* Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Republican, continues to be the topic of conversation at the water cooler. Kasich's recent example of speaking off the cuff resulted in him calling a police officer an "idiot" in front of Ohio EPA employees. (see previous posts below) As has been noted in many newspapers, and blogs, Kasich received a ticket for this failure to give room to an emergency vehicle.
Responses to Kasich calling an officer an "idiot" have been swift.
Dispatch:
"We're not idiots; we're out enforcing the law that he as governor has asked us to go out and enforce," said Jim Gilbert, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 9, the union representing most central Ohio law-enforcement officers.
Jay McDonald, president of the 26,000-member Ohio FOP, said, "I thought that the comments show the governor doesn't understand what our job is and the dangers our people face. ... Calling them idiots certainly doesn't make their job any easier."
....Sara Winfield of Marysville, the widow of Marion County Deputy Sheriff Brandy Winfield, posted a letter to Kasich on her blog saying she was disheartened. She later called for an apology to all officers....
I wonder what Kasich's approval rating would be today since it was 30% just a few weeks ago according to a Quinnipiac Poll.
* The JobsOhio bill passed, but there might be some legal entanglements involved with the application of the bill and the leadership of the program.
ProgressOhio:
Mark Kvamme is not a resident of Ohio, but we all knew that when Gov. Kasich appointed him as Director of Development running JobsOhio, which just passed both houses this afternoon.
ProgressOhio research has shown that a long-held Ohio Attorney General Opinion provided to former GOP Governor George V Voinovich reveals that under the Ohio Constitution and Ohio Law Kvamme, a non-Ohio resident who commutes from California, is barred from serving as a State Director.
In fact, persuant to ORC 121.03 the Director of the Department of Development is an office to which section § 15.04 of the Ohio Constitution applies, and ORC3503.01(A) requires, in part, an elector be "a resident of the state."
We'll see what happens.
**** The Republican controlled House Financial Services Committee are trying to cut regulations and funding for oversight of Wall Street, according to The Hill. Do you know who serves on this committee? Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15-R), a former bank lobbyist, is a member of this committee.