* It appears that Ohio's 15th congressional district is getting plenty of attention from lots of people. Here is a snippet from Real Clear Politics:
....Ohio'’s 15th: Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce barely held on last time, defeating Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy by 1,000 votes in a come-from-behind win. Kilroy is back, but Pryce has decided to call it quits. State Sen. Steve Stivers (R) initially passed on the race but has changed his mind. He should be a formidable candidate in November. While Bush barely squeezed by Kerry four years ago, Franklin County (Columbus) has been moving toward the Democrats....
I think the November race with Democrat Kilroy against Republican Stivers will be a tight race. However, there were some Democrats that voted for Pryce in the last election because of her help on specific problems. I don't think that the GOP candidate, Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, has the kind of base and following that Pryce enjoyed. Given the foreclosure crisis in central Ohio, many people might be reluctant to vote for someone like Stivers who champions the rights of banks/lenders over consumers. In this area, everyone knows at least someone who has been touched by the mortgage crisis.
* Mary Jo Kilroy, Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, has received an endorsement from SNAP, a student PAC founded at Yale University. See the article at the Huffington Post.
*** Project Vote Smart: Steve Stivers voted against this bill- Am Sub SB 185, May 2006. Here is a synopsis of the bill-----
Expands the application of the Consumer Sales Practices Act to include certain consumer transactions in connection with a residential mortgage. Generally prohibits the appraisal of real estate for a mortgage loan without state certification or licensure. Prohibits any person from corrupting or improperly influencing the independent judgment of a real estate appraiser with respect to the value of the dwelling offered as security for a mortgage loan. Requires that a national criminal background check be conducted on all applicants for a real estate appraiser certificate or license, a mortgage broker certificate of registration, or a loan officer license...
Wow. This legislation seems like a good idea. The bill was written to protect citizens from unscrupulous, dishonest lenders, and yet Steve Stivers voted against it in order to support his banker buddies. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.