Monthly Archives: November 2009

A substitute bill regarding the house-passed Tax Freeze Bill (HB 318) was expected to be adopted by the Senate Finance Committee this week.  However, the Republican caucus submitted a proposal that was immediately met with disapproval from an overwhelming majority of Senators.  Republican Senators were only able to garner 5 votes from their 22-member caucus for the new measure, while all 12 members of the Democratic Caucus stood in opposition to the proposal. 

The Republican proposal, announced by Senate President Bill Harris, kept 2/3 of the proposed Tax Freeze, while implementing the rest of the tax cut.  In order to make up the funds lost by enacting that 1/3 of the tax cut, the Senate included a number of cash management and cost cutting solutions, designed to fill the gap.  The bill also included a number of bills currently pending in the Senate which do not have any fiscal effect.  Included in the substitute bill proposal was:

-A waiver allowance for schools to opt-out of the all-day kindergarten required by House Bill 1.
-Language allowing for oil and gas drilling in Salt Fork State Park
-Allocation of casino tax revenues
-Removal of legislative pay cut language
-Shifting money from programs to combat homelessness

A full synopsis of the substitute bill proposal can be found here.

Unable to gather enough Democratic votes to adopt the substitute bill, the Senate Finance Committee recessed Wednesday without taking action on the bill.  There will be no committee hearings next week due to the holiday.  Therefore, the first opportunity to continue work on this bill will be the week of November 30th.

Cuyahoga County residents voted on rival issues regarding county reform in the wake of the corruption that has been dominating headlines for the last several months.  Issue 5 proposed the creation of a study council to analyze county government and issue a recommendation for how to re-align county officials.  Issue 6 proposed to bypass any study council, instead reorganizing county government by removing the county commissioners and replacing them with a county council and a county executive. 

Issue 5 failed by a vote of 72% to 28%, while Issue 6 passed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.  Because Issue 6 passed and Issue 5 failed, Cuyahoga’s county government will be reorganized going forward.  Instead of a 3-member board of commissioners, each elected by a countywide vote, there will be an 11-member county council, each representing a specific Ward, led by a County Executive, which will be elected at-large.  The County Auditor and Treasurer will be combined into one position, known as a fiscal officer.  Finally, the County Engineer and Sheriff will be appointed by the county council.

Ohio’s most contentious ballot issue in 2009 was Issue 3, an amendment to the Ohio Constituion allowing for the creation of a casino in each of four metropolitan areas: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo.  Supporters of the issue claimed that it would create 34,000 jobs in the state, and encourage almost $1 billion in local spending, while also contributing much needed tax dollars to the state.  Opponents of Issue 3 claimed that any jobs created might not go to Ohioans, and the negative social problems associated with gambling, namely crime, prostitution, and drugs, would outweigh any financial benefits provided.

Both sides of the issue spent millions on television commercials trying to convince the voters.  In financial reports filed on October 22nd, the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, Issue 3 supporters, reported expenditures of nearly $32 million, while Truth PAC, Issue 3 opponents, reported expenditures of approximately $5 million.  In the end, voters approved of the plan to allow casino gambling in Ohio, passing the amendment by a narrow margin of 53% to 47% against.

Ohio Issue 2 would create a 13-member state livestock care standards board to establish standards for the care and well being of livestock.  Supporters of Issue 2 say it will provide Ohio with an expert board to set up comprehensive oversight of livestock care.  Opponents say Issue 2 is an effort by larger, “factory” farms protecting their interests, and that it doesn’t belong in the Ohio Constitution.  With the help of endorsements from Governor Strickland and Senator Voinovich, among others, Issue 2 passed easily, with 64% support.

Perhaps the most highly anticipated race of the 2009 election cycle on the national scene was the race for Governor of New Jersey.  The seat is currently held by Democrat Jon Corzine, who previously served as one New Jersey’s United States Senators.  Prior to his political career, Corzine also served as the President and CEO of Goldman Sachs.  He was challenged by United States Attorney Christopher Christie.  Christie was able to successfully use Corzine’s past dealings with Goldman Sachs to attack his economic credentials.  This race received significant outside attention, including campaign appearances by President Obama and RNC Chair Michael Steele.  In the end, Chris Christie came out on top, unseating Corzine by a 49% to 45% final margin, with Independent candidate Chris Daggett grabbing the final 6%.

The Virginia Governor’s race was not expected to be very competitive, as Republican candidate Bob McConnell had shown a solid lead in polls leading up to election day.  McDonnell, currently Virginia’s Attorney General, faced off against Democrat State Senator Creigh Deeds.  This race was a rematch of sorts, as McDonnell beat Deeds in 2005 for Attorney General by a mere 400 votes.  The Governor’s Mansion has been occupied since 2002 by Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, whose term ends this year.  However, despite the recent history of Democratic Governors as well as President Obama winning the state’s 13 electoral votes in 2008, the Republican candidate McConnell was able to win back the seat by a tally of 59% to 41%.