Dispatch:
Gov. John Kasich headlined an Ohio Theatre event last week funded by lobbyists with deep ties to his administration, raising questions about his oft-stated commitment not to favor special interests.
The Tuesday evening “One Year Later” celebration was sponsored in part by lobbyists Douglas J. Preisse, Robert F. Klaffky and Matt Borges, all of whom were ground-floor advisers to Kasich’s 2010 campaign or inaugural committee. The private party was attended by members of Kasich’s executive staff, cabinet members, many state lawmakers and some clients of the three sponsoring lobbyists, among others.
Kasich, who recapped the accomplishments of his first year in remarks to the audience, said Friday that the event did not undermine his promise to Ohioans that no lobbyists would receive preferential treatment. As a candidate and governor, Kasich has railed against special interests with their “snouts in the trough.”
Only special lobbyists were invited. How nice. Although Kasich might deny and special treatment for his lobbyist buddies, we can figure it out. No matter what Kasich says or does, he is definitely one of the 1% and the corporate owners. He never supported real people---only corporations, lobbyists, rich contributors, and CEO's.
Wouldn't you love to see an invitation list for that event? Me too!
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Ohio is losing big, big, money under Kasich's budget. If you're interested in finding out how much localities are losing, check out InnovationOhio's funding map link. As InnovationOhio states on their website:
....see the amount of cuts in state funding that each county’s local government and school districts will experience in fiscal year 2013, compared to fiscal year 2011, prior to the state budget’s enactment.
Where did all that money go?
>>>> An editorial in the Toledo Blade gives fair warning about any attempts by Gov. Kasich to make Ohio voters any more upset. The editorial compares Kasich to other right wing, anti-worker governors like Wisconsin Gov. Walker, now facing a recall.
ToledoBlade:
....Gov. John Kasich similarly annoyed many Ohio voters when he balanced the state budget on the backs of local governments and schools, sold profitable state assets, and tried to curtail the collective-bargaining power of public-employee unions. But neither the Ohio Constitution nor state law allows statewide elected officials to be recalled, so he doesn't have to worry about facing a challenge like Mr. Walker's.
Still, Mr. Kasich should pay attention to Wisconsin. Ohio voters are angry about government spending too. But polls suggest they are not convinced that the solution is to throw schools, workers' rights, children, and poor and elderly Ohioans under the bus.
After Issue 2 lost last November, Mr. Kasich said he had heard voters' voices. But if voters decide he remains tone deaf, they can reiterate their message at the next gubernatorial election.
Although Ohio voters cannot recall Kasich, there are other ways to make him less powerful--- vote for Democrats for the Ohio House and Ohio Senate. If Democrats were in control of the Ohio General Assembly, Kasich's right wing agenda would get nipped in the bud.
***** One of Kasich's BFFs, Rex Elsass, is profiled in the Dispatch. Elsass is another one of those friends/consultants that helped bring Kasich to the governor's office. (Note: If you follow the link, beware of the ugly Christmas sweater.)
>>>> Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican so bored with his new job as Treasurer that he started thinking about running for U.S. Senator only weeks after being sworn into office, has released his work schedule. Here is what was found by an analysis of Mandel's records and financial disclosures by the Ohio Democratic Party:
.....Despite at least 50 events related to his Senate campaign (largely fundraising), Josh Mandel found the time to talk with just 8 businesses in Ohio. This echoes an Associated Press report from last week that shows his “weekly calendars as state treasurer are almost devoid of appointments outside of staff meetings and speaking engagements. And he’s yet to hold a single news conference to discuss the work he’s doing for Ohioans.”
In fact, “Treasurer”Josh Mandel has been to Washington D.C. alone at least as many times as he’s met with Ohio businesses according to his schedule.
Equally troubling is the omission from Mandel’s schedule of 10 out-of-state trips he took just one month after being sworn into his four year term as Treasurer. While Mandel’s camp laughably claimed the trips were mostly for“official business,” Mandel’s trips were largely to locations that raised huge sums of money for his U.S. Senate campaign, despite being funded by his state campaign. FEC law clearly states that a federal candidate’s campaign may not accept assets of any kind from another committee established by the same candidate....
If Mandel is soooooooo disinterested with his job as Ohio Treasurer, he should resign and go work for his wife's family. Mandel's lack of real legislative experience and leadership in his previous post in the Ohio General Assembly makes him a lightweight in the political spectrum. It might be all fun and games with his travel experiences, fundraising parties, and meeting like-minded right wingers and rich CEO's, but he has a job as Ohio Treasurer that he seems to be neglecting.