Stratton to step down from Ohio Supreme Court

By Laura Bischoff | Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 03:27 PM

After more than two decades on the bench, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton is resigning her seat, effective Dec. 31, to spend more time working on mental health and veterans issues.

“As a trial judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, I was troubled by the lack of mental health services available to offenders who became entangled in the criminal justice system because of their illnesses,” Stratton wrote in her resignation letter on Tuesday. “After joining the Supreme Court as a justice, I created a statewide advisory committee to address mental health issues. At that time, Ohio had only two mental health courts. Today, Ohio leads the nation with 34 mental health courts and 144 specialized dockets, and the number is growing. We also lead the country in training police with Crisis Intervention Teams.”

Stratton, a Republican, joined the seven-member Supreme Court in 1996. Her term expires Jan. 1, 2015. Gov. John Kasich will appoint someone to serve the remainder of her term.

Stratton, of Worthington, was born to missionary parents in Thailand and attended boarding school in Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War. She came to the United States with a few hundred dollars and began college and worked her way through law school at Ohio State University.

Her official biography on the Supreme Court website concludes: “She enjoys painting, Thai cooking, and fly fishing with her husband. But surely her most interesting accomplishment was her first-place finish in a college Stampede Girls Goat Tying Competition — a talent she later put to good use as a trial lawyer.”

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Dems push pay equity bill

By Laura Bischoff | Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:05 PM

Democrats in the Ohio Senate are pushing a bill to beef up Ohio’s wage discrimination laws and add protections to prevent pay discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Studies show that women make 77-cents for every $1 earned by men, even after accounting for education, job duties, industries and experience.

“It doesn’t take a genius to know that women should be paid equally for the same work as a man,” said state Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland.

Current law prohibits discrimination based on race, creed, sex, age, national origin or ancestry. The bill would add sexual orientation as a protected class and it would require employers who face discrimination claims to substantiate pay differences. It would also prohibit retaliation against workers who talk about salaries with co-workers or raise concerns about wage inequality.

Turner said she has yet to discuss the bill with business groups such as the Ohio Chamber of Commerce or National Federation of Independent Businesses. There are no Republican co-sponsors either, which indicates the bill faces an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled General Assembly.

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Obama campaign launches veterans effort in Ohio

By Jackie Borchardt | Monday, May 21, 2012, 06:09 PM

In an effort to connect with veterans and their families, President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign announced the launch of Ohio Veterans and Military Families for Obama on Monday.

Veterans and Military Families for Obama is made up of active military veterans including several in the Dayton area to represent their community to the campaign, recruit volunteers and put together phone banking sessions and canvasses.

The outreach campaign emphasizes the president’s record as commander in chief: boosting education opportunities for veterans, reducing Taliban forces and ending the war in Iraq. Obama lost the veteran vote in 2008 to John McCain, a veteran himself, but Obama supporters say he is the right choice for veterans against former presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

“The president has been a strong advocate and a responsible leader in a complicated and often dangerous world,” former U.S. Congressman, Lt. Col. John Boccieri told reporters in a conference call Monday. “He successfully confronted our enemies and without hesitation he made America strong and strengthened our alliances while remaining true to the values that make up this great country.”

Boccieri is an Air Force Reserve Instructor Pilot stationed at the Youngstown Joint Air Reserve Station and completed four rotations in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, according to the Obama campaign.

The campaign is targeting states with large military family populations such as North Carolina and Virginia and swing states such as Ohio and Florida.

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Feds investigate donations to Mandel, Renacci

By Laura Bischoff | Monday, May 21, 2012, 04:12 PM

Federal authorities have been investigating contributions by employees of Suarez Corporation Industries to Republicans Josh Mandel and Jim Renacci, spokesmen for the two campaigns confirmed on Monday.

“The campaign is aware of the investigation and is fully cooperating. Neither the campaign nor anyone associated with it is a subject of the investigation,” said Mandel campaign spokesman Travis Considine.

The Mandel campaign is setting aside the roughly $100,000 in Suarez employee donations in a separate account pending the result of the federal investigation, Considine said. The campaign may return the money or donate it to charity.

Mandel is in his second year as state treasurer and is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. Renacci, R-Wadsworth, is seeking a second term in Congress and is running against incumbent Democrat Betty Sutton of Barberton.

Renacci’s chief of staff and campaign spokesman James Slepian said that four or five months ago the U.S. Attorney’s office requested campaign records detailing contributions from employees of Suarez Corporation Industries. Suarez is a direct marketing firm based in Stark County owned by Ben Suarez.

“To our knowledge, no contributions were made improperly to our campaign but if we find out at any point that donations were made improperly we’ll refund them,” Slepian said.

The (Toledo) Blade reported in August that 17 Suarez Corporation Industries employees and some of their spouses gave a combined $100,000 to the Mandel campaign and $100,000 to the Renacci campaign. Some had never given to political campaigns before, lived in modest neighborhoods, and held job titles such as copy writer.

It raised questions about whose money was being contributed and whether it was an attempt to steer around the $5,000 contribution limit. Giving campaign money in the name of another is illegal.

Last fall, Mandel told the Dayton Daily News that his campaign expects supporters to follow the law.

“We have no reason to believe whatsoever that anyone has stepped across the letter of the law or the spirit of the law here,” he said regarding the Suarez employee contributions. “Again, these are people who are angry with the fact that Sherrod Brown has been responsible for so much job loss in the state of Ohio and they are motivated to support us because of that.”

The New Republic reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had questioned some Suarez employees and their spouses about the donations. FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson declined to confirm or deny whether an investigation is ongoing.

Suarez company officials could not be reached but Michael Puterbaugh, a company attorney, issued a statement to The Blade and The New Republic saying Suarez Corporation Industries does not respond to claims or allegations that have not been publicly filed.

Brown campaign spokeswoman Sadie Weiner said: “Josh Mandel has repeatedly demonstrated he’s nothing more than a politician who can’t be trusted, and it comes as no surprise that his campaign is now part of an investigation over what is charitably called one hundred thousand dollars in questionable contributions from individuals who do not appear to have the means to make contributions of this size.”

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Controversial anti-Romney ad to air in Dayton

By Lynn Hulsey | Monday, May 21, 2012, 02:25 PM

By Jack Torry

A controversial TV commercial assailing Mitt Romney and his work with Bain Capital, a private equity firm, will air in Dayton throughout much of Ohio this week, the second week the ad has been on the air.

The commercial, produced by the re-election campaign for President Barack Obama, accuses Bain of shutting down a steel mill in Kansas City in 2001, with one laid off worker calling Bain a “vampire” that “sucked the life out of us.”

Romney called the commercial character assassination and it was criticized by two prominent Democrats — former auto czar Steve Rattner and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. The Obama campaign would only acknowledge that the commercial will air in Dayton and “several” other cities. It will not air in Columbus.

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Audit: State-mandated biofuel use costly for ODOT

By Jackie Borchardt | Monday, May 21, 2012, 12:31 PM

State-mandated use of biofuels in state vehicles has cost the Ohio Department of Transportation an additional $3.3 million over the last four years, according to a report released today by the auditor of state’s office.

Since July 2006, ODOT and other state agencies have been required to fill their vehicles with blended biodiesel when available. Blended biodiesel is a diesel replacement fuel made with plant materials, commonly soybean and corn. Last year, choosing biofuels over regular diesel cost on average an extra 36 cents per gallon, according to the auditor’s analysis.

Auditor of State Dave Yost suggested state lawmakers loosen the requirement to apply only when cost effective or scrap the mandate, which would save ODOT an estimated $800,000 per year.

“While the intentions of using biodiesel are good, government must be cost-effective,” Yost said in a statement Monday. “The option to return to regular diesel fuel ensures that taxpayers receive the best value for their dollar.”

The law signed by Gov. Bob Taft was intended to reduce costs and smog emissions and help Ohio’s farm industry. The law required state agencies to buy flexible-fuel vehicles when replacing old ones and use more than 1 million gallons of biofuel, including 60,000 gallons of corn ethanol fuel, and more in subsequent years.

The cost-savings impact is greater for ODOT because the department is responsible for the bulk of the mandate — 97 percent of all agency biofuel use in 2011, according to the Department of Administrative Services. ODOT used about 2.6 million gallons of biodiesel in 2011 — more than twice the target amount.

The auditor’s report also suggested ODOT cut back on fuel purchases.

The auditor’s findings are part of the first round of state agency performance audits mandated last year by Senate Bill 4. The law tasks the state auditor to find inefficiencies and requires the agencies to implement recommendations of the audit. In addition to ODOT, the Department of Education, Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency will also be audited during the first round.

Last month, a preliminary audit report suggested ODOT could save $6 million by downsizing its fleet and closing two rest stops.

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Actor, Dayton native Martin Sheen to campaign for Brown

By Anthony Shoemaker | Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 07:03 PM

Actor Martin Sheen, a Dayton native, is joining U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, for a fundraiser at the Dayton Marriott on May 30.

Brown is running against Ohio Treasurer Republican Josh Mandel in the November election.

The money raised from the event with the former West Wing star will go to the Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund.

Tickets are $2,500 to attend a private reception starting at 11:30 a.m. Tickets for a noon reception range from $250 to $1,000. The Marriott is located at 1414 South Patterson Boulevard.

For more information or to RSVP, call (740) 403-1894 or email lauren@ohiovictoryfund.com

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Plan to cut funding for Planned Parenthood returns to Ohio House

By Anthony Shoemaker | Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 07:00 PM

By Laura A. Bischoff Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS - An ideological battle about abortion is being waged in the Ohio Statehouse as lawmakers consider a bill that would essentially take away federal family planning grants from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio.

Continue reading "Plan to cut funding for Planned Parenthood returns to Ohio House"...

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Ad watch: CrossroadsGPS launches anti-Obama ad in Ohio

By Anthony Shoemaker | Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 05:11 PM

By Jack Torry Washington Bureau

Ad: Promise, a one minute TV commercial. 

Producer: CrossroadsGPS - an independent Republican organization involving former White House adviser Karl Rove and claims it is not affiliated with Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Video: Video of President Obama on a tablet computer followed by the sound of shattering glass to suggest a broken promise.Watch the video here.

Script

Narrator:President Obama’s agenda promised so much.

Obama: We must help the millions of homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

Narrator: Promise broken. 1 in 5 mortgages are still under water.

Obama: If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes go up.

Narrator: Broken. ObamaCare raises 18 different taxes.

Obama: If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan.

Narrator: Broken. Millions could lose their health care coverage and could be forced into a government pool.

Obama: Today I’m pledging to cut the deficit we inherited by half by the end of my first term in office.

Narrator: Broken. Because he hasn’t even come close. We need solutions, not just promises. Tell President Obama to cut the deficit and support the new majority agenda at newmajorityagenda.org.

Continue reading "Ad watch: CrossroadsGPS launches anti-Obama ad in Ohio"...

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Anti-Obama ad starts Thursday

By Laura Bischoff | Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 04:14 PM

An anti-Obama group purchased $25 million in TV airtime over the next four weeks in 10 states, including $849,000 in Ohio.

Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies unveiled a one-minute spot that criticizes President Barack Obama for “broken” promises on taxes, foreclosures and the federal debt.

Crossroads GPS is a conservative advocacy group that does not have to disclose its donors and that works in conjunction with American Crossroads.

The ad starts airing in Ohio on Thursday and runs through May 31. It is running in battleground states: Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

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