February 22

Meeting puts Husted in GOP feud

By  Joe Vardon

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday February 22, 2012 6:03 AM

The intraparty feud splitting Ohio Republicans between those loyal to party Chairman Kevin DeWine and those backing Gov. John Kasich might have another prominent player: Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Husted, who is close to DeWine but has avoided criticizing Kasich in the fight for control of the party, participated in a “confidential” meeting called by a Dayton-area Republican donor on Feb. 7 — the same day as Kasich’s State of the State address in Steubenville.

Richard Chernesky, the attorney and Republican donor who called the meeting in Dayton, said in an email to “Eagles Forum” participants that their “support and contributions in the past to Jon Husted and Kevin DeWine helped them to achieve the offices they now hold and to position them for greater service in the future.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/22/meeting-puts-husted-in-gop-feud.html

Ohio election law opponents: Referendum cannot be pulled from Nov. ballot

Published: Wed, February 22, 2012 @ 12:03 a.m.

By Marc Kovac

news@vindy.com and Wooster Daily-Record

COLUMBUS

The group behind an effort to repeal controversial, GOP-backed changes to Ohio’s election laws said Tuesday that Republican lawmakers cannot pull a November referendum from the ballot without its consent.

Fair Elections Ohio and former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner told reporters during a conference call that Republican lawmakers should let voters have the final say on House Bill 194.

“Lawmakers need to leave well enough alone,” said Brunner, a Democrat. “It’s obvious that they’ve figured out that this is a bad law all in all, and that they potentially sustain political damage if it’s on the ballot. But unfortunately, the voice of the people, which is in the Constitution, doesn’t give them any out here. They need to face the consequences of what they’ve done.”
http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/feb/22/group-referendum-cannot-be-pulled-from-n/