-mail request.
The primary is May 4 but early voting starts March 30. The winner of the primary will face Republican Rob Portman, former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member and budget director and U.S. trade representative for President George W. Bush, in the general election.
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Tweet2 Ohio Democratic House members become ‘yes’ votes on health care bill
The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, who had been undecided over the health care bill because of concerns it would put public money toward abortion said on Sunday, March 21, that she is voting for the measure. U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, has also decided to vote in favor of the health care reform bill after President Obama promised to sign an order banning the use of federal funds for abortions.
Here’s more from the AP report:
Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said Sunday she will support the bill when it comes to a vote later in the day.
In a statement, Kaptur says she is convinced that the bill will maintain existing law on abortion. She says the bill addresses the nationwide problem of affordability of insurance plans.
Kaptur has been an ally of Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak, whose opposition to the bill because of concerns it would foster public funding of abortion has been a major hurdle for its passage.
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TweetDayton and Cincinnati Tea Parties hosting Tax week rallies
Conservative talk radio and Fox News host Sean Hannity is the main speaker at a Thursday, April 15, rally at the University of Cincinnati’s Fifth-Third Field. The event is hosted by the Cincinnati Tea Party.
The event is from 6-10 p.m. and will be filmed to air on Fox News.
For more information and tickets, call 1-877-228-7849. Hannity’s radio show airs Monday-Friday on Newstalkradio WHIO 1290-AM and 95.7-FM.
You can also get more info about other speakers at the event at www.cincinnatiteaparty.org
The Dayton Tea Party, partnering with Homemakers for American, is planning a “Freedom Rally” on Tuesday, April 13, at the Nutter Center at Wright State University.
Doors will open at 4 p.m. with the main event to start at 7 p.m.
“We will fill the Nutter Center easily. The Tea Partiers will be out in huge numbers,” Rob Scott, Dayton Tea Party president and founder, said in a press release.
Among the speakers are former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, according to Scott.
The rally is one of many events scheduled for Dayton Liberty Week. General tickets are free but premier seating is $15, the release said. For more information, visit www.daytonohioteaparty.com or contact info@daytonohioteaparty.com.
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TweetMike DeWine opponent dropping court ballot challenge
Steve Christopher, the Hardin County attorney who wanted to challenge former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine for the Republican nomination for attorney general, is ending that effort.
This leaves DeWine unopposed for the GOP nomination in the May 4 primary.
Christopher on Friday, March 19, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit he had filed against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in an effort to win a place on the ballot.
Christopher had said that he turned in more than 240 petitions with 2,352 signatures of registered voters but Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner sent only 104 petitions to county boards of elections.
The county boards found that Christopher’s petitions had just 638 signatures, short of the 1,000 required.
The Ohio Supreme Court this week denied Christopher’s request to place his name on the ballot pending the final outcome of his case. This meant Christopher’s name would not be on the primary ballot when early voting starts March 30.
“The court’s decision effectively dictated the likely outcome of the attorney general race, due to the large number of people who vote early,” a Christopher press release said.
Brunner said that the burden was on Christopher to prove the allegations in his lawsuit and he is withdrawing it.
“I would surmise that he cannot prove them,” said Brunner.
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TweetKasich blasts Strickland over name gaffe but Kasich forgets names at a meeting
In a meeting with the Dayton Daily News editorial board on Thursday, March 18, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich criticized incumbent Gov. Ted Strickland for how he handled NCR Corp. before the company announced June 2 it would move its world headquarters to Georgia.
“I wonder about NCR. Why did they have to go? I don’t know why they made that decision. I know that we weren’t on it. And if they weren’t answering my calls I’d be starting to call boards of directors. I’d know the people’s names that I was meeting with. I’d show up on time for a meeting,” Kasich said.
But when asked if he knew the names of all five people sitting at the Dayton Daily News meeting — including editorial page editor Ellen Belcher — Kasich admitted that he did not. And, Kasich called one writer by the wrong name three times.
Kasich also blamed a doctor’s appointment for his late arrival to the March 18 meeting.
He criticized the Strickland administration over its handling of NCR, saying state officials were late to a meeting at NCR and the governor did not know NCR Chief Executive Bill Nuti’s name when they sat next to one another at a conference luncheon in New York.
Kasich promised that when it really matters, he would know names. “You see, if I’m going to go into a meeting where I need to know somebody’s name, OK, I’m going to know it.”
Kasich said, “Would companies move out of this state if I were governor? Yeah, maybe some would but it isn’t going to be because of screw ups. It isn’t going to be because we didn’t know a guy’s name or we couldn’t hunt him down at a conference or we didn’t go down to his company and sit in his driveway ‘til he came out to talk to us. That’s what I’m saying to you. We need to be more aggressive down here.”
Since Nuti became chief executive in 2005, state and local officials, both Democrat and Republican, reported difficulty in getting Nuti to meet with them.
Last June, Strickland said, “I think the decision that NCR made was based on factors that were, perhaps, outside of the ability of the local community or state to make a difference.”
Strickland has told the Dayton Daily News that at the conference in New York he was sitting next to royalty from Spain and was focused on pitching some Ohio companies to him. He has said that had he seen Nuti’s name tag, he would have spoken to him.
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TweetGov. Strickland to “frolic” with Montgomery County Dems
Gov. Ted Strickland will be the headline speaker at the Montgomery County Democratic party’s annual fundraiser - “Frolic for Funds” - on Tuesday, April 6, the party announced on Friday, March 19.
“We’re very excited,” said Mark Owens, Montgomery County Democratic chairman.
The event will be held at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $125 each, a press release said. For information on ordering tickets, you can call county Democratic headquarters at 937-222-4007.
Besides Strickland, who is seeking re-election, other candidates expected to attend, according to the release, are: Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, candidate for the U.S. Senate; Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, candidate for state auditor; Franklin County Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, candidate for secretary of state and Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court chief justice.
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TweetOhio jobless rate creeps up
Ohio’s unemployment rate hit 10.9 percent in February, up from 10.8 percent in January, as more Ohioans entered the job market but were unable to find work, according to state figures released Friday, March 19.
Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to be above the national average of 9.7 percent.
“The number of service-providing jobs increased while job losses occurred in the goods-producing industries,” said Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Douglas Lumpkin.
In February, 647,000 Ohioans were unemployed and looking for work, up from 641,000 in January and up 99,000 over 12 months ago. In February 2009, the unemployment rate in Ohio was 9.1 percent.
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TweetBill would permit drilling for oil, gas in state parks
Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina, is trying again with legislation that would permit drilling for oil or gas in state parks.
Senate Bill 241 would grant the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources the authority to enter into leases for drilling of oil or gas on all state-owned land and land administered by the state.
Money from the leases would be used to support capital projects in state parks, a press release said.
Faber introduced a similar provision as an amendment to the state budget, but it wasn’t include in the final budget bill.
“With limited resources to work with, we need to give serious consideration to ideas that can provide revenue for state priorities without always having to go back to the taxpayers,” Faber said in a press release.
“This idea has the added benefit of helping to reduce our nation’s over-reliance on foreign oil.” Faber said.”
The bill would ensures that drilling cannot interfere with the scenic, aesthetic and environmental quality of the land, and charges the ODNR Director with adopting rules, conditions and standards to ensure the state meets that charge, the release said.
Jack Shaner, deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council, blasted the proposal.
“It’s the same warmed-over proposal that, thankfully, has gone nowhere in six years. Why risk long-term damage to the crown jewels of Ohio’s natural world?” asked Shaner.
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TweetDayton Tea Party plans “Freedom Rally” at Nutter Center
The Dayton Tea Party, partnering with Homemakers for American, plans a “Freedom Rally” on Tuesday, April 13, at the Nutter Center at Wright State University, according to a press release on Wednesday, March 17.
Doors will open at 4 p.m. with the main event to start at 7 p.m.
“We will fill the Nutter Center easily. The Tea Partiers will be out in huge numbers,” Rob Scott, Dayton Tea Party president and founder, said in the release.
The rally is one of many events scheduled for Dayton Liberty Week. General tickets are free but premier seating is $15, the release said. For more information, visit www.daytonohioteaparty.com or contact info@daytonohioteaparty.com.
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TweetPreble County GOP backs Yost in GOP auditor’s race
The Preble County Republican Party endorsed Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost for the GOP nomination for auditor on Tuesday, March 16, Yost’s campaign announced.
“Dave Yost has the proven experience, judgment and skills to be the next auditor of state,” Preble County Auditor Mindy Robbins said in a press release.
Yost is competing for the GOP nomination against state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights. Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper is the Democratic candidate.
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TweetAttorney’s law license suspended
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 17 indefinitely suspended the law license of attorney John Robert Andrews of West Chester. Andrews was convicted of a felony count of attempted tampering with evidence and a misdemeanor count of attempted importuning of sexual activity with a minor.
The court also found that Andrews improperly withdrew representation of a church board in a civil action that led to the case being dismissed and the church getting a $9,000 judgment against it.
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TweetBill would permit concealed carry in restaurants that serve alcohol
Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, has introduced legislation eliminating the restriction against carrying concealed weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol.
Senate Bill 239 also would remove provisions that state where a gun must be stored while being transported in a vehicle.
Jones is joint sponsor with Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster.
“The decision six years ago to allow law-abiding Ohioans to carry concealed weapons has not turned our state into the Wild West,” Jones said in a press release on Tuesday, March 16.
“It is time to update the law so that it works better. This legislation will improve the regulations for carrying so that they are more straightforward and in line with other states.”
However, Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Violence, called lifting the restriction on concealed weapons in restaurants with alcohol “a little bit ridiculous.”
“This is not what people want,” said Hoover. “It doesn’t have anything to do with gun owners. It has to do with common sense.”
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TweetWomen nominees to “campaign” for Ohio spot in Statuary Hall
The three women finalists for an Ohio statue in Statuary Hall in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., will do some campaigning on Saturday, March 20, in Columbus.
Actually, it will be three actors representing the women- Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, suffragist Harriet Taylor Upton and astronaut Judith Resnik, who died in the Challenger explosion.
They’ll be at the Ohio Historical Center, 1982 Velma Ave. in Columbus, from noon until 3 p.m. The center is one of 36 spots around the state where Ohioans will be able to vote for their candidate from Saturday through June 12. Ohioans also will be able to vote by downloading a ballot.
Saturday’s campaigning is sponsored by Equal Visibility Everywhere, a new not-for-profit group “dedicated to achieving gender parity in the symbols and icons of the United States,” according to the group’s Web page.
The campaign is Ohio is the group’s “first hot project,” the Web page said. Women represent just nine of the current 100 statues in Statuary Hall, a press release said.
The new statue will replace Gov. William Allen. The other seven finalists are: the Wright brothers from Dayton; inventor Thomas Edison; former U.S. Rep. William McCulloch of Piqua; Olympic athlete Jesse Owens; President and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant; abolitionist James M. Ashley and Albert Sabin, who developed the oral vaccine to prevent polio.
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TweetXavier survey: “American Dream” in trouble
The “American Dream” is in trouble.
That’s the key finding of an unusual survey released on Tuesday, March 16, by the Institute for Politics and the America Dream at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
The American Dream Survey found:
*Americans overwhelmingly believe that the dream is harder to achieve for them than it was for prior generations and that it will be even tougher for future generations.
*Americans also believe the country is in decline.
*Despite the negative overall attitudes, individuals believe in their own ability to achieve the dream - 67 percent say they’re confident they can gain it in their lifetime.
*Immigrants and racial minorities are more hopeful and positive about the condition of the American dream.
*In the industrial Midwest - which in the survey includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin- the condition of the American dream received the lowest marks.
For the survey, Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates conducted 1,022 telephone interviews with adults from Feb. 14-21. The survey included an oversample of 257 additional interviews with first and second generation immigrants, bringing the total immigrant sub-sample up to 418.
The margin of error for the base sample is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
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TweetYost gets Putnam County endorsement in GOP auditor’s race
In what’s turning out to be almost a county-by-county battle for endorsements, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost has gained the endorsement of the Putnam County Republican Party in the race for the GOP nomination for state auditor.
“Dave Yost’s conservative credentials and his outstanding record of accomplishment as a county auditor and prosecutor make him the best choice and most qualified candidate for state auditor in either party.
“Our county party is proud to stand along with Dave Yost and the tremendous slate of candidates our party has to offer in 2010,” Putnam County GOP Chair Lyle McKanna said in a press release on Monday, March 15.
Yost is running for the nomination against state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights. Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper is the Democratic candidate.
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TweetPortman “prays” that health care plan fails
On a day that brought President Barack Obama to Ohio to make a final appeal for congressional approval of his health care overhaul plan, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman had a different message.
“I pray that it will not pass,” Portman said on Monday, March 15. His comments came in a meeting with members of the Dayton Daily News editorial board.
Portman said the plan that Obama is trying to get the Democratic-controlled Congress to approve would increase costs.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Portman. “…We’re going to have higher, not lower costs.”
Obama, who was in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville on Monday, campaigned for president on a pledge to work across party lines to bring the country together, said Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member. Instead, the Democratic president has turned issues such as health care overhaul over to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other Democrats who control Congress, said Portman.
If elected, Portman promised to be a results-oriented senator who would work with Democrats to get things done.
“I don’t think our country has ever been in greater need of those kinds of efforts,” Portman, who also served as budget director and U.S. trade representative under former President George W. Bush, said.
Seth Bringman, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, lashed back at Portman in an e-mail.
“While Rob Portman is praying for the status quo on health care, we will be praying for the millions of Americans without health insurance and the millions more middle class families who can’t afford rising health care costs,” said Bringman.
“We are closer than ever to health insurance reform that helps middle class families and small businesses, but the naysayers like Congressman Portman will do anything to stand up for the insurance companies at the expense of ordinary Ohioans.”
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TweetHave a Coke and a candidate
Ohio Statehouse candidate Jeffrey Wellbaum today changed email providers to eliminate an advertising banner for Diet Coke from his campaign news releases.
“It’s the Yahoo email thing. I’m not sure how to get rid of it,” said Wellbaum, who is a Republican running for 39th House District against Ohio Rep. Clayton Luckie II, D-Dayton.
Wellbaum’s news releases have a Diet Coke banner across the top and a link to a Diet Coke website at the end.
Coke spokeswoman Rand Carpenter said the company has a program with Yahoo! that includes personalized Diet Coke stationary. “While the Coca-Cola Company is a nonpartisan organization and has not endorsed any candidates in the 39th district of the State House of Representatives, we always appreciate whenever people reach for a Diet Coke,” Carpenter said.
Ohio elections law doesn’t give much direction on a candidate’s use of free internet services such as email or Facebook, according to Jeff Ortega, spokesman for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The law is clear on the use of corporate logos by candidates. But because the logo on Wellbaum’s yahoo account appears to be outside of his control it is likely not a violation of the law, Ortega said.
In any case, Wellbaum today, March 12, switched to a gmail account that includes no corporate logos.
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TweetUncontested races for third parties may cost up to $15,000 in additional printing
Voters in the May primary will have few extra choices when asked which ballot they want. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner made it easier this year for minor party candidates to stand for election. For county boards of election that translates to higher costs because they have to print separate paper ballots for voters in each party, said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
“Democracy is not cheap,” said Greg Gantt, board chairman. “Sometimes we have to spend the money to make sure that we’re being accessible to voters.”
Brunner made it easier for the smaller parties to get on the ballot in response to a court of appeals ruling on ballot access, Harsman said.
The county uses electronic voting machines, but also provides paper ballots at the polling places for people who must vote provisionally or don’t want to use the machines. Typically in the past voters had a choice between voting to nominate Democrats or Republicans for the November General Election, and the choice of voting only on issues such as school levies.
But this year voters can also pick ballots for the Constitution, Green, Socialist or Libertarian party. The additional ballots will cost Montgomery County $10,000 to $15,000 more for the primary, Harsman said. To save money his office will only print absentee ballots for minority parties as they are requested, rather than have a batch printed up in advance, Harsman said.
General Election ballots contain candidates from all parties, so the additional cost then will be if the additional candidates cause the ballot to stretch to a second page, Harsman said.
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TweetOhio joins national campaign to insure more kids
Gov. Ted Strickland said Ohio is becoming the first state to answer a challenge from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make sure more eligible children get health insurance coverage in the next five years.
“Ohio is very serious about cutting red tape for the 77,000 children who are eligible for SCHIP but are still not enrolled,” Strickland said in a press release on Thursday, March 11.
The children are eligible for Medicaid- the health insurance program for the poor - under SCHIP - the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. In Ohio, children in families with incomes of up to 200 percent of poverty - $44,100 for a family of four - qualify for SCHIP.
Sebelius, former Kansas governor and daughter of former Ohio Gov. John J. Gilligan, launched her campaign - “The Secretary’s Challenge: Connecting More Kids to Coverage” - on Feb. 4, the release said.
Ohio will try to identify children and families who already are receiving state services and meet the income requirements, but are not enrolled in SCHIP, the release said.
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TweetTea Party PAC endorses Morgan in GOP auditor’s race
The Ohio Tea Party PAC, newly-formed political action committee of the Ohio Liberty Council, has endorsed state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, for the Republican nomination for state auditor, Morgan’s campaign announced on Friday, March 12.
The Ohio Liberty Council is made up of Ohio’s Tea Party groups, 912 groups and other grassroots organizations throughout the state, the campaign said.
Morgan running for the GOP nomination against Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost. The endorsement marks an escalation in the candidates’ battle for support, coming just two days after Ken Blackwell, the 2006 GOP candidate for governor, endorsed Yost. Yost is the state GOP-endorsed candidate.
A press release said that the endorsement required a 7/8ths majority vote.
“7/8ths of Tea Party and other like minded groups choosing to endorse a candidate is a strong statement. It means they have embraced someone as embodying their values. That does not come easily,” Chris Littleton, president of the Ohio Liberty Council and the Cincinnati Tea Party, said in a press release.
In a conference call on Friday afternoon, Littleton said the decision to endorse Morgan over Yost was a “character question.” Littleton said.
“I think you would have seen the exact same support for Dave Yost if he had stayed in the attorney general’s race,” Littleton said.
Many in the Tea Party movement favored Yost over former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville for the GOP nomination for attorney general and were disappointed when Yost dropped his campaign for AG to run for auditor.
The release said that all statewide races were considered but that Morgan was the only candidate to be endorsed and also was the first Tea Party endorsed statewide candidate of 2010.
The release quoted state GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine of Fairborn, who backs Yost and is Mike DeWine’s second cousin, as to the importance of the Tea Party to Republicans.
“Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine said that the Republican Party needs to listen to the Tea Party movement,” Rob Scott, Morgan campaign spokesman said in the release. “Well, the movement has spoken and said they want Seth Morgan as auditor.” said Rob Scott, Friends of Seth Morgan Communications Director.
The release quoted DeWine as saying on Sunday, March 7:
“Every candidate and elected official should be wise to heed its warning … and the party that fails to listen will pay a heavy price.”
DeWine responded in an e-mail about a video he made:
“The point I made in my remarks, which they intentionally took out of context, is that political parties will pay a heavy price if they ignore the issues driving the tea party movement. I said nothing about endorsing candidates, and I’m pretty sure they know that.”
Here’s the video:
Brent Swander, Yost’s campaign spokesman, responded to the Tea Party endorsement:
“Seth Morgan doesn’t get it. The Tea Party movement isn’t about co-opting the brand name to support a political campaign. The Tea Party is about the spirit of fighting for smaller government and standing up for the average citizen that has gripped the electorate.
“No one better personifies the ability to stand up to the system than Dave Yost. He’s actually talked the talk and walked the walk. Dave prosecuted white collar criminals and tax cheats, put murderers behind bars, and pushed corrupt politicians out of office in his home county.
“That’s why well-recognized conservative leaders like Ken Blackwell are strongly supporting Dave Yost for auditor.”
Also, the Madison County Republican Party endorsed Morgan on Thursday, Morgan’s campaign announced.
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TweetBlackwell endorses Yost for auditor in GOP race
Ken Blackwell, a favorite of conservatives in Ohio and across the country, on Wednesday, March 10, endorsed Delaware County Prosecutor for the Republican nomination for auditor over state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights.
Blackwell was the GOP’s unsuccessful 2006 candidate for governor and also served as secretary of state and treasurer.
A Yost campaign press release called Blackwell “an icon among social conservatives” and said he “has often been the standard-bearer for people dissatisfied with the moderate wing of the Republican Party.”
“Dave Yost is one of us - a man of integrity who shares and lives our values and convictions,” Blackwell said in a press release.
“He knows that the government is reaching too far into our lives and too far into our pockets - and with his record and his experience, he has the tools he needs to fight for us.”
Yost, the state GOP-endorsed candidate, said in the release:
“I’ve known Ken Blackwell for years and he does not speak lightly or for the sake of convenience - he’s always about what he believes to be right. I am humbled and honored to have his strong support.”
Morgan campaign spokesman Rob Scott, who worked for Blackwell’s gubernatorial campaign, said the endorsement was not disappointing.
“Ken has supported Dave Yost for attorney general and Ken is a man of his word,” said Scott. Yost first had run for attorney general before switching to the auditor’s race.
“We’re going to keep going,” said Scott. “We’re plugging away.”
Yost said that Blackwell had not endorsed him for attorney general when Yost still was in that race, running against former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine for the Republican nomination.
If Blackwell had endorsed him, he would have announced it, said Yost.
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TweetSenate committee OKs sale of former Twin Valley psychiatric hospital
The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, March 10, approved the $1.7 million sale of the former Twin Valley state psychiatric hospital in Dayton to Amamata LLC, a private Columbus-area health care company.
Sen. Fred Strahorn, D-Dayton, sponsor of the proposal, said he hoped for approval soon from the full Senate. House approval also would be required.
“I think it’s a great thing,” said Strahorn.
He offered the proposal as an amendment to House Bill 313, legislation that would permit counties to organize land banks to acquire abandoned properties and make plans for reusing them.
The House already passed the bill but if the full Senate approves it, the legislation would return to the House for concurrence with changes made by the Senate.
The state closed Twin Valley in 2008 to cut costs. Officials last month announced plans to sell the hospital to Amamata LLC of New Albany. Dr. John A. Johnson, a psychiatrist and company president-chief executive, said he plans to offer a full range of inpatient services at the site at 2611 Wayne Ave.
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TweetOhio Supreme Court to hear gun rights case
The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to review a gun rights case involving a series of Cleveland firearms ordinances and licensing requirements that are more restrictive than state or federal law, Attorney General Richard Cordray announced on Wednesday, March 10.
“I am pleased that the Ohio Supreme Court accepted our appeal and will clarify the rights of Ohio’s gun owners,” Cordray said in a press release. “The current uncertainty over the legitimacy of these local firearms ordinances creates confusion for our local officials, as well as for thousands of gun owners.”
At issue is action the legislature took in 2006 to prohibit local governments - including Dayton - from enacting firearms regulations stricter than those in state and federal law.
In Dayton, the state law meant that local laws banning the transfer of ownership of assault weapons and that require a firearms owner to complete an identification card would become moot.
What’s at stake, said Cordray, is a “state law designed to protect gun ownership and possession in Ohio.”
Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, disagrees with the state law. Hoover said local governments should have the right to determine their own gun laws. There’s a “huge difference” between rural areas and small towns that don’t have crime problems and big cities that do, Hoover said.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments in the fall, Cordray said.
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TweetMorgan, Yost tout auditor endorsements
State Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, and Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost are touting endorsements in their race for the Republican nomination for state auditor.
Morgan’s campaign said on Tuesday, March 9, that Morgan was endorsed by the Scioto County Republican Party and the Mansfield North Central Tea Party.
Yost’s campaign, meanwhile, said he was endorsed by the Belmont County Republican Party.
The Knox County Republican Party did not make a formal endorsement, both campaigns agreed. Yost’s campaign said the committee voted 2-1 in his favor but the overall vote tall was one short of the supermajority required for a formal endorsement.
Morgan’s campaign seemed satisfied with the non-endorsement, noting that Knox County is a neighbor to Yost’s home base in Delaware County.
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TweetOhio step closer to outlawing texting while driving
The House Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, March 9, approved legislation that bans text messaging while driving and the full House is expected to vote on the measure soon, said Keary McCarthy, spokesman for House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood.
House Bill 415 makes texting-while-driving a primary offense - a motorist can be stopped for this activity alone - and sets a maximum penalty of a $150 fine.
It is the first of several bills pending on the texting-while-driving issue to receive committee approval in the legislature.
Nineteen states, Washington, D.C. and Guam now ban text messaging for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
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TweetDayton CC endorses Third Frontier renewal
The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, March 9, officially endorsed State Issue One, renewal of the Third Frontier high tech economic development plan, Chris Kershner, chamber vice president for public policy & economic development, said.
The issue is on the May 4 primary ballot.
The ballot proposal calls for the state to issue $700 million in bonds over four years to provide money to universities and businesses for high tech research with the goal of creating jobs.
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TweetPresident Obama to discuss health insurance reform in Ohio
President Barack 0bama will travel to northeastern Ohio on Monday, March 15, to discuss health insurance reform, the White House announced on Tuesday, March 9.
The trip will be the President’s third in the span of a week to discuss health insurance reform, the White House said. On Monday he traveled to the Philadelphia area and on Wednesday he will speak in St. Charles, Mo., the White House added.
The trio of visits come as Obama and his fellow Democrats who control Congress try to win approval of an overhaul of the health care insurance system.
Details of the trip to Ohio are expected to be released later.
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TweetBrunner fires back in AG ballot signature flap
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on Tuesday, March 9, denied that her office “lost or mishandled” any signatures submitted by Hardin County attorney Steve Christopher in Christopher’s effort to run for the Republican nomination for attorney general.
Brunner’s office last week said that Christopher submitted petitions with just 788 signatures and that only 638 were validated, short of the 1,000 needed to qualify for the ballot.
Christopher’s campaign said he turned in petitions with about 2,750 signatures.
“Mr. Christopher is an attorney,” Brunner said in the press release. “Most attorneys I know keep a copy for their file when they file a document with a court or a public office. It’s what we’re taught to do in law school to keep good records for our clients, even when we may be our own client.”
Christopher’s campaign has said he has copies of a majority but not all of the petitions he submitted to Brunner’s office.
Meanwhile, Phil Herzing of Washington Township said that he gathered about 100 signatures on his own for Christopher’s campaign, most of which came from Montgomery County. Some came from Warren and Greene counties. Including the 100 he gathered himself, he and acquaintances gathered about 400 signatures from Montgomery, Greene, Miami and neighboring counties.
Herzing said he collected 60 signatures gathered by a woman from Mercer County. Brunner’s log showed no signatures from Mercer County.
Brunner’s office released a log that her office sent only four signatures from Montgomery County voters to the Montgomery County Board of Elections for validation and that all four were validated.
Christopher’s campaign has said he is working on a legal challenge to Brunner’s decision keeping him off the primary ballot, a decision that leaves former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville unopposed for the Republican nomination for attorney general.
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TweetOhio Senate OKs bill to combat dating violence
In a rare display of unanimity, the Ohio Senate on Tuesday, March 9, voted 33-0 for legislation aimed at preventing dating violence that could escalate to physical injury or even death.
The Senate made some changes in House Bill 10, approved earlier by the House. Rep. Edna Brown, D-Toledo, the bill’s sponsor, said she hopes the House will concur with the Senate version on Wednesday and send it to Gov. Ted Strickland. Strickland would sign the bill, said Amanda Wurst, his spokeswoman.
The bill would permit juvenile courts to issue protection orders against juveniles similar to the orders adult courts already can issue. A juvenile could seek the order against someone accused of assaulting or stalking the juvenile.
Brown has been working on the bill for five years, driven by the 2005 murder of Shynerra Grant, 17, from her district who was killed by a former boy friend when she broke off the relationship after a year of intimidation and inflicting serious injuries.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Brown, who was in the Senate for the vote.
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TweetKasich opens double-digit lead over Strickland
Republican John Kasich leads incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, 49-38 percent among likely voters in a Rasmussen Reports poll released on Monday, March 8.
The lead shows an increase in support for Kasich, a former Columbus-area congressman, from a poll last month in which he led, 47-41 percent.
However, the results differ from a Quinnipiac University poll released Feb. 23 that showed Strickland leading Kasich, 44-39 percent.
Political scientist John Green said in an e-mail that the difference “could be the volatility of the electorate—or volatility of polls. After all, any given poll may be in error—we just can’t tell which one.”
Also, the polls use different methodologies, said Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
“Rasmussen may be more accurate for a low turnout anti-incumbent election—which we may see this November,” said Green. “But Quinnipiac may be more accurate for a higher turnout partisan election—and we may get that as well.”
In the new Rasmussen poll, voters not affiliated with either major party favor Kasich, 60-22 percent.
A Rasmussen analysis of the poll results says that the declining state economy and “general frustration” with incumbents seems to be making the campaign a referendum on Strickland, to some degree. It also says that incumbents who get less than 50 percent of the vote at this stage are “considered potentially vulnerable.”
In the new poll, 56 percent have a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of Strickland while 48 percent view Kasich that way.
However, 48 percent view Strickland somewhat or very unfavorably while 39 percent view Kasich that way.
Just 6 percent are unsure of how they view Strickland while 23 percent - nearly one in four - are not sure what impression they have of Kasich.
The poll was taken on Thursday, March 4 with 500 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
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TweetLegal challenge brewing in Republican AG ballot flap?
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office and Republican Steve Christopher, who wants to run for attorney general, are at odds over about 2,000 signatures Hardin’s campaign says he filed to get on the May 4 primary ballot.
The next step could be a legal challenge to Brunner’s ruling keeping Christopher, from Hardin County, off the May 4 primary ballot.
Brunner’s office said last week that Christopher filed a total of 788 signatures and just 638 were validated, short of the 1,000 required to get on the ballot. That left former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville unopposed for the GOP nomination for attorney general.
Christopher’s campaign on Monday, March 8, released a copy of the petition filing form that Christopher received on Feb. 18 from Brunner’s office. It said the “approximate number of petition signatures filed” was 2,750.
Jeff Ortega, spokesman for Brunner, said that the 2,750 represents the number that Christopher’s campaign said it filed. “Upon further looking at what they filed,” Brunner’s office determined that the actual number filed was 788 and that was the number sent to county boards of elections to be verified, said Ortega.
Jill Christopher, Christopher’s wife, said they are consulting an election lawyer to decide what step to take next.
One person who helped gather signatures for Christopher, Susan Hardenbergh of Hamilton County, said that she gave Christopher petitions with about 200 signatures to turn into Brunner.
The work log from Brunner’s office, however, showed that just one signature came from Hamilton County and that signature was validated.
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TweetPortman continues to lead in Senate race; voters divided on Tea Party
Republican Rob Portman continues to lead his two possible Democratic opponents in this year’s U.S. Senate race, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey of likely voters released on Monday, March 8.
The poll also showed Ohio likely voters are divided in their view of the Tea Party movement.
The poll found Portman, a former Cincinnati-area congressman and budget director and trade representative under President George W. Bush, leading Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, 44-39 percent, and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, 43-37 percent, both about the same as leads last month.
The survey also found that 40 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement while 37 percent see it unfavorably. Seventeen percent consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement.
On health care overhaul, 44 percent favor the plan working its way through Congress while 54 percent oppose it.
The poll was taken on Thursday, March 4, with 500 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
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TweetSen. Husted wants to amend state try for federal school money
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, is asking Deborah Delisle, the state superintendent of public instruction, to amend Ohio’s application seeking $409 million in federal education funds to exclude requests including $600,000 for two cultural anthropologists to develop “Race to the Top” stories.
In a letter to Delisle, dated March 5 and released on Monday, March 8, Husted said that he believed this request and others he listed “could significantly hurt Ohio’s chances to receive Race to the Top funding.”
He urged Delisle to amend the application before her March 14 presentation in Washington, D.C.
In a prepared statement, Delisle said that U.S. Department of Education rules do not allow states to change their applications at this stage in the process. She did not directly address Husted’s complaints but said state officials would respond to any concerns at the March 14 presentation.
“Whether or not Ohio receives funding in the first round, the feedback we receive will be carefully studied,” Delisle said. “At that time, we can decide whether or not modifications to our plan are necessary, if permitted by the USDOE.”
Ohio has made the cut as one of 16 states invited to Washington to make presentations to compete for a share of $40 billion in education reform money offered by the Obama administration.
Other proposed expenditures that Husted called for eliminating included:
*$400,000 for a video compilation for Race to the Top.
*$320,000 to create a Race to the Top communications plan.
*$320,000 to produce and distribute Race to the Top stories in print and online.
*$160,000 to develop “creative messaging” for Race to the Top stories.
*$40,000 to revise part of the ODE Web site related to Race to the Top.
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TweetPepper to speak to Dems in Dayton
David Pepper, the Democratic candidate for state auditor, will speak to the Montgomery county chapter of Democrats for a Stronger America on Monday, March 8, at Montgomery County Democratic headquarters in Dayton, 131 S. Wilkinson St.
The event is from 7-8 p.m. and is open to the public, Pepper’s campaign said.
Pepper currently is a Hamilton County commissioner. He is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. State Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, and Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost are seeking the GOP nomination.
Pepper will discus his plans to make the auditor an “independent watchdog for accountability, reform and fiscally responsible government,” a press release said.
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TweetMike DeWine foe baffled by ballot ruling
The battle for the GOP nomination for attorney general might not be over after all.
The campaign of Hardin County attorney Steve Christopher is trying to figure out how the final tally released on Friday, March 5, by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner showed that Christopher turned in just 638 valid signatures to get on the May primary ballot for the Republican attorney general nomination, said Mark Lucas, a campaign spokesman.
It takes 1,000 signatures to qualify and Brunner ruled that only former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville turned in enough signatures to get on the ballot for the GOP attorney general nomination. Brunner made the determination on which candidates qualified based on information provided to her by county boards of elections.
A work sheet from Brunner’s office showed that county boards of elections received just 788 total signatures from Christopher’s campaign and 638 were valid. Christopher turned in petitions with a total of 2,700 signatures, said Lucas.
In an e-mail on Saturday, Christopher’s wife, Jill Christopher, said the campaign is determining what step to take next.
“At this time, we are optimistically waiting to review and audit the signatures. We have not received any official word regarding the validity of the signatures. We will be conducting an internal audit and verification to vet the signatures we did obtain,” she said in the e-mail.
“At the time that we vet the signatures and obtain official word on why the signatures were rejected, we will make a determination and advise everyone as to the direction we will take.”
Jeff Ortega, a spokesman for Brunner, said he was not aware of the situation but that Brunner’s office would try to respond to any questions on Monday.
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TweetMike DeWine appears to have GOP nod for AG
It appears that former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Cedarville won’t have an opponent on the May ballot for the GOP nomination for attorney general.
Hardin County Attorney Steve Christopher, who’s part of Tea Party movement, did not have enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office said on Friday, March 5.
Brunner’s office also said that two candidates who filed as Democrats in the U.S. Senate race - Traci Johnson of Hilliard and Charlena Renee Bradley of Lyndhurst - didn’t have enough signatures to qualify.
That makes the race for the nomination a two-person contest between Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. The winner will face Republican Rob Portman, the former Cincinnati-area congressman, who has no primary opposition.
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TweetOhio makes first cut for federal education money
Ohio made the cut as one of 16 states invited to Washington, D.C. later this month to compete for a share of $40 billion in education reform money offered by the Obama administration.
Forty states plus the District of Columbia applied for Race to the Top funding and were graded on their plans to improve teacher effectiveness, turn around failing schools, track data and set academic standards.
Ohio is asking for $409 million over four years. Only half of the state school districts opted to participate in the program, in part because the grant guidelines require policy changes.
“We’re obviously happy we’ll get an opportunity to go to Washington to make our pitch,” said Ohio Department of Education spokesman Scott Blake.
Federal authorities are expected to announce April 1 which states will win funding in the first round.
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TweetWant to vote for Ohio’s statue in the Capitol? Here’s how
Voting will start at 36 sites across Ohio on March 20 to get public input on which Ohioan should represent the state in Statuary Hall in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Voting will run through June 12.
The sites, announced on Wednesday, March 3, include these in the Dayton area:
*Dunbar House, Dayton
*National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce
*Fort Ancient, Oregonia
*Fort Recovery, Fort Recovery
Ohioans also will be able to vote online at www.legacyforohio.org. Information on the 10 finalists is available at www.ohiohistorycentral.org.
“I think we’ll show due deference” to the voters for who should represent Ohio, Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Ottawa Hills, chairman of the National Statuary Collection Study Committee said.
The committee expects to make a recommendation in July from among 10 finalists. The legislature is expected to vote up or down on the committee’s recommendation when it returns in the fall.
The 10 finalists are:
*Wright brothers, aviation pioneers from Dayton
*U.S. Rep. William McCulloch, civil rights champion from Piqua
*Thomas Edison, inventor
*Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and author
*Jesse Owens, Olympic gold medal winner
*Harriet Taylor Upton, women’s suffrage activist
*James M. Ashley, Toledo congressman and abolitionist
*Judith Resnik, Akron astronaut who died on the Challenger
*Albert Sabin, Cincinnati, creator of oral polio vaccine
*Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president and Civil War general.
Candidates must be deceased to be considered for Statuary Hall.
The winner will replace former Gov. William Allen. Allen’s pro-slavery and anti-President Abraham Lincoln views caused state officials to decide his statue should be removed and returned to Ohio.
Each state gets two representatives in Statuary Hall. Ohio’s other representative is President James Garfield.
Here’s a list of other Ohio sites where people can vote:
Adena Mansion & Gardens 847 Adena Rd. Chillicothe, OH 45601 www.ohiohistory.org/Adena
Armstrong Air & Space Museum 500 Apollo Dr. Wapakoneta, OH 45895 www.ohiohistory.org/Armstrong
Buckeye Furnace 123 Buckeye Park Rd. Wellston, OH 45692 www.ohiohistory.org/BuckeyeFurnace
Campus Martius 601 Second St. Marietta, OH 45750 www.ohiohistory.org/CampusMartius
Cedar Bog 980 Woodburn Rd. Urbana, OH 43078 www.ohiohistory.org/CedarBog
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal 1301 Western Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45203 http://www.cincymuseum.org
Cooke House 1415 Columbus Ave. Sandusky, OH
www.ohiohistory.org/CookeEulett Center 4274 Waggoner Riffle Rd. West Union, OH 45693 www.cincymuseum.org/exploreoursites/edgeappalachia/eulettcenter.asp
Flint Ridge 7091 Brownsville Rd. SE Glenford, OH 43739 www.ohiohistory.org/FlintRidge
Fort Hill 13614 Fort Hill Rd. Hillsboro, OH 45133 www.ohiohistory.org/FortHill
Fort Meigs 29100 West River Rd. Perrysburg, OH 43552 www.ohiohistory.org/FortMeigs
Fort Recovery One Fort Site St. Ft. Recovery, OH 45846-9314 www.ohiohistory.org/FortRecovery
Grant Birthplace 1551 State Rt. 232 Point Pleasant, OH 45157 www.ohiohistory.org/Grant
Grant boyhood home 318 W. State St. Georgetown, OH 45121
Hale Farm & Village 2686 Oak Hill Rd. Bath, OH 44210 www.halefarm.org
Harding Home 380 Mt. Vernon Ave. Marion, OH 43302 www.ohiohistory.org/Harding
Hayes Presidential Center 1 Spiegel Grove Fremont, OH 43420 www.ohiohistory.org/Hayes
Museum of Ceramics 400 East Fifth St. East Liverpool, OH 43920 www.ohiohistory.org/Ceramics
Newark Earthworks 455 Hebron Rd. (State Rt. 79) Newark, OH 43056 www.ohiohistory.org/Newark
Ohio Historical Center 1982 Velma Ave. Columbus, OH 43211 www.ohiohistory.org/OHC
Ohio River Museum 601 Front St. Marietta, OH 45750 www.ohiohistory.org/OhioRiver Ohio Statehouse 1 Capitol Square Columbus, OH 43215 www.ohiostatehouse.org
Our House 432 1st Ave. Gallipolis, OH 45631 www.ohiohistory.org/OurHouse
Rankin House 6152 Rankin Hill Rd. Ripley, OH 45167 www.ohiohistory.org/Rankin
Schoenbrunn Village 1984 East High Ave. New Philadelphia, OH 44663 www.ohiohistory.org/Schoenbrunn
Serpent Mound 3850 State Route 73 Peebles, OH 45660 www.ohiohistory.org/SerpentMound
Shaker Historical Museum 16740 South Park Blvd. Shaker Heights, OH 44120 www.ohiohistory.org/Shaker
Harriet Beecher Stowe House 2950 Gilbert Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45206 www.ohiohistory.org/Stowe
Wahkeena 2200 Pump Station Rd. Sugar Grove, OH 43155 www.ohiohistory.org/Wahkeena
Western Reserve Historical Society Museum 10825 East Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44106 www.wrhs.org
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor 151 West Wood St. Youngstown, OH 44503 www.ohiohistory.org/Youngstown
Zoar Village 250 Main St. Zoar, OH 44697 www.ohiohistory.org/Zoar
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TweetRR upgrades coming to three intersections
Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation Inc. got the go-ahead from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to install flashing lights and road gates at grade crossings in Montgomery, Butler and Warren counties, the PUCO said Wednesday, March 3.
The upgrades will occur at Sellar Road in Moraine and Alex Bell Road and Elm Street in West Carrollton in Montgomery County, Fairview Road and Lower Carlisle in Carlisle in Warren County, Taylor Road and Ringwood Road in Oxford Twp. in Butler County.
Norfolk Southern has until June 1 to submit cost estimates to the PUCO and until Sept. 3, 2011 to complete construction. CSX has until June 3 to submit cost estimates and until March 3, 2011 to complete construction. Norfolk Southern will use federal funds; CSX will share the costs with the state.
Over the past two decades, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased significantly, from 412 in 1988 to 55 in 2009, according to the PUCO.
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TweetDems pick Alicia Reece for Ohio House seat
Democrats have chosen Alicia Reece, a former vice mayor of Cincinnati, to replace Tyrone Yates in the Ohio House in the 33rd district.
Reece will be sworn in today, March 3, a press release said.
“Ms. Reece has an impressive record in public service and her willingness to work and desire for the job were strikingly clear,” Rep. Stephen Dyer, D-Green, screening committee chairman, said in a press release.
She replaces Yates who resigned to take a seat on the Hamilton County Municipal Court.
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TweetKasich hasn’t endorsed in GOP primaries
Ohio Democrats are trying to fan the flames in the hard-fought campaign for the Republican nomination for state auditor between state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, and Delaware County auditor Dave Yost.
State Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern on Wedneday, March 3, fired out a press release asking which candidate John Kasich, the GOP candidate for governor, favors in the race.
Kasich “hasn’t endorsed candidates in the primaries,” Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, said in an e-mail.
Redfern’s inquiry came after the Cuyahoga County Republican Party on Tuesday endorsed Morgan over Yost, the state GOP-endorsed candidate.
Yost’s campaign has it’s own endorsements, including state Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, and 15 other state senators.
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Tweet16 senators endorse Yost for auditor
Sixteen out of 21 Republican state senators, including Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland, have endorsed Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost for auditor, Yost’s campaign announced on Tuesday, March 2.
“Dave Yost has the maturity, judgment and real-life accomplishments to lead,” Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, said in a press release.
“We have great confidence that he will continue the high standards of professionalism and integrity of the last three auditors of state.”
Yost said in the release that he was grateful for the support.
“I look forward to working closely with members of the Ohio General Assembly as auditor of state,” Yost said.
“These senators want the same thing that the people of Ohio want - clean, efficient government, from the statehouse to the county courthouse.”
Other senators endorsing Yost were:
Sen. Steve Buehrer, Delta
Sen. John Carey, Wellston
Sen. Kevin Coughlin, Cuyahoga Falls
Sen. Karen Gillmor, Tiffin
Sen. David Goodman, New Albany
Sen. Jim Hughes, Columbus
Sen. Tom Niehaus, New Richmond
Sen. Tom Patton, Strongsville
Sen. Kirk Schuring, Canton
Sen. Bill Seitz, Cincinnati
Sen. Jimmy Stewart, Athens
Sen. Mark Wagoner, Ottawa Hills
Sen. Chris Widener, Springfield
Sen. Tim Shaffer, Lancaster
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TweetMorgan gets Cuyahoga County GOP endorsement for auditor
The Cuyahoga County Republican County Party endorsed state Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, for auditor on Tuesday, March 2, Morgan’s campaign announced.
Morgan is running for the GOP nomination for auditor against Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, the state GOP-endorsed candidate for auditor.
Former Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett, a member of the Cuyahoga County GOP committee, said he was at the endorsement meeting and unsuccessfully tried to get the committee to endorse both Yost and Morgan. Bennett backed Yost.
“Seth has done a good job of lining up his supporters,” said Bennett. “A lot of the regulars were not at the meeting. They sometimes take things for granted.” He said there was a “clear majority” for Morgan
“Seth Morgan is the most qualified candidate of either party for auditor of State,” Rob Scott, Morgan’s spokesman, said in a press release. “Cuyahoga’s endorsement solidifies Seth’s support across Ohio.”
Brent Swander, spokesman for Yost, said in an e-mail that “we’re proud to have the endorsement of the Ohio Republican Party and Republican county auditors across the state.
“We look forward to working with our friends in Cuyahoga when Dave is the nominee for state auditor.”
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TweetBipartisan bill makes human trafficking second-degree felony
Members of the politically divided Ohio Senate have found something they can agree on - cracking down on human trafficking.
Sens. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee, have jointly introduced Senate Bill 235, which creates a second-degree felony for human trafficking. Conviction of a second degree felony carries a prison term of up to eight years and a fine of up to $15,000.
The more than 20 senators who cosponsored the bill included: Jon Husted, R-Kettering; Shannon Jones, R-Springboro; Chris Widener, R-Springfield and Fred Strahorn, D-Dayton.
“Ohio needs legislation that will attack human trafficking criminal enterprises and put them away for a very long time,” Fedor said in a press release on Tuesday, March 2.
“Children are trafficked within Ohio’s borders every year because the traffickers know our laws are weak.”
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TweetDann aides face criminal charges
Two top aides to former attorney general Marc Dann are facing misdemeanor ethics charges.
The Ohio Ethics Commission brought charges Tuesday, March 2, against Leo Jennings III and Edgar Simpson.
Jennings, Dann’s former friend, roommate and communications director, is charged with soliciting improper compensation and filing a false ethics statement. Simpson, Dann’s former chief of staff and friend of his wife, is charged with filing a false ethics statement.
The two are expected to appear in Franklin County Municipal Court later this week.
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TweetKickoff planned to get public’s input for Ohio statue
A kickoff press conference is set for Wednesday, March 3, at the Statehouse for the campaign to get public input into which Ohioan should represent the state in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Members of the legislature’s National Statuary Collection Study Committee and representatives from three history groups will discuss details of the public input campaign. The history groups are: the Ohio Historical Society, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Western Reserve Historical Society
The public input process will run March 20-June 12 and will include in-person voting locations, opportunities to participate on the Web and efforts to get young people involved.
The committee last week released a list of 10 finalists, including the Wright brothers, the aviation pioneers from Dayton and former U.S. Rep. William McCulloch of Piqua, a key advocate of 1960s’ civil rights legislation.
The committee expects to make its recommendation in July after receiving the public input. The legislature is expected to vote on the committee’s recommendation when it returns in the fall.
Other finalists include:
*Thomas Edison, inventor
*Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and author
*Jesse Owens, Olympic gold medal winner
*Harriet Taylor Upton, women’s suffrage activist
*James M. Ashley, Toledo congressman and abolitionist
*Judith Resnik, Akron astronaut who died on the Challenger
*Albert Sabin, Cincinnati, creator of oral polio vaccine
*Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president and Civil War general.
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TweetUnemployment checks ending
With no federal extension in sight, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is telling people who exhausted their maximum 26 weeks of unemployment benefits that their checks are ending.
Congress let the Feb. 27 deadline for extending emergency unemployment benefits expire.
More than 432,000 Ohioans are receiving unemployment checks. Beginning this week, between 20,000 and 24,000 Ohioans each week will reach the end of their eligibility. Those who exhaust their regular benefits won’t be eligible for extended benefits. Those who exhaust their tier of federal extended benefits won’t be eligible for additional extended benefits. And no extended benefits will be paid after July 31.
“This is an extremely unfortunate situation for thousands of Ohio’s families, who still are suffering the effects of the national economic downturn,” said state Job and Family Services Director Douglas Lumpkin. “Ohio’s unemployed workers need these benefits to help them weather the storm while they continue to search for employment. We encourage Congress to take immediate action to help them.”
Nearly 11 percent of Ohioans are out of work.
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TweetOhioans to receive $2.8 M in telemarketing settlement
More than $2.8 million will go to Ohio customers of Wachovia Bank whose accounts were illegally debited by a payment processing company between 2004 and 2006, Attorney General Richard Cordray announced on Tuesday, March 2.
The payout is the result of a settlement of a 2007 lawsuit between the Federal Trade Commission and seven states with Florida-based payment processing companies Your Money Access and YMA Company, owned by Tarzenea Dixon, Cordray’s office said in a press release.
The lawsuit accused Dixon and several co-defendants of knowingly processing unauthorized debits through Wachova Bank on behalf of deceptive telemarketing schemes that violated the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, the release said.
Wachovia has agreed to issue more than $150 million in redress checks to victims of the telemarketing fraud and $2.8 million will go directly to 24,517 victims in Ohio, the release said. The checks are to consumers for funds deducted from their accounts by three payment processors that maintained accounts with Wachovia, including Dixon’s company, said the release.
“It is always unfortunate when consumers fall victim to the many financial predators and schemes that are out there,” Cordray said in the release.
“However, today we have a good story to tell. We were not only able to track down the predators, but the victims will receive restitution. These cases are tough on everyone, but thanks to the strong efforts of the many state and federal agencies involved, this one is a success story.”
From June 23, 2004 to March 31, 2006, Dixon’s company processed more than $200 million in debits and attempted debits by providing its clients access to consumers’ bank accounts, the release said.
More than $69 million of the attempted debits were returned or rejected by consumers or their banks as unauthorized charges, the release said. In other cases, the merchants either failed to deliver the promised products or services or sent consumers relatively worthless items, said the release.
For more information on the case, click here.
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TweetReport: 8,900 Ohio deaths could result from no health care reform
Failure to enact health care reform this year will lead to about 8,900 premature deaths of Ohioans between 25 and 64 years old in the next decade, according to a report released on Tuesday, March 2, by Families USA, a consumer health group.
The report - “Lives on the Line: The Deadly Cost of Delaying Health Reform” - says that at the national level the number of deaths per day would increase from 68 per day in 2010 to 84 per day in 2019.
The report uses a methodology developed in an earlier report from the Institute of Medicine to estimate national and state deaths due to lack of health coverage, a press release said.
The report also says that:
*In the 15 years since health care reform last was debated, more than 290,000 Americans from 25-64 years old died prematurely due to lack of health coverage.
*During the next 10 years Ohio is projected to have the 8th largest number of premature deaths due to lack of coverage. The others in the top 10 are: California (34,600); Texas (31,700); Florida (25.400); New York (13,900); Georgia (11,500); North Carolina (9,600); Illinois (9,400); Louisiana (7,700) and Michigan (7,600).
Release of the reports comes as Congress continues to debate health care reform after last week’s summit convened by President Barack Obama.
“Failure to pass health care reform - in effect, doing nothing to make health coverage and care affordable - result in a huge and terrible cost,” Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said in a press release.
“We can measure that cost in many important terms like escalating health care costs and unaffordable increases in premiums, but we should recognize the ultimate, inexcusable consequence - lost lives.”
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Tweet17 GOP lawmakers back Morgan for auditor
Dave Yost may have the state Republican Party’s endorsement in the auditor’s race but Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, is showing off some Republican endorsements of his own.
Morgan’s campaign on Monday, March 1, released the names of 17 Republican state legislators who are backing Morgan in the race for the GOP nomination for auditor against Yost, the Delaware County prosecutor.
“It is becoming clearer with each day that Seth Morgan has the people’s endorsement for this race,” House Minority Whip John Adams of Sidney, one of the 17, said in a press release.
Yost’s campaign was not impressed.
“I guess the reason a majority of Seth’s colleagues have not signed on is that he’s only been a legislator for 14 months and Dave has over 90 percent of Republican county auditors on his side,” said Brent Swander, Yost campaign spokesman. There are 46 GOP House members and 21 Republican senators.
Others endorsing Morgan are: Reps. Pete Beck of Mason; Terry Blair of Washington Twp.; Terry Boose of Norwalk; Danny Bubp of West Union; Dave Burke of Marysville; Courtney Combs of Hamilton.
Dave Hall of Killbuck; Cliff Hite of Findlay; Ron Maag of Salem Twp.; Jeff McClain of Upper Sandusky; Margaret Ann Ruhl of Mt. Vernon; Barbara Sears of Sylvania; Joe Uecker of Miami Twp. and Lynn Wachtmann of Napoleon.
Sen. Tim Grendell of Chesterland also has endorsed Morgan.
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TweetSen. Husted, Rep. Letson: Compromise possible on redistricting
The sponsors of competing plans to change how Ohio draws state legislative districts expressed guarded optimism on Monday, March 1, that the House and Senate can agree on a compromise proposal for the November ballot.
“I’m hopeful. I really am,” said Rep. Tom Letson, D-Warren, sponsor of House Joint Resolution 15, that is pending in the Democratic- controlled House.
“I would say it’s possible,” said Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 5, already approved by the GOP-controlled Senate.
Letson and Husted said action is needed within the next two months to 10 weeks. After that, they said, either the Democrats or Republicans will have a better idea of which party is likely to control redistricting under the current system and one or the other one would be unlikely to go along with an overhaul.
Husted’s proposal would do away with the five-member Apportionment Board, made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a legislator from each party. The party that controls two of the three statewide seats on the board controls redistricting. It draws legislative districts after each census.
His plan would instead set up a seven-member commission - governor, auditor, secretary of state, House speaker, Senate president and House and Senate minority leaders. A five-vote supermajority would be required to adopt a redistricting plan. Also, at least two votes would have to come from commission members not in the majority party.
The new commission also would draw U.S. House districts. The legislature now draws the U.S. House districts.
Compactness and competitiveness would be emphasized in drawing new districts under the plan.
Letson’s plan would not change how U.S. House districts are drawn. Letson said his plan “will take the politics out of the reapportionment process.”
It calls for Ohio citizens after each census - including the 2010 census - to submit proposals to the Apportionment Board based on: competitive fairness; political competitiveness; communities of interest and compactness.
The board would administer the process but district lines would be determined by the winner of a public competition using the predetermined criteria.
Challenges would be settled by a judicial tribunal.
Both spoke at a Redistricting Forum Monday in Columbus, sponsored by the Midwest Democracy Network,the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund and the Money in Politics progrect of Ohio Citizen Action.
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TweetStrickland opens it up for questions
Democrat Ted Strickland, who is running for re-election as governor, kicked off a website in which Ohioans may ask him questions and he’ll post his video response.
Strickland said he’ll pick some questions every week or so and respond. No promises that he’ll answer all the questions or that he’ll pick out the toughest ones.
To submit your question, click here.
In the governor’s race, Strickland is going up against Republican John Kasich, a former Fox News host, Wall Street investment banker and Congressman from Westerville.
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TweetWomen make in-roads on Ohio Supreme Court
In the 207-year history of the Ohio Supreme Court, only seven of the 151 justices have been women, the court noted on Monday, March 1, the beginning of National Women’s History Month.
Florence E. Allen was the first, serving from 1923 to 1934. A second woman didn’t sit on the bench until it wasn’t until Blanche Krupansky joined the bench in 1981. Alice Robie Resnick became the third in 1989 and now the seven-member court has three female justices: Maureen O’Connor, Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Judith Lanzinger.
Despite the recent in-roads for women, less than 5 percent of the Ohio Supreme Court justices since 1803 have been female. At least it’s a better record than the U.S. Supreme Court which has had only three female justices since its inception in 1790.
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TweetSen. Brown voting record “most liberal” - National Journal
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, really is a liberal, at least according to the National Journal, a Washington, D.C.,- based magazine that keeps a close eye on Congress.
Ratings released on Friday, Feb. 26, by the magazine showed Brown tied with three other Democrats - Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ben Cardin of Maryland - for the Senate’s most liberal voting record in 2009.
Ohio’s other senator, Republican George Voinovich, ranked closer to the middle. He had the 37th most conservative record on roll call votes.
In the House, Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, had the most conservative record among area members. Boehner was the 14th most conservative House member, according to the rankings.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, was 19th most conservative. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, was 117th most conservative and Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, had the 154th most conservative voting record.
Senators and House members were assigned separate scores for roll-call votes on key economy, social and foreign-policy issues during 2009.
To see the ratings, click here.
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