Three  Democratic Party statewide candidates announced July 29 that they have received endorsement by the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio.

Endorsed were Ed FitzGerald for governor and John Patrick Carney for auditor, and David Pepper for attorney general.

Ed FitzGerald

FitzGerald, who is Cuyahoga County executive is running against incumbent Gov. John Kasich.

Carney is a state representative and is running against incumbent Auditor Dave Yost.

John Patrick Carney

Pepper is running against incumbent Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The FOP is Ohio’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 25,000 members in more than 180 lodges.

FOP President Jay McDonald cited FitzGerald’s eight years in law enforcement and his promise to restore funding cuts to public safety in the endorsement.

David Pepper

“Communities across Ohio are experiencing an unprecedented heroin epidemic, but Ohio’s police have been left to fight that battle without state support,” McDonald said in a statement. “The reduction of the Local Government Fund has also severally impacted public safety across the board. We look forward to working with Governor FitzGerald to restore the local government fund, and to having a true partner in state government once again.”

The state Auditor’s Office is an important watchdog for Ohio taxpayers and an endorsement the FOP takes seriously, McDonald said.

“John Patrick Carney has proven to be a true friend of law enforcement during his time as State Representative,” McDonald said in a statement. “He is a man of integrity, honesty, and has a work ethic we believe will make him an outstanding Auditor of State.”

Pepper is tough, smart, and independent, McDonald said.

“He has vast experience partnering with law enforcement to fight crime. We know Pepper is the best choice to keep Ohioans safe as our next attorney general,” McDonald said in a statement.

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

Now that state Rep. John Patrick Carney has announced he will run for Ohio Auditor, Democrats have filled most of their slate of statewide candidates who will challenge Republican incumbents in 2014.

Carney is a Columbus-based healthcare attorney who grew up in Bay Village and has served in the Ohio General Assembly for three two-year terms.

He will challenge incumbent state Auditor Dave Yost, a Republican who is finishing his first term in office.

Other races shape up for now to pit Gov. John Kasich vs. Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald; Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel vs. state Rep. Connie Pillach; Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted vs. state Sen. Nina Turner; and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine vs. former Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy also will be on the ballot next year. No Democrat opposition has announced so far.

Carney said during an interview with The News-Herald that he believes his experience in the health care field would serve him well as he would aim as auditor to carefully examine the large percentage of the state’s revenue that is spent on health care.

Other issues Carney will use as campaign talking points are to protect Lake Erie and waterway assets and what he says is the gerrymandering of legislative districts that eliminates bipartisanship on the state level.

He also believes that JobsOhio needs to be more transparent and said Ohioans deserve to know where public tax money is spent in the effort to help create jobs.

It should be an interesting election season next year to see if Republicans continue to dominate state politics or whether Democrats make any headway.

Welcome to the bench

Congratulations to Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Bartolotta, who was appointed by Kasich to become the new Lake County Probate Court judge. I’ll write a little bit more on this development in a future column.

Events

Geauga County Democratic Party hosts a spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday and a speaker will discuss the new federal health care law. Former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will talk about women’s issues and her new book at 2 p.m. Sept. 22. The party’s annual clambake will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 5. Each of the events will be at party headquarters in Newbury Township.

Geauga County Republican Party hosts GOP Steak Roast with a mystery guest speaker at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Troy Township Pavilion.

Lake County Democratic Women’s Club hosts 75th anniversary luncheon and Woman of the Year award on Sept. 21 at Dino’s Party Center in Willoughby.

Candidate endorsements

Candidates in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties who appear on the Nov. 5 ballot may send in listings of endorsements they receive for the upcoming election via email, fax or standard mail. They will appear online periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics blog.

Change in publication date

Starting with the Sept. 21 edition, this column will be published on The News-Herald’s editorial page on Saturdays instead of on Sundays.

Fundies

n Susan McGuinness, candidate for Painesville Township trustee, hosts a ’60s Night fundraiser, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Harry Buffalo in Painesville Township. See Susan or Ray McGuinness.

n Geauga County Auditor Frank J. Gliha hosts Chinese Dinner fundraiser, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Pineview Lake in Munson Township. See Gliha.

n Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts Fall Classic golf outing and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start Sept. 27 at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Kip Molenaar.

n Dennis Morley, candidate for Eastlake mayor, hosts Steak Roast Fundraiser, 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at Boracs Landing in Eastlake. See Donna Vaughn or Dale Bradley.

n State Rep. John Rogers hosts fall clambake, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Mentor Beach Park in Mentor-on-the-Lake. See Rogers or Kip Molenaar.

n Lake County Commissioner Judy Moran hosts Oktoberfest 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at American Legion Hall in Willowick. See Paul Miller or Kevin Malecek.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

It’s still a bit early to discuss the 2014 election year in Ohio, but the first Democratic challenger has filed to run for a statewide position.

David Pepper, a former Cincinnati councilman and Hamilton County commissioner, filed paperwork with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office declaring his intent to run for Ohio attorney general.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican, hasn’t filed to run for re-election, but he likely will.

Pepper also ran statewide in 2010 as a candidate for Ohio auditor, but lost to Auditor Dave Yost, a Republican.

Other Democrats considering statewide bids and who may file in the near future are Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald for governor and state Sen. Nina Turner of Cleveland for Ohio secretary of state.

The U.S. Senate failing to move forward with gun control legislation may have jump-started another political campaign in Ohio — for 2016.

State Rep. Bob Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat who obviously was upset with U.S. Sen. Rob Portman voting no on weapons legislation, announced on Twitter that he will run for U.S. Senate against Portman.

“Senator Portman shows his lack of courage and testicular fortitude. The NRA wwns him. I am declaring my candidacy,” Hagan tweeted with the remainder of his statement appearing on his Facebook page. “to run against him in the next election. I will be his hair shirt for the next three years.”

A few hours after his comment was picked up by media outlets, Hagan tweeted again and explained what he meant: “Some have asked of my seriousness in challenging Portman for U.S. Senate. I will be his hair shirt making him itch from his pro NRA vote.”

In a statement released after his vote, Portman, R-Ohio, defended his position and said that he carefully reviewed the legislation.

“I do not believe it would be effective in preventing the kind of heartbreaking loss of life seen in Newtown or in other recent tragic incidents,” Portman said. “It does, however, contain several provisions that would make it more difficult for law-abiding Ohioans to exercise their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights. I do believe there are actions Congress can and should take to reduce gun violence without infringing on Second Amendment rights, and I look forward to supporting such amendments.”

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 Republican Party headquarters.

Legislative update

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

Candidate filings

People who recently have filed candidacy petitions in Lake County are David Eva for Mentor-on-the-Lake mayor and William Brotzman for Madison Township trustee.

Taken out petitions

Recently signing out candidacy petitions are Connie Newyear for Willoughby-Eastlake School Board, Jennifer Jakosh for Mentor-on-the-Lake City Council, Robert Carr for Willoughby Council Ward 4 and Chris Woodin for Willoughby Council Ward 1.

Fundies

n Lake County Treasurer-elect Lorraine M. Fende will host “Fende’s Victory” spaghetti dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 29 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 Fundraiser for state Rep. Ron Young, 2 to 4 p.m. May 5 at Perry Community Center. See Young.

n Lake County Sheriff Daniel A. Dunlap’s Golf and Steak Fry, 10:30 a.m. shotgun start June 7 at Painesville Country Club. See Lu Dunlap or Frank Leonbruno.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

A dispute has emerged between Gov. John Kasich and Ohio Auditor Dave Yost just after a recent poll showed the governor with his highest approval rating to date.

The Columbus Dispatch initially reported Thursday that Yost had issued a subpoena for the financial records of JobsOhio, a privatized economic development agency championed by Kasich.

Yost stated that JobsOhio was not cooperating with attempts to audit the private entity.

Responding to the initial report, Kasich told The Plain Dealer that the disagreement was an misunderstanding about how much authority Yost has to audit JobsOhio and that he and Yost would “get this worked out.”

Since JobsOhio was created, Ohio Democrats have continued to question it and say there is a lack of transparency in how the agency operates.

The group ProgressOhio also has a pending lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of JobsOhio.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who is viewed as a possible Democratic challenger in 2014 to Kasich, also responded to the reports and issued a statement on the matter.

FitzGerald, who was elected in 2010 as the first Cuyahoga County executive after corruption tore apart the county government, said transparency is the “best disinfectant for corruption” and urged Kasich to open JobsOhio’s books for full inspection.

Kasich said the auditor should study all public money, but pointed out that JobsOhio is a private company.

Yost apparently thinks he has the right to audit JobsOhio or he wouldn’t have issued a subpoena on the matter.

It makes me wonder what JobsOhio has to hide? After all, doesn’t the entity exist to help attract and retain business in Ohio and to further economic development?

I would guess that there is some confidential or sensitive information involving the operations of businesses potentially looking to move to Ohio or in-state businesses that may be reaching out for assistance. I could see that it may be harmful if that information is made public.

But despite the best of intentions, when public money is involved don’t people generally have a right to find out exactly how it is spent? If they are denied that access, then suspicions can surface even if there truly is nothing wrong.

It’s also interesting to note that Kasich and Yost are both Republicans and it is generally rare for two of the state’s top elected officials to disagree to the point where a subpoena is filed. Democrats are enjoying the ride, and the dispute prompted Ohio Party Chairman Chris Redfern to conduct a news conference on the subject on Friday, past this column’s deadline.

Regardless of how the dispute unfolds, with both Yost and Kasich up for re-election in 2014, it’s not likely the best way for the two GOP elected officials to proceed, as their potential re-election campaigns will soon begin.

Spring forward

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office urges Ohio voters to plan ahead when they “spring forward” today to Daylight Saving Time. He would like registered voters to take five minutes to check their registrations and make sure their registered address is correct by visiting www.myohiovote.com.

Husted said the most common reason Ohio voters are required to vote a provisional ballot rather than a regular ballot is because they have moved and not updated their address for voting purposes.

Deadline

The weekly deadline to submit information for this column is prior to 5 p.m. each Wednesday. Email or fax is preferred.

Fundies

n Lake County Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 12 at LaMalfa Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites. See Kathie Aufuldish-Freshour or Ernie Koenig.

n Willoughby Hills Councilman David M. Fiebig’s 5th annual Spring Fever fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 20 at Willoughby Hills Community Center. See Joyce Hribar Fiebig or Cindy Quinn-Hopkins.

n Re-election kickoff for Eastlake Mayor Ted Andrzejewski, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 21 at Patrician Party, Eastlake. See Ted or Patricia Andrzejewski.

n Concord Township Trustees Paul Malchesky and Christopher Galloway re-election fundraiser 5 to 7 p.m. April 1 at Harry Buffalo in Painesville Township. See Malchesky, Galloway or Connie Luhta.

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.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah