If your Ohio community or school district has deficits popping up, there might be an explanation.
AthensNews:
A representative from the Athens City Schools joined a conference call Thursday criticizing state budget cuts impacting local governments and school districts across Ohio.
Assistant Superintendent Tom Gibbs joined the call organized by One Ohio Now, a coalition of more than 100 progressive advocacy groups, labor unions, and health and human service organizations.
The group recently launched a website at CutsHurtOhio.com that allows users to click a given county and obtain a figure on how much the area has lost in state budget cuts to education and local government....
Check out CutsHurtOhio.com to see how your community is doing.
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>>>> People are talking about the scandal surrounding the staff resignations from the office of Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. Questions surround the time sheets, attendance, and even the office atmosphere.
Cleveland:
Cuyahoga County executive and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald and the state's Republican party sparred on Sunday after FitzGerald called for answers to questions surrounding the resignation of Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor's chief of staff and her assistant.
Taylor's chief of staff, Laura Johnson, and Johnson's administrative assistant, Heather Brandt, both resigned on Friday after Taylor discovered irregularities between their time sheets and key card information that detailed in and out access in offices and a parking garage.
"Governor Kasich needs to demand some answers from his lieutenant governor," FitzGerald's campaign said in a statement....
An article in the Columbus Dispatch has one of the staff members describing Taylor's office as having an "unhealthy hostile work environment." Well! That is very interesting!
How did this all come to the public's attention? Plunderbund had requested records:
Republican Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor’s chief of staff and her administrative assistant resigned today after a record request from Plunderbund revealed that Laura Johnson and her assistant Heather Brandt had been billing the state for hours they were not working....
...Plunderbund filed the request after receiving a tip that Johnson and Brandt had been stealing state time, working on John Kasich’s reelection campaign while being paid by the state.
Links to the requested records can be found below:
Cards
Garage
Payroll
Timesheets..
There have been lots of rumors that Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor spends little time in her Columbus office. The state set up a "satellite office" near her home. The problem is that if you are not in your designated office every single day, you have no idea what is happening in that office. If Taylor is not doing her job, which person is overseeing staff and work?
>>> The Ben Suarez trial continues with plenty of questions about how the campaigns of Republicans Rep. Jim Renacci and Ohio Secreatry of State Josh Mandel received such large sums of campaign money from Suarez and his employees. Check the link for details.