The Ohio Senate has approved legislation to designate the month of March as “Ohio Maple Syrup Products Month.”

Not your most Earth-shaking news, perhaps, but there may be some interest to people who love the sweet-tasting topping and especially to folks who live in Geauga County, where maple syrup production is serious business.

The legislation will need to clear the Ohio House of Representatives before it would move on to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.

State Sens. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, and Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard, each represent portions of Geauga County in the Ohio Senate and they jointly sponsored the legislation - Senate Bill 272.

John Eklund

Capri Cafaro

In a news release, the legislators said the bipartisan bill intends to recognize Ohio for its rich maple syrup history dating back to the early Native Americans.

Eklund said Ohio is one of the top five maple producing states in the country and in 2013, the 100,000 gallons of maple syrup produced in Ohio contributed $5 million to the state’s economy.




John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Now that Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald has announced he’s running for governor — does he have a chance to win?

FitzGerald certainly has a shot although at this point he would have to be considered an underdog against incumbent Gov. John Kasich, who has not officially announced a re-election bid.

A Quinnipiac Poll published April 18, before FitzGerald made his gubernatorial announcement, had Kasich with a 46-37 percent lead against FitzGerald. Right now, it’s Kasich’s race to lose.

The same poll also showed Kasich with a 45-38 percent lead over U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, who has not announced a gubernatorial bid, and who might choose not to get into the race now that FitzGerald has announced.

Not well-known outside the Cleveland media market, the challenge for FitzGerald will be for him to get his message across in the central and southern portions of Ohio.

The Quinnipiac poll showed that 76 percent of voters don’t know enough about FitzGerald to form an opinion. For Cordray, 66 percent don’t know enough.

That’s where the timing of FitzGerald’s announcement came into play, because he still has plenty of time for voters to learn about him and to establish himself as the Democratic Party’s choice.

If the state economy doesn’t continue to show improvement it will hurt Kasich, who has made jobs his top priority.

It also remains to be seen whether Kasich’s state budget proposal that contained Medicaid expansion and an broadening of the sales tax base may impact his standing with conservative Republicans. Both proposals were eliminated in the Ohio House of Representatives’ budget bill.

The major factor I think comes into play in the race for governor is whether both parties can find a way to get their voters to the polls. FitzGerald will have a strong Democratic base in Cuyahoga County, can he get those voters to support him enough to bring the heavy voting turnout he will need?

When a referendum of Senate Bill 5 was on the ballot in November 2011 it got Democrats energized and their presence was felt and the bill was soundly defeated.

Kasich’s popularity at the time was at an all-time low, but he has rebounded solidly.

So, as we can clearly see, 17 months is an eternity in politics.

Legislative update

State Sen. Capri S. Cafaro will hold a community meeting at 6 p.m. April 29 at the Chardon Municipal Center to provide residents with a legislative update regarding work in the Ohio Senate.

Bolton Republican Women’s Club

Mother’s Day Event, “Honoring Our Mothers” at 6 p.m. May 6 at The Painesville Area Senior Citizens Center with special guest speaker Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Karen Lawson. See Heidi Callender or call Lake County GOP headquarters.

Graduation day

The Cleveland Area Campus of National College in Willoughby Hills will hold its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. May 16 at Willoughby Hills Community Center with special guest state Sen. John Eklund.

Filed petitions

Recently filing candidacy petitions with the Lake County Elections Board was Amy Cossick for Painesville Township trustee.

Taken out petitions

Recently signing out candidacy petitions are Jerry Ranally for Willoughby Council Ward 5 and Steve Norris for Willoughby Council Ward 2.

Fundies

n Lake County Treasurer-elect Lorraine M. Fende will host “Fende’s Victory” spaghetti dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at Dino’s Restaurant and Banquet Center in Willoughby. See Diane Fox.

n Willoughby Hills Councilman Kevin D. Malecek’s Annual Cinco De Mayo Fundraiser, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 1 at Willoughby Hills Community Center. See Malecek or Nora Colburn.

n State Rep. Ron Young fundraiser, 2 to 4 p.m. May 5 at Perry Community Center. See Young.

n Fundraiser for Willoughby Mayor Dave Anderson, 5 to 7 p.m. May 14 at Willoughby Panini’s. See Rick Hart or Anderson.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Lake County was once again in the spotlight this past week as part of ongoing discussion about the state’s upcoming biennial budget proposed by Gov. John Kasich.

The governor appeared Wednesday night at the Lake County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner where he worked the crowd to support his proposals that include tax reform and an expansion of Medicaid.

Also in attendance were other statewide officials including Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith L. French, whom Kasich appointed Jan. 1.

Noting of his surroundings, Kasich immediately acknowledged he will need to appoint a new Lake County Probate Court Judge and he joked that everyone in the room seemed to be a candidate.

All kidding aside, the governor has not backed down on his desire to accept federal funding to help Ohio expand Medicaid despite objections from conservatives who continue to voice concerns that it will lead to more government dependency and who say there is no guarantee that the federal government will honor its pledge to provide 100 percent funding for the first three years.

Many Republicans aren’t happy with the governor’s budget proposal because of the Medicaid expansion. Democrats typically are pleased by the expansion but oppose the budget on many other points especially the idea to expand the sales tax base to include services that are not subject to the tax.

How the state budget shapes out will likely have an impact on how the governor is perceived if and when he formally announces a re-election campaign.

As the 2014 election of statewide office holders starts to come into focus, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald appears to be the front-runner in the Ohio Democratic Party to run against Kasich.

If FitzGerald does in fact run for governor that would create an opening for Cuyahoga County executive.

Among the local Democratic names who may have an interest is state Rep. Armond Budish of Beachwood, who served as Ohio House Speaker in 2009 and 2010.

Prior to this development, many thought Budish would (and still may be) consider a run for Ohio Senate District 25, which includes half of Lake County.

Budish is termed out and cannot seek re-election to the Ohio House and sources indicate he’s considering a run for executive.

Ohio Senate District 25 could also play out to be important statewide, as state Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, who currently represents the district, could run for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014. She hasn’t made a decision on whether to seek re-election or to run statewide.

Activists and supporters really want her to run for statewide office and the Ohio Democratic Party even released a website www.RunNinaRun.org to urge her to do so.

If Budish and Turner run for the aforementioned offices, that potentially opens the door for two former state Reps. — Ed Jerse of Euclid, and Kenny Yuko of Richmond Heights.

Jerse last served as a state legislator in 2004, when he could not seek re-election due to term limits. That opened the door for Yuko’s election and he also served four terms before term limits prevented him from running last November.

Jerse also has some experience campaigning in Lake County as he ran for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District in the 2004 Democratic Primary, when he finished second to Capri S. Cafaro, who now is a state senator representing District 32, which includes a portion of Geauga County.

Fundies

n Dennis Morley will host a kickoff fundraiser for his Eastlake mayor campaign, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 17 at Trader Jack’s Riverside Grille in Eastlake. See Donna Vaughn or Barb Morley.

n Lake County Commissioner Judy Moran will host a fundraiser from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 18 at Dino’s Banquet Center in Willoughby. See Kathy Russo.

n Willoughby Hills Councilman Kevin D. Malecek’s Annual Cinco De Mayo Fundraiser, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 1 at Willoughby Hills Community Center. See Malecek or Nora Colburn.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Capri S. Cafaro, candidate for Ohio 32nd Senate District, announced endorsements by the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

State  Sen. Capri S. Cafaro, D-Hubbard, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, announces the following endorsements:
* Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee
* Ohio Manufacturers Association
* Ohio Society of CPA’s
* Ohio Restaurant Association
* Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Friend of Agriculture
* Ohio AFL-CIO
* Cleveland Building and Construction Trades
* Ohio Education Association
* Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
* Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE)
* United Steel Workers
* United Auto Workers Region 2B
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  
* International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18
* United Transportation Union

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah