Wednesday, December 14, 2011

December 8

Ohio primaries could be consolidated next week

By Associated Press
Ohio primaries could be consolidated next week December 07,2011 11:15 PM GMT
COLUMBUS: Ohio would see its split primaries reunited, probably to May, in a bill the Ohio House leader says he plans to fast track next week.
House Speaker William Batchelder, a Republican, told reporters Wednesday he hopes lawmakers can approve the change next week, in the final week of the 2011 legislative calendar. He says Ohio's primary races have traditionally been held in May.
The Republican-led legislature voted in October to move the state's presidential and U.S. House primaries to June, while keeping other races in March. The decision followed a spat over new congressional lines that created confusion among candidates.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-primaries-could-be-consolidated-next-week-1.249274

Candidates lining up to run in 2012

4 Democrats to vie for newly created congressional seat in Franklin County

By  Joe Hallett Columbus DispatchJim Siegel The Columbus Dispatch
Thursday December 8, 2011 11:58 AM
Entering the murkiest election season in memory, candidates yesterday put their petitions where their ambitions are, filing in droves to run for state and federal offices in one of Ohio’s two scheduled primary elections.
A marquee race took shape in Franklin County’s new 3rd Congressional District, with four strong Democratic candidates filing in a Columbus-dominated district that favors their party and has about a 28 percent African-American population.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/08/candidates-lining-up-to-run-in-2012.html

Ohio’s top Democrat to run for House seat

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday December 8, 2011 6:06 AM
Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern wants to return to the Ohio House.
The outspoken former lawmaker from Port Clinton is running in the district occupied by Rep. Dennis Murray, D-Sandusky, who said yesterday he is not going to seek re-election in order to focus on his law practice.
House Minority Leader Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, said he welcomes Redfern back into the fold.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/08/ohios-top-democrat-to-run-for-house-seat.html

One is enough

Democrats and Republicans should find common ground for a single primary

Thursday December 8, 2011 8:47 AM
Columbus Dispatch
Republicans and Democrats, still battling over a new congressional-district map, should put aside the rancor and partisanship to consolidate Ohio’s two 2012 primaries into a single election that would spare voters enormous expense and confusion.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2011/12/08/one-is-enough.html

DeVitis chosen to fulfill term; he’s among candidates running for state legislative seats

By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal reporter
One of the local candidates who filed petitions for the state legislature Wednesday will have an advantage — he will be in the seat while running for it.
Green Councilman Tony DeVitis was chosen Wednesday by the House Republican Caucus to serve the remainder of former state Rep. Todd McKenney’s term. McKenney, a freshman legislator, left his 43rd District seat to become Summit County probate judge.
“Representative DeVitis is an experienced and accomplished public servant who will serve the House well,” House Speaker Bill Batchelder, R-Medina, said in a news release. “His extensive background in business and economics will add a valuable voice to the legislature in our mission to bring jobs to the state of Ohio.”
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/devitis-chosen-to-fulfill-term-he-s-among-candidates-running-for-state-legislative-seats-1.249354

Team Overreach

Akron Beacon Journal
You would think a governor and House speaker humbled at the polls a mere month ago would resist the temptation to pursue a fight within the ranks of their own party. Not John Kasich and William Batchelder. They have taken aim at Kevin DeWine, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. They have recruited candidates to run for the state central committee with the goal of gaining enough votes to oust DeWine.
Why topple a chairman who led the way in a most successful election cycle for the party, capturing all of the statewide executive offices, plus both chambers of the legislature? A chairman who won unanimous re-election at the start of the year (after Kasich asked him to step down)?
http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/team-overreach-1.249123


Speaker Wants Quick Deal On Single Primary; House Passes Local Grant Measure; New GOP Member Tabbed
Gongwer 12/7/11
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said Wednesday that despite ongoing differences over congressional redistricting he's hopeful that bipartisan agreement can be reached on separate legislation to create a single primary election date next May.
The GOP-controlled General Assembly has taken considerable flack over the current plan for two primaries in March and June (HB 318 ) because it would cost an estimated $15 million more than holding just one next spring. The double date bill was passed while negotiations over the new map (HB 319 ), which have since stalled amid a referendum bid, were ongoing.



Planned Comebacks By Redfern, Other Former Members Among Developments In Legislative Races
Gongwer 12/7/11
The candidacy of the Ohio Democratic Party chairman and bids by other former members of the legislature were among noteworthy developments Wednesday, the filing deadline for 2012 candidacies.

December 7

House Republicans working on plan for single primary

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday December 7, 2011 7:00 AM
While efforts to reach a compromise on a new congressional map appear largely stuck in the mud, House Republicans say they are now working on a separate plan to consolidate Ohio’s 2012 primaries on a single date, possibly in late April.
Right now, Ohio is scheduled to hold a primary in March for state, local and U.S. Senate candidates and a separate primary in June for congressional and presidential candidates. Republicans split the primary in an effort to buy more time for a deal on a congressional map, after Democrats began the process to overturn the GOP-drawn map passed in September.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/07/single-primary-pushed.html

GOP infighting still intense

Speaker Batchelder critical of party chairman but won’t ask him to quit

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday December 7, 2011 6:16 AM
House Speaker William G. Batchelder said yesterday that he does not plan to get more involved in the effort to push out state Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine beyond the memo he sent to his Republican members last week.
“Who’s chairman is up to two groups: the governor and the folks that vote. It’s not my business,” the Medina Republican said yesterday.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/06/gop-infighting-still-intense.html


Noon headlines 12/06/11
Davis-Besse nuclear plant resumes power; Sowell house razed; Ohio GOP infighting intensifies.
by WKSU's JEFF ST. CLAIR

Ohio Republicans continue infighting following a weekend power struggle.
Ohio Republican party vice chairwoman Kay Ayres came to the defense of party leader Kevin DeWine in a strongly worded letter to Governor John Kasich.  Ayres asked Kasich to “stand down”.
Kasich, and House Speaker Bill Batchelder, this weekend attempted to remove DeWine as Ohio GOP chairman. 
In her letter Ayres told Kasich the “tumult in the Republican ranks” could hurt its long-term stability. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/30119


House Speaker Doesn't Expect Redistricting Resolution This Week
Hannah Report 12/6/11

House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't expect any movement on redistricting this week, but said he is still hopeful that the General Assembly will be able to address the issue and the scheduled dual primary next year.

"I don't think it will take us as long as it did in 2002," Batchelder said. "This is not an unusual situation, obviously. There will come, however, a point in which we'll move forward, but it's not yet."



38 Board of Elections Members Urge Batchelder to Eliminate Second Primary
Hannah Report 12/6/11

A group of 38 county board of election (BOE) members from 27 counties across Ohio sent a letter to House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) Tuesday urging him to reverse course and support a single primary election for 2012. Under the Legislature’s current plan, two separate primary elections would be held next year, costing an additional $15 million.

In the letter to Batchelder, the BOE members expressed their "deep concern" over the prospect of having two primary elections in 2012, noting that even if the $15 million were available to pay for the second primary, there are better uses for the money.


itol Scene: Children's Caucus Formed; Rep. Johnson Recognized; Hospital Group Names New
Gongwer 12/6/11

Johnson's National Honor: Rep. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) was recognized in the House Tuesday for being named the 2011 Physician of the Year Award by the American Osteopathic Foundation.
Rep. Johnson practices family medicine in Lucasville and is assistant dean at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. The award "honors the extraordinary accomplishments of an osteopathic physician who, throughout his or her service, brings a sense of pride to the profession and whose actions promote the science of medicine and the betterment of public health," according to the House GOP Caucus. "It honors those who achieve greatness through integrity, commitment to service, and community involvement."
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said Rep. Johnson "is a great man and a passionate, devoted physician who has touched the lives of those within the national medical community, as well as all Ohioans. As a servant of the people, his integrity is unparalleled and his commitment to bettering the lives of those around him unwavering."


Politics Notebook: Gardner To Seek Wagoner Senate Seat; Speaker On ORP Flap; Officials Decry Two Primaries; Elections Calendar Out
Gongwer 12/6/11
Speaker On ORP Flap: Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said Tuesday that his caucus wouldn't be involved in trying to oust Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine by supporting challengers to the current members of the party's State Central Committee.
He also declined to call for the chairman's resignation, saying it wasn't his place to make such a request.
"Who is chairman is up to two people, two groups - the governor and those who vote," Mr. Batchelder said. "It's not my business."
Referencing a memo he distributed to members regarding Mr. DeWine's speech to the committee last Friday (See Gongwer Ohio Report, December 5, 2011) , the speaker said, "I just wanted the caucus to understand why there was some concern about the state party."


House Passes Bill To Penalize Use Of Public Money For Politicking; Clemens Honored
Gongwer 12/6/11
Clemens Honored: Former longtime House Clerk Laura Clemens was recognized with two resolutions Tuesday, one a facetious declaration offered by Rep. Tom Letson (D-Warren) refusing her resignation from the chamber and the official one sponsored by Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina).
Rep. Batchelder noted Ms. Clemens service under several speakers, both Republican and Democratic, and said her efforts at maintaining the integrity of the institution were among the finest in the House's 200-plus year history.
Ms. Clemens, who took a post with the Ohio Casino Control Commission, declined to appear before the speaker's dais to receive the resolution, so the speaker walked to the back of the room and presented it there.

December 6

Ohio GOP’s No. 2 official tells Kasich to back off

Columbus Dispatch Tuesday December 6, 2011 7:35 AM
Ronald Reagan’s famous 11th Commandment — Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican — is officially dead in Ohio.
Intraparty warfare over an attempt by Gov. John Kasich and House Speaker William G. Batchelder to depose Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine intensified yesterday when the party’s vice chairwoman asked Kasich to “stand down.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/06/ohio-gops-no--2-official-tells-kasich-to-back-off.html

Halt the double dipping

Akron Beacon Journal
State lawmakers long have had in their possession proposals from the state pension programs to update and improve the public employee retirement system. The recommendations include several steps for narrowing eligibility and otherwise establishing a stronger financial foundation. Unfortunately, nothing has been achieved, and even Senate Bill 5 would have delivered little in this realm.
Now comes state Rep. Rex Damschroder, a Fremont Republican, clearly out of patience and rightly taking aim at a glaring flaw in the system. He has introduced legislation to end the practice of double dipping.


Published: 12/6/2011

Vice chair asks Kasich to step into party fracas

Dispute looms large as election nears

BY TOM TROY
BLADE POLITICS WRITER
The vice chairman of the Ohio Republican Party added her voice to the fight over control of the party in an appeal to Gov. John Kasich on Monday.
Kay Ayres of Highland County, near Cincinnati, wrote a letter to Governor Kasich and sent copies to other members of the party’s central and executive committees.
She told the governor he is the only one who can stop the “nonsense” that she said is threatening to weaken the party with a presidential election campaign getting started.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2011/12/06/Vice-chair-asks-Kasich-to-step-into-party-fracas-2.html

Building isn’t Moyer’s greatest legacy

By Anonymous
Posted Dec 05, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
Summing up Thomas Moyer’s legacy seemed like a tall order until we heard what Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder said about the late chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court on Friday.

The occasion was the renaming of the court’s building for Moyer, who died unexpectedly in 2010.

“Tom had about him a dignity, a desire to serve and a desire for the people of the state of Ohio to believe in their court system,” Batchelder said.
http://www.cantonrep.com/opinion/editorials/x1622888229/Building-isn-t-Moyer-s-greatest-legacy


GOP Feud: Batchelder Wants DeWine's Resignation; GOP Vice Chair Warns of Divide
Hannah Report 12/5/11

A Republican feud with House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) and Gov. John Kasich on one side and Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine on the other became public this weekend after Batchelder sent a letter to his caucus seeking DeWine's ouster.

The ensuing war of words led Kay Ayres, the vice chairwoman of the party, to send a letter Monday to Kasich and members of the Ohio Republican State Central and Executive Committee warning that the battle could create a divide within the state party that could lead to Barack Obama's re-election in 2012 and Kasich's defeat in 2014.

Batchelder's letter was sent Friday and claims that Republicans were victorious last November "despite the numerous examples of Chairman DeWine's attempts to thwart our efforts."



Politics Notebook: Three Apply To Replace McKenney; Report Pushes Cordray Approval; Brown Responds To Chamber, Mandel Jabs; Fudge To Run For Reelection
Gongwer 12/5/11

The House Republican Caucus said three Akron-area businessmen have identified themselves as candidates for appointment to vacant the 43rd House District seat.
The applicants include Anthony DeVitis, of Uniontown, who is a small business owner and Green city councilman;        Gary Peters, of Coventry Township, who is a businessman with experience in state and local government; and       Nick Skeriotis, of Suffield Township, who is president of S&K Asphalt and Concrete and a member of Portage County Republican Central Committee, according to the House GOP.


DeWine Speech, Batchelder Letter Heat Up Tussle Over Republican Party Control
The long-simmering power struggle over control of the Ohio Republican Party hit a boiling point over the weekend when one of the top GOP officeholders in the state blasted Chairman Kevin DeWine for a speech he delivered Friday to the State Central Committee.
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) called the chairman's address a "personal attack" against Gov. John Kasich and decried Mr. DeWine's "questionable leadership" in a memorandum to his caucus that was later distributed to the media.
Mr. DeWine responded in a letter to the speaker saying the memo was "flat out false" and that he was, in his comments to the committee members, mainly issuing a call for party unity ahead of a key election year.

Monday, December 5, 2011

December 5

Speaker Bill Batchelder joins attacks on state GOP chair

Filed by Associated Press December 5th, 2011 in News.
COLUMBUS — A schism in Ohio’s Republican Party is growing, amid a weekend exchange between the party’s chairman and the GOP speaker of the state House in which both accuse the other of not having the party’s best interests at heart.
In a memo Friday night to the House GOP caucus, Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, wrote that Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine exhibited “questionable leadership tactics and poor decision making.” The memo was first obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.
http://medinagazette.northcoastnow.com/2011/12/05/speaker-bill-batchelder-joins-attacks-on-state-gop-chair/

GOP in nasty power struggle

Kasich, allies battle state party leader

By  Joe Hallett Columbus DispatchJoe Vardon The Columbus Dispatch
Sunday December 4, 2011 10:43 AM
Little more than a year after Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine oversaw a broad victory for his party in statewide elections, Ohio’s governor and House speaker are trying to oust him.
Gov. John Kasich, House Speaker William G. Batchelder and their allies have launched an all-out effort to persuade the Ohio GOP Central Committee, the party’s 66-member governing body, to dump DeWine, whom the committee unanimously elected in January to a second two-year term.
Although Kasich has made no secret of his desire to control the state GOP, internecine warfare has erupted publicly this weekend, causing a split in the party that dominates state government. Republicans hold the five statewide executive offices, control both houses of the legislature, and have a majority on the Ohio Supreme Court.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/04/gop-in-nasty-power-struggle.html

Batchelder wants state GOP chairman DeWine out

House speaker blasts party leader for 'undermining' Kasich -- who also wants DeWine gone

By  Joe Vardon and Joe Hallett
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Saturday December 3, 2011 8:47 PM
Little more than a year after Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine oversaw a broad victory for his party in statewide elections, Ohio’s governor and House speaker are trying to oust him.
Gov. John Kasich, House Speaker William G. Batchelder and their allies have launched an all-out effort to persuade the Ohio GOP Central Committee, the party’s 66-member governing body, to dump DeWine, whom the committee unanimously elected in January to a second two-year term.http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/03/batchelder-wants-dewine-to-resign.html

Text of House Speaker William G. Batchelder's memo on DeWine

Saturday December 3, 2011 3:16 PM
Memorandum
From: Speaker William G. Batchelder
To: House GOP Caucus members
Date: December 2, 2011
Re: Ohio Republican Party

Per our discussion at caucus last week, I would like to keep you informed about the situation with the state party.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/03/batchelder-memo-text.html


Supreme Court building renamed for former chief justice

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday December 3, 2011 10:47 AM
The late Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer’s imprint on the Ohio judiciary will be memorialized for years to come now that the stand-alone courthouse he pushed for on Front Street bears his name.
Moyer was credited during a ceremony yesterday as the driving force behind the renovation of the old Ohio Departments Building into the Supreme Court’s first and only structure separate from other state offices.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/03/ceremony-pays-tribute-to-late-moyer.html

Lawmaker never forgot where he came from

Sunday December 4, 2011 6:53 AM
After hearing the news Tuesday that state Rep. John Carey was leaving the legislature after 17 years, Gayle Channing Tenenbaum said, “I stopped weeping after about a half-hour, literally.”
Tenenbaum, an advocate for disadvantaged children, suddenly was losing her go-to Republican, a lawmaker who understands the intricacies of Medicaid and early-childhood health and, more important, harbors a huge chamber in his heart for the poor.
Carey is little known outside of Capitol Square and his own 87 {+t}{+h} House District, which includes Gallia, Jackson and Vinton counties and portions of Lawrence and Ross counties. But if ever a prototype of a perfect legislator is built, it ought to bear John Carey’s likeness.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2011/12/04/lawmaker-never-forgot-where-he-came-from.html

Bill would ban "double dipping" for public employees

Public workers would have to wait for benefits in retire/rehire plans.

By William Hershey, Columbus Bureau 8:34 PM Friday, December 2, 2011
COLUMBUS — Government employees who retire from government jobs and are rehired would have to wait to collect retirement benefits under a bill introduced in the Ohio House this week.
State Rep. Rex Damschroder, R-Fremont, introduced House Bill 388 which would suspend retirement benefits for Ohio government workers if they return to public employment.
Damschroder said the future benefits for the employee would continue to build while he or she returned to work.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/politics/bill-would-ban-double-dipping-for-public-employees-1293480.html

Ohio House speaker blasts state GOP chair for undermining the party

Published: Saturday, December 03, 2011, 5:27 PM     Updated: Saturday, December 03, 2011, 8:38 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Infighting among Ohio Republicans has reached a new level as House Speaker William G. Batchelder accused state GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine of undermining the party and of publicly blasting Gov. John Kasich.
In a memo sent to the House Republican Caucus, Batchelder lists specific complaints about DeWine's leadership.
Friction between DeWine and other top Republicans has hardly been a secret, but this marks the first time accusations have been disclosed so openly.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/ohio_house_speaker_calls_for_s.html



Please, Ohio legislators, make a map deal: editorial

Published: Saturday, December 03, 2011, 6:57 PM

There are at least 15 million good reasons for Republicans and Democrats in the Ohio General Assembly to buckle down and resolve their impasse over how to draw the boundaries of the state's soon-to-be 16 congressional districts.
Unless this dispute is settled quickly, Ohio taxpayers will have to pay an extra $15 million -- or more -- because the state will run two primaries next year, one in March and one in June. At a time when public officials at every level are posturing about the need for frugality, allowing a partisan scrap to force two elections would be an egregious waste of public dollars.
Avoiding it will require some leadership and frankly some humility from Statehouse Republicans. Their political greed -- ramming through a gerrymandered map designed to elect 12 GOP members of Congress in a state where there's relative political parity -- has driven Democrats to try to overturn the new boundaries via referendum, or, if that fails, by a legal challenge. Scheduling the June primary for congressional candidates -- and for presidential candidates, since party convention delegates are elected by congressional district -- was the GOP's attempt to buy time for a resolution.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/12/please_ohio_legislators_make_a.html


State GOP chief, Kasich team clash over party control

Battle puts issue of unity in spotlight

BY TONY COOK
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A rift in the Ohio Republican Party became public this weekend, raising questions about GOP unity in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.
During a speech Friday to the state’s Republican Central Committee, state party Chairman Kevin DeWine accused Gov. John Kasich’s political team of recruiting candidates to oust the party’s central committee members, calling those efforts “the elephant in the room.”
“I’ve spoken with many of you over the last few weeks as the governor’s political team and others have begun aggressively recruiting candidates to challenge those of you in the room. Your emotions range from curiosity to disappointment to annoyance to anger, fear, and disgust,” Mr. DeWine said, according to a transcript of the speech provided by the party. “If we do not address the elephant in the room, then the donkey in the White House will win four more years.”
http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2011/12/04/State-GOP-chief-Kasich-team-clash-over-party-control.html


Rift In State Republican Party Could Prove Costly Next Fall

Saturday December 3, 2011 7:29 PM
UPDATED: Saturday December 3, 2011 8:09 PM
Ohio News Network
One day after Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder called on state GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine to resign, ONN has obtained the email response sent from DeWine to Batchelder.
In it, DeWine said that he was "shocked and dismayed" that Batchelder has called for his resignation.
DeWine also suggests Batchelder is being "manipulated" by those close to Gov. John Kasich.


Batchelder Announces Applicants for 43rd House District
Hannah Report 12/2/11

Late Friday, Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) and members of the House Republican Caucus announced the slate of candidates who have applied for appointment to the 43rd House District seat, which was vacated following the departure of former State Rep. Todd McKenney (R-Akron).
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187935

 
Ohio Judicial Center Dedicated in Honor of Former Chief Justice Moyer
Hannah Report 12/2/11

The Ohio Judicial Center on Front Street in Columbus will now officially bear the name of former Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, something that would have both honored him and made him a little uncomfortable, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor said at a dedication ceremony in his honor Friday.

A packed Ohio Supreme Court chamber also witnessed the unveiling of Moyer's official portrait, painted by Leslie Adams of Toledo, who has also painted portraits of former Govs. Bob Taft and Ted Strickland and former Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland).
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187922