An interesting state budget battle has already begun with state political leaders engaging in lively banter regarding Gov. John Kasich’s two-year proposal.

Kasich’s budget looks to implement a number of big policy changes such as a Medicaid coverage expansion and changes to state income tax and sales tax rates.

The budget has parts that Democrats and Republicans like, although initially there doesn’t seem to be much mutual agreement.

Interestingly, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett said the state GOP wouldn’t officially support or oppose the governor’s plan, rather it would let the legislative process play out.

However, Bennett said the budget delivers on education reform, tax cuts and accelerated job growth for the next two years.

Meanwhile, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern made it known quite clearly the party adamantly opposes the governor’s budget, although he agrees with Kasich’s proposal to accept federal funding to help the state expand Medicaid health care coverage.

The Republican governor raised a few eyebrows when he broke ranks from what some other GOP governors have done by wishing to expand Medicaid.

It may take a bit to persuade some Republicans to go along with that idea, especially GOP state lawmakers who oppose the nation’s new health care law, dubbed Obamacare.

Redfern said Democrats would look to separate a Medicaid expansion from the budget and offer amendments for the issue to be considered as stand-alone legislation.

Republicans have a clear majority in the Ohio General Assembly, but I think Democrats could have some success separating Medicaid expansion from the budget.

I’m probably in the minority there, but I think it could provide a path for some Republicans to then support the governor’s budget and provide them political cover from the more conservative members of the party.

The Ohio Republican Party also cited support of Kasich’s signature program, JobsOhio, to attract new businesses. JobsOhio has received little support from Democrats who say the program is unconstitutional. They also have questioned its transparency.

Bennett also criticized Democrats who “have been hard at work (last) week spreading outright lies about the new budget.”

In fact, Bennett unveiled Thursday a new website, www.StopOhioJobKillers.com, that he said is “promising that the old lies and new lies to come will now be available to the public.”

Redfern blasted Bennett saying “This soon-to-be outgoing chairman has the audacity to suggest it’s the Democrats who want to kill jobs. Quite the contrary.”

The Democratic Party chairman then said former Gov. Ted Strickland offered seniors the largest property tax cut in state history by expanding the Homestead Exemption. He then said Kasich’s plan to expand the base of the state sales tax is one of the largest expansions of sales tax in state history.

Despite the fact the overall rate would be lowered, Redfern said the proposal would disproportionately effect lower-income residents and would now raise the cost of services such as haircuts, funerals and foreclosures.

Joyce makes friends

As a freshmen federal lawmaker, U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce continues to reach across the political aisle in Congress to make friends and build relationships.

Joyce, R-Russell Township, plans to sit next to fellow freshman lawmaker U.S. Rep. Cheri Busto, D-Ill., during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

The two members of Congress, who first met during a bipartisan Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, said their decision was based in the spirit of bipartisanship and working together.

Fundies

n Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts his annual Mardi Gras Party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at Holiday Inn Express LaMalfa Centre in Mentor. See Kip Molenaar.

n Concord Township Trustees Paul Malchesky and Christopher Galloway re-election fundraiser is 5 to 7 p.m. March 4 at Harry Buffalo in Painesville Township. See Malchesky, Galloway or Connie Luhta.

n Re-election kickoff party for Mentor Municipal Court Judge John Trebets, 5 to 8 p.m. March 7 at Holiday Inn Express LaMalfa Centre in Mentor. See Ed or Cindy Hughes.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Now that former Gov. Ted Strickland has made a decision that he will not run for governor in 2014, expect to see decisions fairly soon from other Democrats.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, has not officially announced that he would seek re-election next year, but all signs point to him running.

Kasich will present a formidable challenge for any Democratic opponent after seemingly rebounding after essentially coming up on the losing end of statewide referendum in November 2011 to repeal Senate Bill 5, which aimed to limit collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Expect Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald to make a decision on whether he will run for governor fairly soon. FitzGerald also would be up for re-election in 2014, so he may need to make a choice.

FitzGerald appears to be acting like a candidate as he spoke of his interest to a crowd at the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association on Wednesday night in Columbus. Reports indicate he fell short of making an official announcement or decision.

Others mentioned as possible candidates are U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, and former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Copley. Former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray also has been mentioned, but he is not permitted to discuss politics because he is chief of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, appears to have a solid interest in running for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014.

Turner represents Ohio Senate District 25, which now includes Ohio House District 60, which contains  Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick in Lake County, plus Euclid, Richmond Heights and other eastern Cuyahoga County communities.

If Turner decides to run for statewide office, and a decision will likely happen soon, she would leave an opening for her state Senate seat that will be on the ballot in 2014.

Would someone locally have an interest, such as Eastlake Mayor Ted Andrzejewski, who ran in a Democratic primary for county commissioner last year, or Willowick Democrat James Helmink, who ran in a primary for Ohio House District 60 last year?

How about former state Rep. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights? Remember, Yuko was termed out in the Ohio House last year.

Absentee, provisional wrap-up

During the Nov. 6 election, more than 1.86 million voters in Ohio cast absentee ballots.

That includes more than 1.26 million by mail and more than 600,000 cast in person, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said.

That’s up from 2008, when the total number of absentee ballots cast, both by mail and in person, was roughly 1.74 million.

Husted attributed the increase two key policy changes implemented for the first time — all registered voters received an absentee ballot application in the mail and uniform days and hours statewide that included an increase in the number of voting hours available.

Husted did not mention in his news release that a court ruled that Ohio should have in-person voting hours on the final weekend before the election.

Husted’s office also issued a report on provisional ballots that stated of the 208,087 provisional ballots cast, 173,765 (83.5 percent) were counted, up from 166,870 (80 percent) in 2008.

Of the 34,322 provisional ballots rejected this year, 20,119 (58.6 percent) were not eligible to be counted because the person was not registered to vote in Ohio.

Nearly 40,000 provisional ballots were rejected in 2008.

Picked up petitions

People who have officially signed out petitions from the Lake County Elections Board to run for office Nov. 5 are: Ray Kirchner, Janet Dowling and Scott Marn, each for Mentor Council at large; Chris Galloway and Paul Malchesky for Concord Township trustee; Bill Brotzman for Madison Township trustee; Phillip S. Haskell for Perry Township trustee; Amy Cossick for Painesville Township trustee; John G. McCallister for Mentor Council at large and Mentor School Board; Troy D. Elam and David R. Eva for Mentor-on-the-Lake mayor.

Candidates for nonpartisan races for the General Election have until Aug. 7 to file their petitions.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced Tuesday that he not seek the Democratic Party nomination to run for governor in 2014.

Strickland had served as governor for 4 years before he lost a re-election bid to Gov. John Kasich in November 2010.

Cuyahoga County Ed FitzGerald is among a few Democrats who have been mentioned as potential gubernatorial candidates and Strickland’s decision likely paves the way for him to make a decision to run.

Strickland, who served as a campaign surrogate during President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and may eventually find a position in the president’s administration, released a lengthy statement to announce his decision:

“In many ways, this has been a very difficult decision. I look back fondly on my time as Ohio’s 68th Governor and am proud of my Administration’s efforts to guide our state through the greatest national economic crisis since the Great Depression. With the help of my First Lady — Frances Strickland — my dedicated and loyal Cabinet, and my incredibly hard-working Executive Staff, we held the ship steady. With the help of President Obama, who provided the funds necessary to keep Ohio and all of America from slipping into another Great Depression, we were able to preserve the social safety net, make important investments in education, and position Ohio’s economy for the recovery that started in February 2010.

“And when I look back on my four years as Governor, I am equally proud of those in the Strickland Administration who served the public with honor, integrity, and humility. We sought to make Ohio better.

“My administration was about positioning Ohio as a leader in our rapidly changing economy and global world. We worked to rebuild our infrastructure with a special effort to make sure the national system for rail transportation included Ohio. We worked to ensure there were more Ohioans with affordable health care coverage. We significantly improved our national standing in public education, made sure it did not suffer from deep cuts during the economic crises, and worked to satisfy the Supreme Court’s ruling for equitable funding with a new formula that was less dependent on property taxes. We enacted a comprehensive energy reform bill that helped to stabilize the energy market for consumers and business while creating a renewable portfolio standard that has positioned Ohio as a leader in advanced energy. And, we made college more affordable. Most significant for jobs, we were leaders in investments in alternatives sources of energy and went to bat for the automobile industry; working closely with President Obama on the rescue plan that has been so pivotal in Ohio’s economic recovery.

“In short, I believe my Administration stood and spoke for the causes that count.

“Frances and I will continue to be politically active private citizens. We will continue to stand with working men and women to build a stronger Ohio ---and to defeat anti-worker and anti-middle class legislation that may arise.”


Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett said in a statement that whoever decides to challenge Kasich’s record on job growth should think twice.

“Ohio has made giant leaps in progress in two short years under John Kasich and it will be hard for any Democrat to argue why he shouldn’t continue to create jobs for hardworking Ohio families and put Ohio back on the right track," Bennett said


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

A new era began in Lake County after Judy Moran was sworn-in Tuesday as the first Democratic female commissioner in the county’s 172 years of history.

Moran, formerly Willowick Council’s president, now is the second woman to serve as a Lake County commissioner. Republican Mildred M. Teuscher was the first woman to serve as a commissioner before retiring in January 2003.

Democratic Party women in Lake County also have fared well in recent elections including winning four positions at the county level on Nov. 6.

Lorraine M. Fende won election as treasurer, Ann M. Radcliffe was elected recorder, and Maureen G. Kelly was re-elected to her second term as clerk of courts.

When Kelly was first elected in 2008, she became the first Democrat in 40 years to be elected to the position and the first Democratic woman to serve as clerk.

As for other candidates who will appear on the ballot this year, only one race in the county is eligible to have a partisan primary in May — Mentor Municipal Court judge.

Judge John Trebets has served as the court’s judge after he was first elected to a six-year term in 2001 and then re-elected in 2007.

The filing deadline to run as a candidate for Mentor Municipal Court judge is Feb. 6 and if there was a primary it would be held May 7 along with any special election involving issues such as school levies.

Nonpartisan races for the Nov. 5 General Election have until Aug. 7 to file nominating petitions with the county Elections Board. Some candidates have already taken out petitions.

Strickland nearing decision?

Look for some development in the next few weeks on who could be the Democratic Party’s 2014 candidate for Ohio governor.

Democrat sources say that former Gov. Ted Strickland is being vetted for a potential position in President Barack Obama’s administration, especially after Strickland played a vital role as an Obama surrogate during the presidential campaign.

If that doesn’t happen, it’s quite possible that Strickland may throw his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent Gov. John Kasich, setting up a possible rematch.

The race between Strickland and Kasich in 2010 was fairly close, so it might be interesting to see the two battle once again.

If Strickland declines to run, many think that Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald will decide to seek the party nomination.

Coming from Ohio’s largest county, FitzGerald likely would do well in Northeast Ohio, but it’s not certain how he would fare in other areas of the state where his name is not as well-known as someone like Kasich or Strickland.

Other names often tossed around as potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates are U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles; and Richard Cordray, former Ohio Attorney General and treasurer, who now serves as director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

To the brink

Once again, the country was led down the path of brinkmanship when Congress passed legislation by a vote of 257-167 Tuesday night to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.

All five House Democrats from Ohio voted in favor and Ohio’s House Republicans split, six voting in favor and seven against.

Those voting in favor were Democrats Marcia Fudge, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Tim Ryan and Betty Sutton, and Republicans John Boehner, Bill Johnson, Steve LaTourette, Robert Latta, Steve Stivers, and Pat Tiberi.

Members who voted against the legislation were Republicans Steve Austria, Steve Chabot, Bob Gibbs, Jim Jordan, Jim Renacci, Jean Schmidt and Michael Turner.

As for LaTourette, he leaves his post during an unusually busy final few days of his term. Now U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Russell Township, who was sworn-in Thursday, will represent Ohio’s 14th Congressional District.

A Sutton move?

There has been some rumblings that Sutton, D-Copley, who is now a former U.S. Rep. who lost a bitter battle on Nov. 6 against Renacci, R-Wadsworth, might consider a move to Ohio’s 14th Congressional District to potentially run again for Congress in 2014. However, local sources say it appears that’s not likely to happen.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

President Barack Obama won Ohio by a slightly higher margin than initially reported after provisional and later arriving absentee ballots were included in the official count for Ohio.

Unofficial results available the night of the election had Obama winning Ohio by two percentage points and it was enough for the state to be put in the win column for the president who was on his way to an Electoral College victory.

It’s not as important now, but it’s interesting to note that the official results certified Thursday by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted show that Obama beat Republican nominee Mitt Romney by three percentage points.

Obama defeated Romney 2,827,621 to 2,661,407 or 50.67 percent to 47.69 percent, official results show.

In this case, and in the grand scheme of things, one percentage point really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s over, nothing has changed.

The addition of provisional and later arriving absentee ballots for the Nov. 6 election favored the Democratic presidential ticket.

Because the race was fairly close the provisional ballots could have played a much larger role had the election in Ohio been just a little bit closer.

What if Romney had been slightly ahead in Ohio on election night and then the state’s electoral votes came down to waiting for the addition of the provisional and absentee ballots?

Obviously that wasn’t the case, and Obama went on to secure the necessary 270 Electoral College votes even without Ohio.

I was surprised that Ohio was called in Obama’s win column on election night so quickly — a little after 11 p.m.

This wouldn’t be a remake of the 2000 presidential election when terms like hanging chads were in vogue as the nation waited to see how the vote in Florida would be concluded.

In Lake County, the addition of provisional and later arriving absentee ballots also favored leaned toward the Democratic presidential ticket as 2,461 votes were added to Obama’s official total and 1,594 votes to Romney’s. Official figures show that Romney won the county 58,744 to 57,680 or 49.50 percent to 48.61 percent.

The pattern also holds true in Lake County for the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Republican Josh Mandel, who is Ohio’s treasurer.

Brown officially won Lake County 54,981 to 52,795 or 48.27 percent to 46.35 percent.

When the provisional and later arriving absentee ballots were added in, Brown gained 2,085 votes and Mandel gained 1,460 votes, when added to unofficial results.

Ryan candidacy?

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, has been mentioned by some as a possible Democratic candidate for Ohio governor in 2014 as he comes from a strong base in the Youngstown area.

Others typically included in that conversation as possible candidates are former Gov. Ted Strickland and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, has recently indicated that he intends to seek re-election.

Ryan’s chances at a possible nomination probably weren’t helped this week when it was revealed that he was arrested by Lexington, Va. police in August for a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, according to the Youngstown Vindicator. A Virginia judge recently dismissed the charge.

Ryan called the charge “garbage” and said that he wasn’t intoxicated, but had been walking strangely because he had thrown out his back, the newspaper reported.

The Ohio Republican Party pounced on the news and called on Ryan “to provide a credible explanation about his 2 a.m. arrest.”

Swearing in

Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell, 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Diane Grendell, and Geauga Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Geauga County Probate Juvenile Courtroom A. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer will officiate.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah