August 31

Lawmaker wants to add Wrights’ plane to Ohio seal

Associated Press

Published: August 31, 2011 - 08:17 AM

DAYTON, OHIO: An Ohio lawmaker wants to change the official state seal to include a tribute to the Wright brothers.

Legislation introduced Tuesday by Dayton area state Rep. James Butler would add the airplane from the Wrights’ pioneering flight in 1903. It would go above and to the left of the sun on the current seal.

The Wrights were from Dayton. Butler tells The Dayton Daily News that putting the plane on the seal would be good for bringing business to the region and for promoting the state as a center of innovation.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/lawmaker-wants-to-add-wrights-plane-to-ohio-seal-1.232552

Lawmaker pushing to add tribute to Wright brothers on Ohio seal

Alteration would be a tribute to the Wright brothers.

By William Hershey, Staff Writer 10:15 PM Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS — The Wright brothers’ history-making airplane will be added to the Great Seal of the State of Ohio if one local lawmaker has his way.

State Rep. James Butler, R-Oakwood, on Tuesday introduced legislation to put a representation of the first piloted airplane flown by the Wright brothers in 1903 above and to the left of the sun on the current seal.

“Ohio is the center of innovation and certainly the birthplace of powered flight and aviation,” said Butler, a former Naval aviator.

There have been previous, unsuccessful attempts to honor Orville and Wilbur Wright, but Butler said it’s worth trying again.

It would be especially good for the Miami Valley, he said.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/lawmaker-pushing-to-add-tribute-to-wright-brothers-on-ohio-seal-1242896.html

Batchelder Taps Huffman to Chair State Government; Hearings Set on Congressional Redistricting

Hannah Report

In the wake of Rep. Robert Mecklenborg's (R-Cincinnati) resignation earlier in the month, House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) announced Tuesday that Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) will serve as chairman of the House State Government and Elections Committee.

Mecklenborg, the former chairman of the committee, resigned amid scandal Aug. 2 stemming from a drunken driving arrest. The House Republican Caucus has begun the process of replacing him. (See separate story, this issue.)

Hufman currently serves on the committee and chairs the Redistricting Subcommittee, which will be leading the General Assembly's efforts to redraw Ohio's congressional lines.

http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=186960

Deadline to Remove Issue 2 from Ballot Quietly Passes

Hannah Report

The deadline for groups to request an issue be pulled from the November ballot quietly passed Tuesday with no deal on collective bargaining reforms in SB5 as the secretary of state proceeded to certify the form of official ballots.

Under Ohio law, the name of the committee listed on the petition that was submitted to get a state issue on the ballot must submit a request in writing to remove that issue from the ballot prior to the 70^th day before the election.

Tuesday, Aug. 30 was the 70^th day.

The possibility of keeping Issue 2, the referendum on SB5, off the ballot was floated by Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders earlier in the month, but was rejected by We Are Ohio, the group behind getting the referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=186967

House GOP Announces Mecklenborg Replacement Process

Hanna Report

Nearly a month after Rep. Robert Mecklenborg (R-Cincinnati) resigned from the 30^th House District, the House Republican Caucus has announced the process for picking his replacement.

House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) said in a release Tuesday that those wishing to seek the appointment should send a letter of interest and other supplemental materials to his office at 77 S. High St., 14^th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, by Thursday, Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. They may also be emailed to District69@ohr.state.oh.us .
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=186956

House Seeks Replacement For Mecklenborg; Speaker Names Huffman State Govt. Chair

Gongwer

House Republicans on Tuesday announced the process for replacing former Rep. Robert Mecklenborg, whose resignation several weeks ago prompted several hopefuls to test the waters for local support.
Among those reportedly interested in the appointment to the 30^th House District seat are former NFL player Rocky Boiman, a business owner, and GOP activist Dick Hammersmith, chief of staff for a Hamilton County Commissioner Chris Monzel.
Retired businessman Lou Terhar, whose wife Debe is president of the State Board of Education, is also on the short list for expected applicants. Mike Robison, who ran for the 31^st House District last cycle, has also reportedly expressed interest.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news_articledisplay.cfm?article_ID=801680204&newsedition_id=8016802&locid=2

August 30

Ohio union law ballot issue faces Monday deadline

Associated Press

Published: August 29, 2011 - 12:42 PM

COLUMBUS: The deadline for removing a repeal question on Ohio’s contentious collective bargaining law from the fall ballot was expected to pass Monday without fanfare, positioning voters to decide the fate of the law in November.

Passing the deadline wouldn’t prevent Republican leaders and opponents of the law from reaching a deal later to change or toss out the legislation, though that’s seen as unlikely.

Defenders of the law scored another endorsement Monday in what has already become a daily volley, when the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants backed the measure.

Signed by Gov. John Kasich in March, the law bans public employees from striking and restricts collective bargaining rights for more than 350,000 teachers, police officers, state employees and other public workers.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-union-law-ballot-issue-faces-monday-deadline-1.232207

 

We Are Ohio rejects SB5 compromise talks

By Ryan Hoffman | Staff Reporter

University of Cincinnati – The News Record

Published: Monday, August 29, 2011

Updated: Monday, August 29, 2011 15:08

Time is running out for negotiation on Senate Bill 5 after last week's proposed meeting between top Ohio Republican lawmakers and state union leaders failed to materialize.

Efforts to compromise on some of the contentious issues surrounding the bill were announced last Wednesday in a letter from Gov. John Kasich's office that was sent to the group aiming to repeal the bill, We Are Ohio.

Kasich, along with co-authors Senate President Tom Niehaus and House Speaker Bill Batchelder, stated the need to find "common ground" and referred to the debt ceiling debate in Washington several weeks ago as an example of the ramifications caused by political stubbornness.

The letter asked for 10 union leaders affiliated with We Are Ohio to meet with Republican lawmakers on Friday, Aug. 19, and required those attending to confirm their attendance by the end of the business day on Aug. 18.

But the only confirmation that the Office of the Governor received was a firm rejection from We Are Ohio.

http://www.newsrecord.org/news/we-are-ohio-rejects-sb5-compromise-talks-1.2615486

GOP sets dates for Mecklenborg seat screening

3:14 pm, Aug 30, 2011 | Written by cweiser

Cincinnati Enquirer

Folks who want to replace former Rep. Bob Mecklenborg will be screened Sept. 12 in Columbus.

The Green Township Republican, who resigned his seat as an Ohio representative following his DUI arrest in Indiana,  pleaded guilty last week to drunk driving from an April incident that cost him his political career.

Here’s the release from the Ohio House Speaker:

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/08/30/mecklenborg-seat/

August 29

Ohio gives public chance at drawing political maps

By Andy Brownfield
Associated Press

Published: August 26, 2011 - 03:12 PM

COLUMBUS: Ohio is inviting residents to give suggestions on how state legislative district lines should be redrawn, but whether any will actually be incorporated into the final map is up to a panel that's not required to do anything with the input.

The outcome has gone both ways in other states that have allowed the public to give suggestions during the during the once-per-decade redistricting process.

California legislators are now required to incorporate suggestions from the public into their map, and residents say that has improved the fairness of the process. But voter advocates in Illinois are fighting the map legislators there came up with, charging in a lawsuit that the process was a farce. They say the map contained little, if any of the suggestions offered by residents.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-gives-public-chance-at-drawing-political-maps-1.231744

Accused state rep urged to resign following drunk driving incident

Jarrod Martin also faces child endangering charges, says he won't step down.

By Mark Gokavi, Staff Writer 8:02 PM Saturday, August 27, 2011

Dayton Daily News

Jarrod Martin, the embattled Republican legislator who faces drunken driving and child endangering charges, says he wasn’t aware some constituents were calling for his resignation stemming from his recent brushes with law enforcement.

On Aug. 16, Martin, R-Beavercreek, told the Dayton Daily News he was not going to resign over three alcohol-related incidents because Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder III, R-Medina, and state Republican party leader Kevin DeWine asked him to do so.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/accused-state-rep-urged-to-resign-following-drunk-driving-incident-1240424.html


Push for petition signatures uses scare tactics
Wooster Daily-Record
COLUMBUS -- Democrats are again pounding the pavement statewide looking for people willing to sign their petitions, this time to block Republican-backed election law changes from taking effect in advance of next year's presidential contest.
I know this because Barack Obama sent me an email telling me so.
Or, to be more accurate, his head campaign guy in Ohio dropped me and, I assume, thousands of others the message with hopes that we'd add our names to their lists.
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/5088098


Gov. Kasich and Republican legislative leaders chastise Senate Bill 5 opponents

August 28, 2011

by MARC KOVAC | CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF

Cuyahoga Falls News Press

Columbus -- With an empty table topped with place cards naming the state's top public employee unions and six empty chairs for dramatic effect, Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders chastised Senate Bill 5 opponents Aug. 19 for refusing to participate in last-minute negotiations to remove Issue 2 from the November ballot.

The governor did say his door would remain open to union officials who are willing to talk.

"But, you know, the train's left the station," Kasich said. "Our campaign's going to be strong. It's going to involve the grassroots. People are going to know what's going on."

On Aug. 17, Kasich, House Speaker Bill Batchelder and Senate President Tom Niehaus sent a formal letter to We Are Ohio, the group that spearheaded an effort to place Senate Bill 5 before voters, asking members to participate in negotiations that would lead to the removal of the issue from the ballot.

http://www.fallsnewspress.com/news/article/5087269


Stage is set for pleas of necessity from Kasich this fall

Aug 27, 2011  

Chillicothe Gazette

Editor, the Gazette:

On Aug. 19, Gov. John Kasich stood in a room with Senate President Tom Niehaus, House Speaker William G. Batchelder and a lot of reporters.The three Republicans representing our state government who had originally opined on Aug. 18 that they did not want to get into a position of "negotiating in the press," began negotiating in the press on Aug. 19.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20110827/OPINION03/108270312

August 25

GOP leader says no chance Ohio legislature will repeal controversial collective bargaining law

Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 6:00 PM     Updated: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 7:28 AM

By Mark Naymik, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

Ohio Republican leaders have no plans to scrap a controversial collective bargaining law as a way to kick-start a compromise with the public sector unions trying to repeal it.

Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus said in an interview Wednesday with Plain Dealer editors and reporters that while he wants to avoid a costly and nasty fight over the law, pulling it and starting over is unnecessary because he believes voters will support the legislation, known as Senate Bill 5.
http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2011/08/gop_leader_says_no_chance_ohio.html


Tax Study Committee Begins Hearings

Hannah Report

Lawmakers heard a briefing on the history of the 2005 tax overhaul as well as exhortations for simplicity, regionalism and relief for fuel retailers at the launch of the House Study Committee on Ohio's Tax Structure.

The committee, chaired by Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney), is one of three established by House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) to seek public input at hearings around the state on important topics lawmakers might act on this session. The other two committees are studying workforce development and the use of technology in state government.

http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=186908

HOUSE STUDY PANEL KICKS OFF REVIEW, GETS PRIMER ON CAT, OTHER TAXES

Gongwer

A series of House study committee hearings kicked off Wednesday with lawmakers taking a look back on the 2005 overhaul of the tax code and the creation of the commercial activity tax.
Members of the House Legislative Study Committee on Ohio's Tax Structure also heard presentations from the Department of Taxation on Ohio's sales and use taxes, and tax expenditures.
Chairman Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) said he planned six hearings over the late summer and early fall to garner input on Ohio's tax code with the goal of developing some policy recommendations to the full legislature. The tax study panel is one of three special committees set up by Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), with the other two focusing on government technology and workforce issues.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news_articledisplay.cfm?article_ID=801640203&newsedition_id=8016402&locid=2

August 24

Kasich Tries to Calm Ohio Unions Pushing Vote on Bargaining Law

By Mark Niquette - Aug 24, 2011 12:01 AM ET

Since Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a law restricting government unions similar to one backed by Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, he has spent months trying to avoid a divisive referendum on the measure, using private talks and public pressure.

After Walker braved a Capitol occupation and residents began trying to recall his legislative allies, Kasich supported private discussions with labor leaders in June, said Curt Steiner, a Republican consultant who hosted the talks at his Columbus office. When those proved fruitless, Kasich held news conferences last week urging opponents to consider a compromise taking the issue off the Nov. 8 ballot.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-24/kasich-tries-to-calm-ohio-unions-pushing-vote-on-bargaining-law.html

Gongwer
Guilty Plea: Former Rep. Robert Mecklenborg, who resigned following his arrest in Indiana last spring, entered a guilty plea to drunken driving charges stemming from that incident, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.
The Green Township attorney's lawyer, Robert Ewbank, told the paper that he expects a 90-day probation charge to date to the former lawmaker's arrest on April 23.
Mr. Mecklenborg's arrest was the first of three alcohol-related incidents involving GOP legislators and police this summer but thus far the only one that has resulted in a resignation.Rep. Jarrod Martin (R-Beavercreek), who was pulled over and cited for OVI and child endangerment, has refused Speaker Bill Batchelder's (R-Medina) call for his resignation. The case is still pending
And there has been no word on the future of Sen. Kris Jordan (R-Delaware) following his wife's 911 call in which she expressed concerns about being pushed around and her husband's drinking. No charges were filed in the case after Ms. Jordan declined to press the issue.

August 23

Party in power

Published: August 22, 2011 - 10:26 PM

Akron Beacon Journal

Just days after his election in November, John Kasich issued what amounted to an ultimatum: Get on the bus, or suffer the consequences, his administration prepared to flatten those who get in the way. On Friday, the governor accused organized labor and others of playing the same game. He pointed to their insistence on the repeal of Senate Bill 5 before entering negotiations to repair recent changes to collective bargaining for public employees in Ohio.

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/party-in-power-1.230976

 

Ohio Republicans are to blame for partisan tone in Columbus

Published: Tue, August 23, 2011 @ 12:00 a.m.

Youngstown Vindicator

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, President of the Senate Tom Niehaus and speaker of the House Bill Batchelder, all Republicans, are either very good actors, or are politically naive. Given the results of last November’s statewide election in which Republicans swept all the offices, naivety is not an apt characterization of the three leaders. Therefore, we can only conclude that their expressions of surprise Friday at the absence of the heads of the state’s top public-employee unions to discuss the new collective bargaining law — commonly called Senate Bill 5 — was just an act.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/aug/23/ohio-republicans-are-to-blame-for-partis/?newswatch

 

Ohio Misses Deadline to Get Additional UC Funding

Hannah Report

Despite efforts by a number of human service advocates including Policy Matters Ohio since 2009 when the federal stimulus provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were first enacted (see The Hannah Report, 7/23/09), introduction of state legislation, the state's borrowing of approximately $2.6 billion so far to cover its unemployment compensation costs and an increasing unemployment rate, Monday's deadline for the state's applying to receive $176 million in additional unemployment comp (UC) funding came and went.

http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=186884

August 22

Ohio union law opponents want repeal before deal

JULIE CARR SMYTH

Associated Press

Published: August 18, 2011 6:59PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A group seeking to roll back an Ohio law limiting the negotiating powers of 350,000 unionized public workers reiterated Thursday that it will only consider negotiating a compromise with the governor if the bill is repealed.

We Are Ohio campaign director A.J. Stokes asked for a fresh start in a letter to Republican Gov. John Kasich and GOP legislative leaders, which followed the governor's call Wednesday for union leaders to join him Friday to discuss striking a deal that would remove a repeal question from the Nov. 8 ballot.
http://daily-jeff.com/ap%20state/2011/08/18/ohio-union-law-opponents-want-repeal-before-deal.modal


Union leaders absent from SB 5 negotiation meeting

We Are Ohio said it wasn’t coming and stuck to its word.

Columbus Dispatch

August 19, 2011

The coalition formed to overturn Senate Bill 5 this fall rejected an offer from Ohio GOP leaders Gov. John Kasich, House Speaker William G. Batchelder, and Senate President Tom Niehaus to meet this morning and negotiate a deal to water down Ohio’s new collective bargaining law in return for canceling a fall referendum.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/08/19/union-leaders-absent-at-sb-5-negotiation-meeting.html

Anti-Senate Bill 5 group won’t meet with Kasich unless law is repealed first

By Laura A. Bischoff

Dayton Daily News Columbus Bureau

Gov. John Kasich and legislative leaders have an opening on their calendar Friday morning: We Are Ohio is declining their invitation to discuss a compromise on Senate Bill 5.

Before talks begin, lawmakers must repeal the entire bill, said We Are Ohio campaign manager A.J. Stokes in a letter to Kasich, House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, and Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2011/08/18/antisenate_bill_5_group_wont_m.html


Kasich, GOP leaders stage meeting on SB5

By Julie Carr Smyth
Associated Press

Published: August 19, 2011 - 11:25 PM

COLUMBUS: Union leaders passed on meeting Friday with Gov. John Kasich to discuss a possible compromise over the state’s new collective bargaining law, rebuffing an effort intended to remove a question from the November ballot asking voters to repeal it.
Kasich and fellow Republicans planted themselves alongside an empty table bearing placards for major unions, including the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the Ohio Education Association.
http://www.ohio.com/news/ohiocentric/kasich-gop-leaders-stage-meeting-on-sb5-1.230624

Kasich stages ‘talks,’ assails no-show unions

By  Joe Vardon

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday August 20, 2011 5:32 AM

The stage was set.

With no union leaders in sight yesterday, Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders welcomed a horde of reporters into a Riffe Center conference room arranged to prove their point.
An offer from Kasich, House Speaker William G. Batchelder and Senate President Tom Niehaus to negotiate an 11th-hour deal over Senate Bill 5 had been rebuffed by We Are Ohio, the coalition formed to defeat the bill through a referendum this fall, state Issue 2.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/08/20/kasich-stages-talks-assails-no-show-unions.html

House committees hitting the road to get public input

By Jim Siegel

The Columbus Dispatch - August 17, 2011 11:08 AM

House Republicans want to hear from real people in the late summer and fall about some of the big issues facing Ohio, so they are taking some new committees on the road.
Three ad hoc study committees will hold their first meeting in the Statehouse in late August and then spend time meeting around the state to collect public input on issues including state taxes, workforce development and the use of technology in government.
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2011/08/house-going-to-the-people-for-ideas.html


Kasich blasts unions

By Laura Bischoff

Dayton Daily News

 Friday, August 19, 2011, 01:46 PM

Gov. John Kasich and legislative leaders blasted union leaders on Friday for skipping a meeting to negotiate a compromise to keep the Senate Bill 5 referendum vote off the Nov. 8 ballot.
“Woody Allen says that 90 percent of life is just showing up. And they’ve obviously flunked that test today,” Kasich said while flanked by Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, and House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2011/08/19/kasich_blasts_unions.html


Senate Bill 5 supporters and opponents gear up for intense fall campaign fight

Published: Friday, August 19, 2011, 6:00 PM     Updated: Friday, August 19, 2011, 11:43 PM

By Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After labor unions stood together Friday in rejecting Gov. John Kasich's request to compromise on Senate Bill 5, both sides said they are ready to fight on toward a November election in which voters will decide the fate of the new collective bargaining law.
"You know the train's left the station. Our campaign is going to be strong," the Republican governor said Friday after being stood up by unions who declined his offer to meet to work out a compromise and end the voter referendum.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/08/senate_bill_5.html


SB 5 provokes a fight, not the usual deal: Thomas Suddes

Published: Saturday, August 20, 2011, 8:15 PM

By Thomas Suddes The Plain Dealer

 

No matter the result come Nov. 8, what a Senate Bill 5 referendum really represents is a disconnect between General Assembly Republicans and the usual way of doing business at Ohio's Statehouse. Maybe that's good. Maybe that's bad. But it's a fact.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/08/sb_5_provokes_a_fight_not_the.html


Unions' rejection of Kasich's offer to re-examine SB 5 was the wrong answer for a state facing serious problems: Editorial

Published: Saturday, August 20, 2011, 5:00 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board The Plain Dealer

Perhaps not till Judgment Day will anyone know whether the Senate Bill 5 negotiations Republican Gov. John Kasich offered public-employee unions last week was statesmanship or showmanship.

The unions -- expressing skepticism about Kasich's sincerity, given GOP arrogance in ramming SB 5 through the General Assembly -- declined.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/08/unions_rejection_of_kasichs_of_1.html


Ohio AFL-CIO says it has not discussed a compromise on SB5

Published: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2:42 PM     Updated: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:44 PM

By Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga says the union "has never entered into any series of meetings or negotiations on Senate Bill 5," the controversial collective bargaining law.

Burga issued a statement in response to a Columbus Dispatch article that named him as a union leader who in June participated with representatives of Gov. John Kasich in discussions to negotiate a compromise that would end union-led efforts to repeal the law this fall.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/08/ohio_afl-cio_says_it_has_not_d.html


Unions no-shows at Gov. John Kasich's compromise meeting on collective bargaining law

Published: Friday, August 19, 2011, 12:15 PM     Updated: Friday, August 19, 2011, 2:06 PM

By Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio labor unions were a no-show this morning at a meeting Gov. John Kasich called to try to reach a compromise on Senate Bill 5, the controversial new collective bargaining law.

The meeting went on at the governor's office downtown Columbus office building with Kasich seated at one table flanked by fellow Republicans, House Speaker William G. Batchelder and Senate President Tom Niehaus. A table angled across from them contained placards for six unions and empty chairs.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/08/unions_stand_together_no-shows.html


First, the repeal

Published: August 18, 2011 - 07:31 PM

Akron Beacon Journal

First, the repeal August 18,2011 11:31 PM GMT Beacon Journal Publishing Co.

If Gov. John Kasich and his fellow Republicans in charge of the legislature want to avoid the “lasting scars and bitter divisions” of a costly political fight in the fall, they should move quickly to repeal the changes they have made in collective bargaining for public employees. Those changes triggered the referendum campaign, Issue 2 on the November ballot, opponents gathering more than 1 million signatures in the process.
http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/first-the-repeal-1.230395


Coalition rejects Kasich’s offer for meeting over SB 5

BY JIM PROVANCE
TOLEDO BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS — The coalition seeking repeal of Ohio’s new law limiting collective bargaining by public employees Thursday formally rejected Gov. John Kasich’s offer to meet Friday to negotiate a deal that could lead to removal of the issue from the Nov. 8 ballot.

“We are asking you for a fresh start, and that fresh start must begin with a full repeal of Senate Bill 5,’’ reads a letter sent to Mr. Kasich by AJ Stokes, campaign manager for the We Are Ohio coalition consisting largely of organized labor and Democratic groups.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2011/08/18/Coalition-rejects-Kasich-s-offer-for-meeting-over-SB-5.html



Labor group a no-show for SB 5 meeting

Kasich offers standing invitation

BY JIM PROVANCE
TOLEDO BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS -- On one side of the room sat the top three leaders of the state of Ohio. On the other an empty table with six place cards set for major public employee unions.

As expected, no labor leader behind the effort to persuade voters to reject outright Ohio's new law restricting the collective bargaining of government workers showed up at Friday's meeting called by Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders.
http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2011/08/20/Group-a-no-show-for-SB5-meeting.html


SB 5 opponents snub invitation

Published: Sat, August 20, 2011 @ 12:12 a.m.

By Marc Kovac

Youngstown Vindicator

 

With an empty table topped with place cards naming the state’s top public-employee unions and six empty chairs for dramatic effect, Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders chastised Senate Bill 5 opponents Friday for refusing to participate in last-minute negotiations to remove Issue 2 from the November ballot.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/aug/20/sb-5-opponents-snub-invitation/


Kasich, GOP leaders, SB5 backers pow-wow a bust, as Ohio unemployment rate rises

John Michael Spinelli

Columbus Government Examiner

August 19, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CGE) - At 10 a.m Friday morning, the time Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders designated to engage in talks with backers of Issue 2, the trio of Republicans were left to engage in chit-chat amongst themselves. Backers of SB 5, true to their word from Wednesday, did not show up. Representatives of the committee We Are Ohio, which submitted 1.3 million signatures, enough to gives Ohio voters a chance to reject it this November, said that until the GOP power troika repealed the bill, which radically reforms how collective bargaining among Ohio's public sector union workers has been conducted for over 30 years, there's nothing to discuss.

http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/kasich-gop-leaders-sb5-backers-pow-wow-a-bust-as-ohio-unemployment-rate-rises