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 2013 is winding down and the Ohio General Assembly is on recess, two local state lawmakers discussed some of the bigger legislative highlights for the year.

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, and state Rep. John Rogers, D-Mentor-on-the-Lake, touched on three items in particular during separate interviews with The News-Herald this week.

Both legislators felt the passage of the state’s biennial budget was among the top pieces of legislation because it sets the direction of state policy and spending for the next two years.

Eklund, who was the only state legislator representing Lake or Geauga counties to vote in favor of the measure, pointed to the overall tax burden that was reduced by $2.7 billion. He said most of the tax relief is in the form of state income tax cuts during the next three years.

Rogers said almost no one enjoys paying taxes, but the tax cuts didn’t do much to help the middle class and lower-income workers.

He also said the expansion of the state sales tax might cause some taxpayers to pay a higher percentage of their income because the income tax cuts favor people who are wealthier.

Another major bill passed this year was the state’s $7.6 billion transportation budget that allows the state to issue $1.5 billion in bonds leveraged from the Ohio Turnpike revenue for transportation projects mostly in the northern half of the state.

Eklund, who voted in favor of the legislation, said the utilization of these funds should bring more than $3 billion worth of infrastructure projects and the bill should create an estimated 65,000 jobs in Ohio.

Rogers, who voted against the bill, said his chief concern was that the promised funds for projects in northern Ohio weren’t clearly defined in the legislation and that tolls for the roadways have increased.

When it comes to job creation, Rogers has concerns about the state’s JobsOhio, which is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes job creation and economic development for Ohio.

He said there is a lack of transparency for the organization. He said because it is considered to be private in nature there is very little scrutiny that can be utilized by the public to see how successful JobsOhio is doing and if it is spending taxpayer funding wisely.

Eklund touted legislation designed to spur job creation called the Common Sense Initiative.

It reviews Ohio’s regulatory system to eliminate excessive and duplicative rules and regulations that stand in the way of job creation.

Eklund said the idea is to look at whether regulations are justified given the potentially good outcomes they produce.

He said the legislation helps to make the state a more friendly business community.

Tighter race?

Public Policy Polling’s newest survey of the Ohio governor’s race finds Republican John Kasich polling at 40 percent, Democrat Ed FitzGerald at 38 percent, and Libertarian Charlie Earl at 6 percent. Sixteen percent of voters remain undecided.

The poll can be viewed at http://bit.ly/1c7IWyH and was sponsored by Freedom Ohio, an organization that describes itself as a movement dedicated to end marriage discrimination in Ohio as soon as November 2014.

Deadlines

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

Fundies

• Campaign kickoff for Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Karen Lawson, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at LaMalfa Party Center in Mentor. See Lu Dunlap.
• John P. O’Donnell, candidate for Lake County Common Pleas Court, hosts a fundraiser 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, at LaMalfa Party Center. See Mike Lucas, Mike Bucci or Ann Bergen.
• Lake County Domestic Relations Court Judge Colleen A. Falkowski hosts a fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 Jan. 30 at LaMalfa Party Center in Mentor. See Brian Falkowski.

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

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, stopped by The News-Herald on Monday to discuss some of the legislative highlights that he feels are important to his constituents in Ohio Senate District 18.

The district includes half of Lake County, two-thirds of Geauga County and all of Portage County.

Here is some of what Eklund had to say:





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 indeed lost a family member when Probate Court Judge Ted Klammer died Wednesday.

Klammer, 66, was known to have a passion to help people who came before him in his courtroom, especially the elderly and young.

He will be missed by the countless number of people who knew the man as someone who was hard working and cared for the less fortunate.

As a judge, Klammer often had to find ways to take care of people who were mentally ill and had no one else to help or make important decisions for them.

He appointed guardians when the court or doctors determined someone was incompetent, and he took that responsibility very seriously. There are about 800 wards within the county.

Klammer helped put in place a volunteer guardianship program through his court that aimed to find more people to help when it became increasingly difficult to find attorneys who were willing or had the time to devote to a ward.

“In each instance you have to look at the case and make a decision,” Klammer said in a Sept. 25 story published by The News-Herald. “If it’s one where the person is capable of causing harm to himself or others, then you have to take a more cautious approach. If it’s Alzheimer’s, you have to make sure who you appoint is trustworthy and won’t steal from them and put them in a bad position.”

Before he was elected judge in 2002, Klammer had an extensive legal career that included time as a private practice attorney and also as Eastlake law director.

He also served for a time as a member of the Lake Metroparks Board of Commissioners.

I remember covering an agency board meeting years ago in place of a co-worker. I believe it was the first time I met Klammer in person.

I arrived just a few moments before the meeting started and while I was still shuffling around to get organized, Klammer said it was a tradition to have “the new guy” lead the audience to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Because I wasn’t a regular visitor to the meetings, apparently that new guy was me.

After Klammer became judge and left his role as a Metroparks commissioner, I’d occasionally bump into him while out in Painesville and we’d chat for a few minutes. It was always a delightful conversation in which he would ask about my family. He was genuinely a pleasant man with whom to speak.

In recent times, I covered Klammer a little more when county commissioners and the judge had a legal dispute about flooding inside the county courthouse.

As I expected, Klammer was passionate about that issue while it was ongoing and the conversations and interviews I had with him reflected his advocacy.

Moving forward, retired Stark County Probate Court Judge R.R. Denny Clunk was assigned by the Ohio Supreme Court for three months to cover the docket, and other sitting Common Pleas Court judges will fill in as needed.

Eventually, Gov. John Kasich will appoint someone to the bench. But now is not the time to begin that speculation. I’ll leave that for another day.

But I will say that whoever the governor selects will have big shoes to fill.

Eklund appointed

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, has been appointed to the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee by Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina.

Comprised of legislators from both the state Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives, the committee is responsible for inspecting and evaluating each state correctional institution, private correctional facility and youth services facility once during the biennium and reporting its findings to the Ohio General Assembly.

Fundies

n Willoughby Hills Councilman David M. Fiebig’s fifth annual Spring Fever fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday 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. Thursday 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

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, was sworn in this afternoon for his first full term to represent the 18th Ohio Senate District, which includes portions of Geauga and Lake counties and all of Portage County.

Eklund – who was first appointed to the Ohio Senate in 2011 – took the oath of office surrounded by family and friends during today’s opening ceremony for the 130th General Assembly.

“Representing the families and communities of Northeastern Ohio in the state Legislature is a true honor, and I am grateful for the trust my constituents have placed in me to ensure their views and opinions are heard at the Statehouse,” Eklund said. “While we accomplished a great deal during the last legislative session in getting Ohioans back to work and transforming our economy, much work remains – and I look forward to tackling the important issues facing Ohio.”

In addition to tending to legislative duties in Columbus, Eklund is a partner in at the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, where he has worked for more than 30 years. Throughout his legal career, much of his work has been centered on areas pertaining to anti-trust litigation, trade regulation, price fixing, class actions, and mergers and acquisitions.

Eklund and his wife Meg reside in Munson Township. They have two daughters and one grandchild.

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

Tthe Ohio General Assembly approved legislation in 2010 that expanded the use of DNA sampling and established a policy to better preserve and maintain evidence.

State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, recently recorded a brief video message about a new law that closed a loophole in Ohio’s DNA laws and is helping law enforcement officials solve cases that had previously gone cold.

Eklund sponsored Senate Bill 268, which requires a DNA sample to be collected from persons who are charged with a felony, but are not technically arrested for the offense. These individuals were previously not required to provide a DNA sample. Eklund’s bill ensures that all felony offenders are treated equally under Ohio law.

Click on the video to play and download Senator Eklund’s message.

The video may be utilized and shared at the user’s discretion.

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

How Lake County is represented in the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus will have a slightly different look next year.

Filling the seat for Ohio House of Representatives District 60 will be John Rogers, a Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat, newly elected Nov. 6 when he defeated Painesville Councilwoman Lori DiNallo, a Republican.

Communities in the district are Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Mentor Wards 1-3, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Waite Hill, Willoughby Hills, the townships of Concord, Leroy, Madison, Perry and parts of Painesville Township.

According to final unofficial results (used for all information in this column, as provisional votes will be added next week), Rogers won 25,964 to 21,141 or 55.12 percent to 44.88 percent.

Rogers won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, and Lakeline. He also prevailed in Painesville, winning nine of 10 precincts, seven of nine precincts in Wickliffe and nine of 15 precincts in Willoughby.

Meanwhile, DiNallo won each precinct in Timberlake and the two Painesville Township precincts that are part of the district. She also won six of nine precincts in Mentor.

Overall, Rogers won 67 precincts and DiNallo won 16.

State Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township, will remain in the Ohio House, where he’ll represent the new 61st District. He defeated Painesville Township Democrat Susan McGuinness. Young won 31,491 to 26,420, or 54.38 percent to 45.62 percent.

Communities in the district are Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick.

Young, who won his second consecutive term, won each precinct in Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Leroy Township, North Perry Village, Perry Village, Perry Township and Waite Hill.

He also was the victor in seven of 10 precincts in Painesville Township, 16 of 25 precincts in Mentor, four of seven precincts in Willoughby Hills and 13 of 14 precincts in Concord Township.

McGuinness won six of 10 precincts in Madison Township. Both candidates won one of two precincts in Madison Village and tied with 433 votes each in Willoughby Hills Precinct CC. Overall, Young won 59 precincts and McGuinness won 22 precincts, plus the one tied precinct.

In the race for Lake County recorder, Concord Township Democrat Ann Radcliffe defeated appointed Recorder Jason Wuliger, a Kirtland Republican.

Radcliffe won 52,502 to 47,353, or 52.58 percent to 47.42 percent.

She also won each precinct in Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Willowick, Fairport Harbor, Lakeline, Madison Village and Timberlake. Radcliffe was the victor in 18 of 34 precincts in Mentor, eight of nine precincts in Wickliffe, 12 of 15 precincts in Willoughby, eight of 10 precincts in Madison Township, eight of 11 precincts in Painesville Township.

Wuliger won each precinct in Kirtland, Concord Township, Kirtland Hills, North Perry Village, Perry Village and Waite Hill. He also won four of seven precincts in Willoughby Hills.

Both candidates won two of four precincts in Perry Township, one of two precincts in Leroy Township, and tied with 296 votes each in Mentor Precinct 4H.

Overall, Radcliffe won 103 precincts and Wuliger won 53 precincts.

Lake County’s new state senator

Some Lake County residents may not realize that starting in January there will be a second state senator representing the county in Columbus.

State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District that will be comprised of Ohio House Districts 8, 12 and 60. Her term expires at the end of 2014, so she was not on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Turner attracted some national attention this past week with her criticism of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, accusing him of enacting policies of voter suppression and hinting she might run for the office in 2014, and with what she views as a war by Republicans on women’s reproductive rights, specifically citing a state bill that would ban abortions after doctors can detect a fetal heartbeat.

Prior to reapportionment, all of Lake County was all within Ohio Senate District 18, which is represented by state Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, who retained his seat Nov. 6 after defeating Democrat Jim Mueller.

Now the Ohio 18th Senate district will consist of House Districts 61, 75, 76, which is half of Lake County, two-thirds of Geauga County and all of Portage County. It no longer includes any of Cuyahoga County.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The Lake and Geauga Area Association of Realtor’s Legislative Committee announced it supports the following candidates for these races:

U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio 14th Congressional District: David Joyce
Ohio Senate District 18: John Eklund
Ohio House of Representative District 76: Matt Lynch
Ohio House of Representative District 61: Ron Young
Ohio House of Representative District 60: John Rogers
Geauga County Commissioner: Tracy Jemison
Geauga County Recorder: Sharon Gingerich
Geauga County Clerk of Courts: Denise Kaminski
Lake County Commissioner: John Hamercheck 
Lake County Commissioner: David Fiebig
Lake County Prosecutor: Charles Coulson
Lake County Treasurer: Bob Patterson
Lake County Recorder: Jason Wuliger
Lake County Clerk of Courts: Maureen Kelly

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

Doesn't it seem like there have been a lot of appointments lately?

I’m not talking about the ones you make with your doctor or business associate.

On Wednesday, the Lake County Republican Party appointed Jason Wuliger as the new county recorder.

That’s because there was a vacancy left by the resignation of former Recorder Frank Suponcic.

Before that, John Rogers was appointed as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Ohio House of Representatives District 60 after Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy decided to drop out as the candidate to finish his last two years on his current term as commissioner.

Shockingly, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette decided to retire and drop out from running again effective Aug. 8 after he won the Republican Party’s nomination in March. David Joyce was then appointed as the new nominee by the seven county party chairman and central committee secretaries.

To replace Joyce on the Nov. 6 ballot for Geauga County prosecutor, the county GOP last month appointed Jim Flaiz as the new nominee.

At the same meeting, Dr. Robert S. Coleman was appointed as the new Republican nominee for coroner after Dr. John Urbancic dropped out.

In June, former Geauga County Commissioner Bill Young retired and that created two appointments.

First, Geauga Republicans appointed Walter “Skip” Claypool as commissioner to serve until after the Nov. 6 election.

Then at the same meeting, Mary Samide, who lost in a primary for re-election, was appointed as the GOP nominee to run Nov. 6 to fill the unexpired term of Young. Geauga Democrats selected Jim Dvorak as their nominee and he’ll run against Samide.

Matt Lynch was appointed by Ohio House Republicans to serve as state representative to replace Mary Brigid “Bridey” Matheney for Ohio House of Representatives 98th District. Lynch got the nod after it was agreed that the Ohio House GOP would appoint the winner of the 76th House District’s four-way primary. Matheney had been appointed prior to that to replace Richard Hollington, who became Hunting Valley mayor.

State Sen. John Eklund was appointed last year to represent Ohio’s 18th Senate District after Tim Grendell left the Ohio Senate to be appointed as Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court judge.

Going back in time, there are a few more appointments in Geauga County that all seemed to start when former state Rep. Matt Dolan resigned to run for Cuyahoga County executive.

Appointments are a necessary part of the political process because it’s inevitable that positions become vacant.

But again, doesn’t it seem like there have been more than usual in Lake and Geauga counties within the past year or so?

I wonder how, or if, this might resonate with voters on Nov. 6. Will it really matter?

Candidate forum

Lake County Chambers of Commerce will host a Legislative Candidates Forum and Breakfast to highlight candidates running for the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites LaMalfa in Mentor. Contact your local respective chamber for registration details.

Meet-and-greet

Candidates David M. Fiebig, John Hamercheck, Bob Patterson, Ron Young, Wuliger, and Eklund will be at the Willoughby Hills home of Bob and Carolyn Patton, at 3 p.m. Saturday for a meet-and-greet event in conjunction with the Heritage Club of Northeast Ohio.

Fundies

n Fifth Annual Oktoberfest for Judy Moran, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Regovich’s in Eastlake. See Kathy Russo or Robert Leach.

n Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at Hellriegel’s Inn in Painesville Township. See Lindsay Baruffa.

n Golf Outing and Dinner fundraiser for Nancy McArthur, candidate for Ohio Senate District 32, lunch at noon, tee-off at 1 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at Fowlers Mill in Chester Township. See Jim Flaiz or Mike Petruziello.

n Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner, Oct. 1 at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

One look at the race for U.S. Senate in Ohio between incumbent Sherrod Brown and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel appears to show a narrowing gap between the two candidates.

A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of 500 likely voters in Ohio conducted May 29 shows Brown with 47 percent support to Mandel’s 42 percent.

Three percent prefer some other candidate, and 7 percent are undecided. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

Meanwhile, a poll conducted by NBC News/Marist College on May 17-20 shows Brown with a 51-37 advantage over Mandel. It also showed 18 percent remained undecided. That poll surveyed 1,103 registered voters.

Yes, it’s way too early to rely on polls to predict whether the Democratic senator Brown is re-elected to a second term or if the Republican challenger Mandel will unseat him. Some may even say that those who conduct these polls may lean toward one side of the political spectrum.

But it is interesting to note that the race is most likely going to come down to the wire, and both candidates are working to get their messages out to the public.

Each side also trades jabs, as Brown’s campaign continues to criticize Mandel’s performance as treasurer, and Mandel continues to attack Brown, calling him “part of a problem in Washington.”

Millions of dollars will be invested in the race, so it takes a little bit of fundraising to keep things going.

Brown’s campaign recently pointed out that more than $6.5 million has been spent by third parties against Brown. Thus, the senator’s campaign is doing what it can to raise its own money to counter and appealed to supporters for contributions while noting the Rasmussen poll results.

This past week, Brown hosted actor/activist Martin Sheen at a meet-and-greet event for campaign supporters and volunteers at the Tricounty Regional Labor Council in Akron.

Sheen, a native of the Dayton area, has played numerous roles on the big screen and television, including starring as President Josiah Bartlett for seven seasons on “The West Wing.”

Sheen’s appearance drew some attention, as the Mandel campaign responded with an email calling for supporters to donate to “Help us fight the Hollywood elites.”

In his message, Mandel said he stands with blue collar men and women and criticized Brown, whom Mandel said stands with “Hollywood elites.”

As the race toward Nov. 6 draws nearer, it’s safe to say the airways and media will be flooded even more with campaign ads from these two candidates.

Deadlines

The weekly deadline to submit information for consideration into this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. The preferred method is by email or fax. Have a fund-raiser? Send it in weeks ahead of time.

On the radio

I’ll be appearing on WELW-AM 1330 on Tuesday at 8:18 a.m. to discuss local and state politics. Tune in.

Fundies

n Lake County Sheriff Daniel A. Dunlap, 21st annual golf outing and steak dinner Friday at Painesville Country Club. See Frank Leonbruno or Sheryl DePledge.

n Jason Wuliger, candidate for Lake County recorder, hosts pasta dinner with special guest U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 12 at Cebars Madison Tavern in Madison Township. See Dick Shreve or Pete Wayman.

n Lake County Coroner Dr. Lynn Smith hosts a picnic from 5 to 7 p.m. June 21 at Painesville Elks Club. See Ronald Taddeo or Jan Swetel.

n Bob Patterson, candidate for Lake County treasurer, fundraiser with special guest state Sen. John Eklund, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 28 at Historic Perkins Estate in Mentor. See Sandy Patterson.

n Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik annual golf outing, shotgun start at 1 p.m. June 29 at Briardale Greens Golf Course, Euclid. See Beth Cervenik or Michael Gallagher.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah