COLUMBUS — “Two county Republican parties are charging that the re-election campaign of Democratic Attorney General Richard Cordray illegally laundered excess campaign funds. The GOP groups have filed their accusation with the Ohio Elections Commission.
‘It’s hard to prove it’s the same money’ said Catherine Turcer of the watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action. ‘In many ways the campaign finance system is this system of legalized money laundering.” Bill Cohen, Statehouse News.
COLUMBUS — “If Ohio is to end the ludicrous practice of letting partisan politicians draw legislative districts to suit themselves, the state legislature must approve a ballot measure in the next week, for the November election.
On Wednesday, July 28, one newspaper declared the hope dead. After that, however, phone calls and meetings among the various players did happen, with the expressed goal of revival. There is no excuse for failure.
The legislature is in recess and would have to be called back to Columbus. What’s needed is an agreement among leaders of both parties and some urgency.” The Columbus Dispatch.
Brad Bauer, Marietta Times.
WASHINGTON — “The House passed a bill yesterday aiming to help the federal government corral and punish lobbyists who don’t properly file required disclosure reports. The reports provide the public with information about what they are doing in Washington for clients….
Her bill, dubbed the Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act, was passed by voice vote under rules designed to allow noncontroversial measures to pass with less debate than normal as long as they receive at least a two-thirds majority.
Kilroy’s bill stems from the 1995 lobbyist-reform bill that toughened disclosure requirements. The bill seeks to establish a special task force under the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., to investigate possible disclosure violations. It doesn’t say how much that would cost, however, and leaves it to the Justice Department and future Congresses to figure that out and decide whether to allocate that amount.” Jonathan Riskind, The Columbus Dispatch.
Groups say the attorney general has been illegally holding over funds.COLUMBUS — “Two county Republican parties don’t like the way incumbent Democratic Attorney General Richard Cordray has shuffled around hundreds of thousands of dollars in his campaign account.
A complaint filed on Wednesday, July 28, with the Ohio Elections Commission by the Franklin and Summit County Republican parties charges that the shuffling was aimed at letting the Cordray campaign illegally hold onto $765,000 left over from a previous campaign…. Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action’s Money and Politics Project said in the July 18 story that while she was sure Cordray followed the “letter of the law. It’s certainly not following the spirit of the law.’” William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.
James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS — “Judicial candidates in Ohio will appear on the ballot as Democrats and Republicans this November and will be able to speak more freely on political issues if a coalition of liberal interests prevails in a court case filed yesterday.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Ohio Democratic Party and three candidates for judicial offices petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to strike down Ohio’s restrictions against judges identifying themselves by party affiliation or personally raising campaign cash.
Two weeks ago, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals – which encompasses Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee – struck down Kentucky’s restrictions on judicial politicking.” James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch.
CLEVELAND — “Elections officials in major Ohio counties say a surge in people voting by mail has been accompanied by a rise in ballot errors that cost time and money.
More than 6,000 voters in the county that includes Cleveland made mistakes with mail-in ballots for the May primary. Some left off necessary signatures or information, while nearly 100 even forgot to include their ballot in the envelope.
Cuyahoga County elections workers try to fix errors so votes can be counted, and the process can be costly. Officials are already urging that mail-in ballot instructions be followed carefully for the November election.” The Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS — “Another year of talking about removing politics from the process of drawing congressional and legislative districts has come and gone.
Once again, nothing has changed.
Legislative districts likely will be gerrymandered in 2011 to benefit the political party that wins at least two of the three statewide offices that make up the Apportionment Board: governor, secretary of state and auditor.” Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch.
In this latest video from Ohio Citizen Action the State Frog travels to the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit in Louisville, KY. The State Frog urges the Ohio Legislators to come back and address redistricting reform.
St PAUL — “The corporate money has been flowing since the U.S. Supreme Court threw outparts of a 63-year-old law that prohibited companies and unions fromdonating to campaigns for or against candidates. The decision, whichcame earlier this year, changed rules in about half the states. But thechange is so new that experts don’t have a good handle on the likelyimpact nationally.
“This is the leading edge,” said Ed Bender, who heads the National Institute on Money in State Politics in Montana…. The Supreme Court ruling left in place state prohibitions against companies giving directly to the candidates. The money can go to independent groups supporting the candidates. But individuals can donate directly to the candidates’ campaigns.” Martiga Lohn, Associated Press.
KENTUCKY — “A July 13 decision by the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals could eventually offer Ohioans an opening to reconsider how they’ve picked judges for almost 160 years — in elections.
In 1938 and 1987, voters decisively rejected merit-selection plans for Ohio’s Supreme Court and appellate courts. In merit selection, the governor appoints judges from a list submitted by screeners. The appointed judge periodically runs for “retention,” based on his or her judicial performance. Candidates for judgeships don’t run against each other…. The constitutional issues flagged by the federal Appeals Court in the Kentucky case indicate that Ohio may someday find itself facing the same fork in the same road: Either the state gives its judicial candidates free rein — with, yes, a risk of wild electioneering — or the state finds a better way of choosing judges than the method it uses today.” Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Peter Hardin, GavelGrab.
COLUMBUS — “With big-spending judicial races a possibility this year, four candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court have taken a clean-campaign pledge proposed by the Ohio State Bar Association….
Signing the pledge were two candidates for chief justice, recently appointed Chief Justice Eric Brown, a Democrat, and Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican; and Republican Justice Judith Lanzinger and appellate Judge Mary Jane Trapp, a Democrat, according to a Toledo Blade article. Ohio has seen some of the nation’s most expensive judicial elections.
The “clean campaign agreement,” according to the OSBA [Ohio State Bar Association], asked candidates to take personal responsibility for the content of advertisements or statements that they or their authorized committee’s issue. The pledge also asked candidates to publicly disavow ads from other sources that impugn the integrity of the judicial system or the integrity of a candidate for Supreme Court.” Peter Hardin, GavelGrab.
CLEVELAND — “Gerald McFaul, the longest serving sheriff in county history, will be sentenced at 2 p.m. for two felony theft in office charges and a misdemeanor ethics violation. The charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but McFaul could be placed on probation instead….
A Plain Dealer investigation last year sparked the criminal probe of McFaul’s three decades as sheriff. He was charged on May 28 by criminal information, which means McFaul had cooperated with prosecutors.
McFaul cheated the county of thousands of dollars by forcing workers to sell tickets to his clambakes while on duty, admitted he allowed employees to sell the tickets in the Justice Center.” Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer.
Ideastream.
COLUMBUS — “‘I’m sure he’s following the letter of the law. It’s certainly not following the spirit of the law,’ Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics said.
Indeed. Without more evidence, the law very well may have been followed.But what’s interesting in this case, is what Cordray had to say about similar deals back in 1998:
Richard Cordray, the Democrats’ attorney general nominee, accused incumbent Betty Montgomery of attempting to launder the contribution through the Ohio Republican Party “and trying to conceal the true source of money. The Montgomery and Deters campaigns denied the charge.
‘I will tell you this is outrageous conduct by the person who is Ohio’s top law enforcement officer,’ Cordray said. ‘For the top law enforcement officer to put together a scheme like this to evade Ohio’s elections law is not only inappropriate and improper, it is clearly illegal.’” Third Base Politics.
DAYTON — “Electronic voting machines will be repaired and the Montgomery County Board of Elections will save money on equipment and fees under a settlement with the maker of the problem-plagued touch-screen machines in use locally since 2005.
On Tuesday, July 20, the board agreed to settle its portion of a lawsuit involving Premier Election Solutions, now owned by Omaha-based Elections Systems and Software…. The complex lawsuit was initiated against Cuyahoga County and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in 2008 by Premier, then part of North-Canton based Diebold Inc. That lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court involved Cuyahoga County’s decision to shelve the company’s machines at Brunner’s request after major election night problems. Brunner’s breach-of-contract counter-claim named 11 counties, including Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Butler. For legal reasons to insure they could benefit from a settlement the counties were named as defendants along with Premier, said Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder.” Lynn Hulsey, Dayton Daily News.
WASHINGTON DC — “New reports are surfacing across the country of businesses and special interests working to exert more political influence in elections, following the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United v. FEC decision. Judicial elections are among the targets…. A NPR report, meanwhile, recaps House-passed legislation that has stalled in the U.S. Senate to require disclosure of corporate and labor union spending to influence elections…. Citizens United changed the rules for corporation and labor unions, permitting them unlimited spending to influence elections through expenditures made independently of candidates’ campaigns.” Peter Hardin, GavelGrab.
COLUMBUS — “The four candidates running for contested seats on the Ohio Supreme Court have signed the Ohio State Bar Association’s “clean campaign agreement,” the association announced on Tuesday, July 20….
The pledge asks candidates to publicly disavow ads from other sources that “impugn the integrity of the judicial system or the integrity of a candidate for Supreme Court,” a press release said.
“Our goal is to encourage campaigns for this state’s highest court that are based on credentials, temperament and experience and that demonstrate the dignity and respect the office deserves,” OSBA President Carmen Roberto said in the release.” William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.
“Today, Ohio Citizen Action and Common Cause/Ohio released a video calling for the Legislature to reconvene and complete the job they started– redistricting reform–
Unfortunately, the August 4 deadline is only two weeks away. The video highlights redistricting reform efforts in Ohio. The State Frog, the Bullfrog, calls the Legislature back to action. On June 3rd, the day before both chambers left for a five-month vacation, they were able to come to a compromise and pass House Bill 393, which made the bullfrog the State Frog and the spotted salamander the State Amphibian. Unfortunately, our legislature left without addressing gerrymandering.
More than 60% of the Ohio Senate voted in favor of Senate Joint Resolution 5 and more than 69% of the Ohio House voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 15. We need both Houses to come back to address redistricting reform before August 4, or we have to wait another 10 years.” Leontien Kennedy, Ohio Citizen Action.
Just 4 days 12 hours 6 minutes 32 seconds until the Redistricting Reform Deadline
“Ohio is likely to change the rules by which its judicial election campaigns are conducted, as the result of a federal appeals-court ruling. The ruling also is likely to re-energize the longstanding debate in Ohio over merit selection of judges.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week struck down Kentucky’s rules barring judicial candidates from soliciting campaign funds or mentioning their party affiliations. The appeals court also instructed the district court from which the case originated to more narrowly consider other limits on judicial speech.
Because Ohio has restrictions similar to Kentucky’s, the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct most likely will have to be rewritten to conform with the court’s ruling. The 6th Circuit covers Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.” The Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS — “After weeks of indecision, Mayor Michael B. Coleman issued a tepid endorsement last night of the Columbus City Council’s desire to conduct some of its business in private.
Council members voted unanimously to place the issue on the Nov. 2 ballot, which will give voters final say on whether to scale back the city charter’s demand that all council deliberations take place in public…. The mayor had spoken of never-specified “concerns” since Council President Michael C. Mentel appointed a five-member advisory panel last month to study closed council meetings.” Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS — Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat running for re-election, is shuffling money in and out of his campaign account in a way that looks like he is complying with the letter of the law but not the spirit, according to a government watchdog group….
Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action’s money and politics project, said the money shuffle doesn’t pass the smell test.
‘I’m sure he’s following the letter of the law. It’s certainly not following the spirit of the law,’ she said. Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS — “Ohio has kooky rules for electing the seven members to its highest court. Candidates are nominated in partisan primaries and then everybody is supposed to forget O’Connor is a Republican and Brown is a Democrat. Their party affiliations are left off the general-election ballot, and the candidates are prohibited from mentioning their party allegiance unless asked by a voter.
The system is supposed to cast an apolitical hue on the court, except that, unlike many voters, chambers of commerce know which candidates are Republicans and labor unions know which ones are Democrats, and they pour unseemly amounts of money into campaigns to elect them.
Currently, all members of the Supreme Court except Brown are Republicans, and far more often than not, they see the law through the same eyes as their chamber of commerce benefactors. When Democrats controlled the court, they mostly looked through union eyes.” Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch.
