January 5

Democrats want new legislative maps thrown out

2 months before primary, lawsuit says GOP failed to honor Ohio Constitution

By  Jim Siegel

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday January 5, 2012 5:53 AM

Ohio Democrats asked the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday to invalidate new Republican-drawn state legislative maps, saying the maps unconstitutionally split too many communities and are based on improper factors, such as the political leanings of each district.

The lawsuit puts the Supreme Court on a tight schedule, with the Ohio primary just two months away.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/05/demswantnewmapsthrownout.html

Democrats file lawsuit over new Statehouse legislative districts with Ohio Supreme Court

Published: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:10 PM     Updated: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 1:39 AM

By Aaron Marshall, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Statehouse Democrats filed a lawsuit Wednesday charging that Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution last year when they drew new Ohio legislative districts.

Republicans labeled the charges ridiculous and said the map passes constitutional muster.
The Democrats are asking Ohio Supreme Court to reject the map passed by the GOP-controlled state Apportionment Board on Sept. 28 and order a new map to be drawn. The map, which tilts heavily to favor Republican candidates, redrew 99 Ohio House districts and 33 Ohio Senate districts.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/01/democrats_file_lawsuit_over_ne.html

Ohio Republicans will reform public employee pensions

Published: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 4:02 AM

By Other Voices The Plain Dealer

Cleveland Plain Dealer

As vice chairman of the Ohio Retirement Study Council, a body on which I have had the privilege to serve for nearly a decade, I am compelled to respond to your Dec. 27 editorial titled "General Assembly should pass Ohio pension system reforms."

In 2007 and 2008, like nearly every other investment at the time, those made by Ohio's public pension systems were hard hit. This left Ohio's systems in a situation impossible to escape without changes to each system. In short, we could not "invest our way out."
http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/2012/01/ohio_republicans_will_reform_p.html

Dems try again to force Ohio’s hand in creating insurance exchange

Business First by Carrie Ghose, Staff reporter

Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012, 1:14pm EST

Carrie Ghose

Staff reporter - Business First

Democrat lawmakers again are trying to goose Republicans who control the Statehouse into giving Ohio control over its health benefits exchange rather than trying to wish away federal health insurance reform that the GOP detests.
Companion bills were introduced in the Ohio Senate on Tuesday and in the House on Thursday to create a state-run insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses, which are supposed to start operating in 2014 under the federal Affordable Care Act.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/01/dems-try-again-to-force-ohios-hand-in.html?page=all

Democrats Challenge New General Assembly Maps In Supreme Court

Gongwer 1/4/12

Weeks after reaching an agreement on new GOP-drawn congressional maps, Democrats filed a lawsuit Wednesday contesting recent Republican revisions to General Assembly districts.

More than three-dozen voters are listed as parties in the lawsuit alleging the GOP-drawn legislative maps violate the Ohio Constitution's limits on how political subdivisions could be divided. The plaintiffs want the Ohio Supreme Court to declare the Apportionment Board plans invalid and take action to adopt new General Assembly maps.

A Republican spokesman dismissed the lawsuit as "ridiculous" and accused Democrats of trying to disrupt the elections process for political gain.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810020201

Legislative Democrats File Suit Challenging New General Assembly Districts

Hannah Report 1/4/11

Legislative Democrats Wednesday filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court challenging new General Assembly district maps approved by the Ohio Apportionment Board, arguing that the districts violate the Ohio Constitution because they divide communities and because there is "evidence that other criteria was used such as political indices and campaign contributions."

The lawsuit, which includes former Reps. Steve Dyer, Ray Pryor, and Ken Carano as plaintiffs, claims that the Republican-dominated Ohio Apportionment Board violated Article XI when it adopted a plan that divided counties, cities and other political subdivisions. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=188173