Home of the Week
Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > April > 02
Friday, April 2, 2010
Kasich made $1.1 M in 2008; no “golden parachute” from Lehman Bros, records show
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich had a taxable income of $1.1 million in 2008 but got no “golden parachute” from Lehman Bros., records released on Friday, April 2, by Kasich’s campaign showed.
Rob Nichols, Kasich campaign spokesman , said the records were released to refute Democratic assertions that Kasich personally benefited as Lehman Bros. collapsed on Sept. 15, 2008. The firm’s collapse has been blamed for the nation’s economic meltdown.
The records also are representative of the income Kasich earned after leaving the U.S. House at the end of 2000, said Nichols
Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, served as a Lehman Bros. managing director from 2001 to shortly after the firm collapsed in 2008.
Kasich’s campaign permitted reporters to see but not photocopy a summary of Kasich’s 2008 income tax return and portions of the actual return. The campaign also released copies of the 2009 state Financial Disclosure Statement that Kasich and other candidates are required to file on Monday, April 5. The form lists sources - but not amounts - of investments and income for 2009.
The only mention of Lehman Bros. is under investments and is listed as “Lehman Brother Holdings Inc. Retirement Plan.”
Lis Smith, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s campaign,spokeswoman, said Kasich “insulted the intelligence of voters” by not releasing more detailed records.
Major sources of Kasich’s 2008 income were:
*Lehman Bros. - $587, 175, including salary, 2007 bonus and dependent care benefits
*Fox News commentator - $265,000
*Speaking fees - $165,719
*Interest, dividends, investments - $121,922
*Directors’ fees (Invacare, Worthington Industries) - $77,723
*Schottenstein Property Group - $61,538
*Barclay’s Capital - $28,028
Kasich’s pre-tax income for the year was $1,386,648, according to the records. This was larger than the total taxable income due to deductions such as personal and dependent exemptions, state and local taxes, real estate taxes, self employment taxes, certain retirement contributions and charitable donations, the campaign said.
The campaign released this statement from Kasich:
“I’m grateful that I’ve been blessed with good opportunities and the ability to turn them into success for my family and myself.
“I hope every son of a postman can do as well, but I fear those odds are slim unless we can undo the damage that Ted Strickland has done to our economy and get Ohio back on track.”
Smith, Strickland’s campaign spokeswoman, said in a prepared statement that Kasich already had insulted voters’ intelligence by not releasing details of his plans for Ohio and the new, limited release was a further insult.
“In contrast, when Ted ran for Governor in 2006, he released six years of tax returns and his statutory income is public information. He has refused statutory pay increases since he took office and covers the cost of his own health care. He will release his tax returns later in April.”
Strickland’s salary as governor is $138,756, state records show.
Kasich is still working on his income tax return for 2009 and no decision has been made on what information will be released, said Nichols.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment |
TweetCOAST endorses Sandy O’Brien in GOP Sec of State race
COAST has endorsed Sandy O’Brien, former Ashtabula County auditor and 2006 GOP candidate for state treasurer, for the Republican nomination for secretary of state.
O’Brien is running for the nomination against state Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, who is endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party.
“O’Brien is supremely qualified to be Ohio’s chief elections officer bringing to the table knowledge of the electoral process and exceptional integrity,” COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd said in a press release on Friday, April 2.
COAST is opposed to higher taxes and government spending, according to the group’s Web site.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment |
TweetPlan to exempt Ohio from health care overhaul clears hurdle; Strickland opposes plan
Backers of a proposed state constitutional amendment to exempt Ohioans from the newly enacted federal health care overhaul plan have cleared the first hurdle to getting the proposal on the November ballot.
Attorney General Richard Cordray on Thursday, April 1, approved the summary language in the petition submitted for the ballot plan titled “To preserve the freedom of Ohioans to choose their health care and health care coverage.”
The next step is for the state ballot board to look at the petition to make sure it contains just one proposed amendment, Cordray’s office said in a press release.
Then amendment backers would then need to gather signatures from more than 402,276 registered voters to get the issue on the ballot.
Gov. Ted Strickland said on Friday, April 2, that he would oppose such an amendment.
Permalink | Comments (27) | Post your comment |
TweetStrickland vows crackdown on prescription drug abuse ‘epidemic”
Gov. Ted Strickland on Friday, April 2, vowed a statewide crackdown on prescription drug abuse and issued an executive order to form a task force to develop a comprehensive strategy for battling the “epidemic.”
“Too many lives have been lost,” Strickland said at a Statehouse press conference. Unintentional drug poisoning has become the leading cause of injury deaths in Ohio, surpassing motor vehicle accidents, he said.
Possible strategies include licensing so-called “pill mills” that dispense prescription drugs for cash. The problem is particularly bad in southern Ohio, including Scioto County, Strickland’s home area, the governor said.
Local law enforcement agencies will be able to seek grants from a $250,000 pot of federal money at the Public Safety Department to help them fight the problem, Strickland said.
The task force, including state and federal officials and other stakeholders, is to report back to him in six weeks with a plan, Strickland said.
The Ohio State Medical Association praised the action.
“This problem needs a comprehensive solution, and the OSMA looks forward to working with the governor’s task force to help find that solution,” Dr. Wayne B. Wheeler of the OSMA said in a press release.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Tweet
