COLUMBUS
-- "Anyone wondering where America's next electoral meltdown will take place--and
it can only be a matter of time--might do well to turn back to the scene of the
last one. Ohio was, of course, ground zero of the 2004 presidential election,
and now it's the battleground of one of the most hotly contested governor's races
in the country... As Catherine Turcer, legislative director of the anticorruption
group Ohio Citizen Action, put it sardonically: 'Every county has its own
party structure, so you can launder money eighty-eight ways,'" Andrew Gumbel,
The Nation.Officials accused of routing money to Bush
COLUMBUS
-- "Four current or former elected officials from the Toledo area are expected
to answer ethics charges today related to helping coin dealer and GOP contributor
Thomas W. Noe illegally give campaign cash to President Bush... Hollenbaugh said
his clients didn’t think that they were being asked to do anything improper.
But some observers argue that the four were in politics long enough to know better.
'Even ordinary citizens understand money-laundering,' said Catherine Turcer, of
the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action," Mark Niquette,
Columbus Dispatch.DAYTON -- Reform will have to be reborn on redistricting, "By the admission of Catherine Turcer, of Ohio Citizen Action, the meeting was a Hail Mary pass. Time was running out on the legislative clock, and the score was lopsided, in that the Senate seemed uninterested in the measure," Martin Gottlieb, Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS -- "This list of sponsoring organizations will cause some people to suspect that reform is a liberal cause. After all, Ohio Citizen Action, which calls itself the state's largest environmental organization, gives a Howard Metzenbaum award... House Democrats saw some sort of Republican ploy. They noted that the measure was fostered by the Republican House leadership, and was not worked out with Democrats currently serving in the House. They noted, too, that Republicans are facing an election in which they might lose control of the redistricting process (under the current rules) and are worried," Martin Gottlieb, Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS -- Panel supports Blackwell on voter registration rules, Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.
RED BANK, NJ -- "The 2000 election process gave clear evidence that the established system for running elections and counting votes in the United States is not cohesive, not fool-proof and not secure against tampering... In Ohio, where three election workers were just indicted for tampering with the 2004 presidential vote count, Sec. of State Blackwell had tried to disqualify voters whose registrations (without their knowledge) were not filed on 80-pound test card stock, while overseeing the implementation of new paperless voting machines and serving as co-chair of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in his state," Sentido.tv.
 Monty Lobb, Assistant Secretary of State and Catherine Turcer. |
Both candidates are getting donations from out-of-state groups
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Citizen Action analyzed donations in the gubernatorial race, focusing on money flowing to the campaigns between Jan. 1, 2005 and April 12, 2006 and found Strickland is the favorite of unions, mental health organizations, and an assortment of environmental, abortion rights and agricultural policy donors. In the same analysis, Citizen Action, a nonpartisan good government watchdog group, found Blackwell received money from anti-abortion, pro-guns, anti-union and Christian concerns," Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
Between them, the top candidates for governor are pulling in the cash at a rate of $3,368 an hour
COLUMBUS -- "'If you don't have money, you can't buy yard signs, you can't buy television ads, you can't go on road trips around the state. Money is like the gas that keeps the campaign going,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a non-partisan campaign finance watchdog group. She added, 'Fundraising will be dominate because it's an open seat, because the polls are close and there's so much at stake. It's not just about Election 2006, it's about Election 2008,'" Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted
NEW
YORK, NY -- "The reports were especially disturbing in Ohio, the critical
battleground state that clinched Bush's victory in the electoral college. Officials
there purged tens of thousands of eligible voters from the rolls, neglected to
process registration cards generated by Democratic voter drives, shortchanged
Democratic precincts when they allocated voting machines and illegally derailed
a recount that could have given Kerry the presidency. A precinct in an evangelical
church in Miami County recorded an impossibly high turnout of ninety-eight percent,
while a polling place in inner-city Cleveland recorded an equally impossible turnout
of only seven percent. In Warren County, GOP election officials even invented
a nonexistent terrorist threat to bar the media from monitoring the official vote
count," Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rolling Stone.Top ideological contributions to candidates for Governor
COLUMBUS -- These charts, compiled from campaign finance filings available on the Ohio Secretary of State's website, show contributions given to gubernatorial candidates from ideologically-driven organizations.
NEW YORK, NY -- "If there was ever a sign of a ruling party in trouble, it is a game plan that calls for trying to win by discouraging voting. The latest sign that Republicans have an election-year strategy to shut down voter registration drives comes from Ohio. As the state gears up for a very competitive election season this fall, its secretary of state, J. Kenneth Blackwell, has put in place 'emergency' regulations that could hit voter registration workers with criminal penalties for perfectly legitimate registration practices. The rules are so draconian they could shut down registration drives in Ohio," editorial, New York Times.
COLUMBUS -- "And so you get ugly moments like two weeks ago, when the Democrats succeeded in keeping the House Republican leadership from putting a redistricting proposal on the November ballot. The Democrats didn't just kill a GOP measure. Once the dust settled, it turned out the Republicans had tricked their flustered and overmatched opponents into defeating a bill the Dems had written themselves... 'This was a good proposal,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action. 'You can have the most heinous motivation, but if the bill is good, that's all that matters,'" Dan Williamson, The Athens News.
Democrats vote down GOP plan, then their own
COLUMBUS
-- "House Democrats refused yesterday to approve a GOP plan that could have
dramatically altered Ohio's politically gerrymandered districts by putting the
mapping process in the hands of a bipartisan, independent panel... Groups such
as Ohio Citizen Action and the League of Women Voters of Ohio have given
high marks to the Republican- crafted measure, though they wanted to fix some
details," Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch.COLUMBUS -- Plan to change how districts are drawn fails, Paul E. Kostyou, Canton Repository.
MORE ON MONEY AND POLITICS
Petition signers want proposed amendment to stay on ballot
COLUMBUS
-- "legislative leaders have struck a deal with the honorary chairman of
the Tax Expenditure Limitation campaign, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell,
that is expected to lead to the removal of that amendment from the ballot... Catherine
Turcer, of government watchdog Ohio Citizen Action, also questioned the
idea of changing the rules in midstream. 'If it's fatally flawed, what do you
do except remove it from the ballot?' asked Ms. Turcer. 'On the other hand, you
have a horrible situation where 300,000 people expect this to be on the ballot,'"
Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. Zoning inspector alleges trustees failed to disclose business ties to condo developer before votes
WASHINGTON TWP -- "Both trustees voted on zoning issues involving the development. The issue is whether they should have disclosed their financial interests or abstained from voting. 'This is not rocket science,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog. 'They're required to refrain from voting on things that will financially benefit them,'" Lou Grieco, Dayton Daily News.
WASHINGTON TWP -- Whistleblower put on leave same day he made allegations against 2 trustees, Washington Twp. administrator concludes allegations of misconduct are false, Lou Grieco, Dayton Daily News.
Money pours in from out of state
COLUMBUS
-- "Between January 2005 and last month, Blackwell collected more than $3.8
million, surpassing Petro by more than $1 million and raising only slightly less
than his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland. A report by Ohio Citizen
Action found that more than $900,000 of Blackwell's money came from out of
state - just short of what Petro, Strickland and Democrat Bryan Flannery combined
raised from out-of-state donors. Blackwell also had far more out-of-state contributors
who gave the maximum $10,000, with 29 such donations," Ted Wendling, Cleveland
Plain Dealer. COLUMBUS -- "Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action was excited the redistricting plan was 'back on the agenda.' 'Nearly a quarter of the races in 2004 were uncontested in the general election,' she said. 'Something is deeply wrong.' Turcer said redistricting has been so politicized that now is the best time to introduce legislation because both parties don’t know what the impact will be of the November election. She said last year’s rejection of the amendment indicated that people were confused about it. 'It was not so much a ‘no’ vote as a ‘I don’t know’ vote,' Turcer said,'" Paul E. Kostyu, Canton Repository.
COLUMBUS -- When corporations announce bad news, they do it after financial markets close on a Friday. When legislators want to pass a dirty bill, they do it during a "lame duck" session after an election. When the Ohio Supreme Court issues an opinion it is ashamed of, it happens the day after a primary election.
Right on schedule this Wednesday, the Court approved FirstEnergy's illegal plan to charge customers $15 to $20 extra month in exchange for absolutely nothing. Five of the members of the Court have received a total of $125,000 in campaign contributions from people connected to FirstEnergy in the last nine years. Nearly half the money, $61,000, went to Chief Justice Thomas Moyer and Justices Terrence O'Donnell and Judith Lanzinger from an August 2004 fundraiser at the home of FirstEnergy Chief Executive Anthony Alexander.
$15 to $20 a month may not seem like much to Anthony Alexander or Thomas Moyer, but it is a lot to our members. It is a real issue to us, and gubernatorial candidates Ken Blackwell and Ted Strickland have done nothing about it. They could have joined our call for the justices to recuse themselves. They could be leading the fight for public financing of Supreme Court races. Instead, they've been too busy ... doing guess what? Raising money. Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.
MORE ON FIRSTENERGY AND THE OHIO SUPREME COURT
COLUMBUS
-- "State regulators stripped customers of choice in an electricity market
that's supposed to be all about choice when it reached a three-year agreement
with FirstEnergy Corp., the Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The court, in
a 5-2 ruling, largely upheld the Akron utility's latest rate plan that locked
basic fees through 2008. But the court said the Public Utilities Commission of
Ohio did not have authority under the state's 1999 electricity deregulation law
to limit customers' alternatives to FirstEnergy, even if going with another supplier
might have meant higher bills," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.CLEVELAND -- More electricity rate bids ordered, John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS
-- "William O'Neill's austere campaign pledge to take 'no money from nobody'
is unprecedented in Ohio and across the nation... Catherine Turcer, legislative
director for Ohio Citizen Action, believes O'Neill could be committing
'campaign suicide,' but then again, his message might resonate with voters. 'William
O'Neill is a breath of fresh air,' Turcer said. 'I think there is something really
appealing about a candidate who sees a connection between money and possible influence
and then takes a stand,'" T.C. Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer. 
Higher
giving limits, Ohio's importance on national scene mean 1998 total of $17.9 million
likely to fallCOLUMBUS -- "The race for governor is on target to be the most expensive in Ohio history with nearly 35,000 people giving a total of $10.8 million to the four primary candidates so far... Between Jan. 1, 2005, and April 12, an average donation of $304 was given to campaigns by 34,869 individuals, according to a study by Ohio Citizen Action. Ohio law now allows individuals to give up to $10,000 to a candidate, up from $2,500," Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
Group scrutinizes campaign finance filings
COLUMBUS -- "Attorney General Jim Petro's largest single contributor in his race for governor is the Ohio Republican Party, while Secretary of State Ken Blackwell leads all candidates in campaign donations from clergy. Those were two findings in an analysis released Monday by Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that lobbies for broader campaign finance disclosure, better access to public records and cleaner air," Jon Craig, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Analysis of campaign finance disclosure (1,549 kb doc)
1 in 4 donors not properly documented, it says
COLUMBUS
-- "Citizen Action, in a report released Monday, said one of every
four donations in 2005 to the candidates vying for governor, attorney general,
secretary of state, treasurer and auditor is not properly documented. 'We're asking
candidates to step up to the plate and identify everybody,' said Catherine Turcer
of Ohio Citizen Action, who added that disclosure is a good defense against
government corruption," Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. COLUMBUS -- Campaign study shows divide in Blackwell, Petro donors, Julie Carr Smyth, Akron Beacon Journal.
COLUMBUS -- Big, small donors hand millions in cash to state office candidates, Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
Analysis of campaign finance disclosure (1,549 kb doc)
COLUMBUS -- "Trying to understand money in politics is like putting together a puzzle," said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action. 'Unfortunately, candidates aren't sharing pieces of that puzzle.' Today, Ohio Citizen Action urged candidates to improve their disclosure of the employee identification of individual contributors and released an analysis of campaign finance disclosure by Ohio statewide candidates in 2005. Only 73% of the contributions were appropriately identified," press release, Ohio Citizen Action.
Governor hopeful: Firms got no favors
COLUMBUS -- "Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, said it was appropriate for Mr. Blackwell's campaign to focus on ethics with the GOP-controlled state government swamped with scandal. 'But they came out swinging and got themselves,' Ms. Turcer said. She referred to Mr. Blackwell's admission on his annual ethics statement filed earlier this month that he mistakenly invested in voting-machines manufacturer Diebold Inc. in 2005 as other companies alleged they had not received a fair chance to vie for contracts," Steve Eder and James Drew, Toledo Blade.
Taft wins power to shield discussions; critic calls decision 'a license to cover up
COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Supreme Court relied on a 1973 federal ruling involving President Nixon and Watergate tapes in deciding that Ohio governors have the power to keep some records private. In the case U.S. v. Nixon, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized executive privilege for presidents. Nixon had invoked the privilege to try to quash a subpoena seeking the Watergate tapes...'If you can't see the records, how can you ever know if you need the records? It's a terrible Catch-22,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action," Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News.
Program pushing use of defibrillators is funded by machine’s manufacturer
COLUMBUS
-- "But does Medtronic, with projected sales of more than $11 billion this
year, simply want to sell more products through this arrangement? Catherine Turcer,
of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group, said, 'It’s such
a fine line between worrying about public health and advocating for a business.
It’s just one of those great gray areas. 'It’s worth having a good public
discussion about … the role of business in government,'" Jodi Andes
and Mark Ferenchik, Columbus Dispatch. Democrats, Petro critical of him on Diebold stock case
COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's disclosure that he owned shares last year in voting-machine manufacturer Diebold sparked criticism from political opponents and a government watchdog... Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group, said that while the investment appears to have been legal, 'it's worth taking the time to decide if it was appropriate,'" William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS -- "Husted, meanwhile, reported a gift from Joseph Feidner, father-in-law of Columbus lobbyist Dan McCarthy, for staying at his Florida home during a Memorial Day weekend fishing trip... But Bledsoe said yesterday that because Husted reported the stay as a gift, there is no need to investigate — even though Husted maintained he paid full value for the stay. Catherine Turcer, legislative director of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group, said the problem with the trip is that it came at a time when the budget was not finalized, giving certain lobbyists access that others didn’t have," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch.
CLEVELAND -- "Blackwell's critics say his fundraising history is in contrast to his position as secretary of state that contributions should be easily traceable and candidates should avoid efforts to circumvent limits. 'It's disappointing when someone who is a champion of disclosure and of following the campaign-finance rules violates at least the spirit of them,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a campaign reform group. 'Of all people, the secretary of state had a responsibility to stop this, not benefit from it,'" Cincinnati Enquirer.
Contributions came via party accounts
CLEVELAND
-- "As Blackwell seeks the Republican nomination for governor, critics say
his past fund-raising practices conflict with his current message that contributions
should be easily traceable and candidates should avoid efforts to circumvent donation
limits. 'Of all people, the secretary of state had a responsibility to stop this,
not benefit from it,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio
Citizen Action. Blackwell notes that the practice was legal at the time and
the accounts were set up to help state candidates, including him. Although his
campaign helped the county parties raise the money, the decision on how it was
distributed was the counties' alone, he said," Sandy Theis and Ted Wendling,
Cleveland Plain Dealer. Business execs among largest contributors
CLEVELAND -- "Catherine Turcer, legislative director of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group, said it's unlikely that the campaigns don't know more about some big donors. 'People who have the ability to give $10,000 or $20,000 are movers and shakers, so it's surprising that the campaigns can't figure out who they are,' she said. Turcer said the campaigns have incentive to get to know them. 'The campaigns can ask them for more money after the primary,' she said," Mark Naymik, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- "A newly revised public records bill allows the Ohio Supreme Court - not the state legislature - to decide what records are public for all courts in Ohio... But members of a new coalition, Ohioans for a Better Future, said they are concerned about relaxing legislative oversight of court records. 'The last thing you want an open records bill to do is close records,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director with Ohio Citizen Action," Jon Craig, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Connections propel governmental rise, scandal leads to downfall
COLUMBUS -- "'The mover and shaker of the political party becomes a part of government, raising contributions and then being appointed to boards; it's like a big, enmeshed dysfunctional family,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a statewide consumer and environmental group... Ms. Turcer said the convictions of Mr. Taft, Mr. Hicks, Ms. Carroll, Mr. Talbott, and Mr. Moormann are stunning examples of how a "culture of closed government' has fueled corruption. 'They should have gotten in trouble regardless of whether Tom Noe got in trouble or not,' said Ms. Turcer, who called for tougher penalties for violations of ethics laws," James Drew and Steve Eder, Toledo Blade.
Feb 24: Campaign
gifts from Noe raise eyebrows20 of the donations came within a week of siphoning money
COLUMBUS -- "Coin dealer Thomas W. Noe made at least 20 campaign contributions on the same day or within a week of paying himself from a state rare-coin investment he managed, a Dispatch analysis shows. That doesn’t prove Noe used state money for contributions, but the timing and allegations that Noe stole state money for personal use raise strong suspicions, political observers say. 'It’s a logical conclusion to draw, even if you can’t prove it,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- "Catherine Turcer, the legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog, said there's a feeling in the Statehouse that change is necessary in light of the scandals. She said Mr. Petro's plan has the potential to help cleanse government, but loopholes would remain. 'There's a sense that the legislature needs to do something to clean up the process, and show they don't want to be embroiled in the kind of toxic environment they have been in the past couple years,' Ms. Turcer said. 'They want to make a clean break from Noe. They want to make a clean break from special counsel contracts. It makes sense for the legislature to take this,'" Steve Eder and James Drew, Toledo Blade.
Gubernatorial candidate Blackwell blasts Petro for inaction
COLUMBUS
-- "Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action,
a statewide advocacy group, said proposals that Governor Taft released last week
to reform lobbying and contracting rules are full of holes. For example, she said
legislators and lobbyists should be required to file their ethics statements at
the same time and state law needs to be changed to 'defrock' lobbyists who are
found to violate ethics laws," Steve Eder, Toledo Blade. Councilman Mentel proposes ordinance to regulate Downtown power brokers
COLUMBUS
-- "Having a registry is a 'tremendous step' in the right direction, said
Catherine Turcer, legislative director of Ohio Citizen Action. 'Lobbyists
are the grease on the wheel of government, and we have the right to know what
is going on,' Turcer said. In Cincinnati, nine lobbyists are registered, records
show. Public hearings will be held before the council votes on Mentel’s proposal.
One change Turcer would like to see is a restriction on employees leaving city
government only to turn around and lobby their former colleagues. 'It makes sense
to add a buffer there,' she said. State officials, for example, are barred from
lobbying the state for a year after leaving," Jodi Andes, Columbus Dispatch.
TOLEDO
-- "Coin dealer and prominent Republican donor Thomas Noe was indicted today
on 53 felonies, including theft of more than $1 million. Charges against Noe include
engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 11 counts of theft, 11 of money laundering,
8 of tampering with records and 22 of forgery. Jon Richardson represented Noe
at an arraignment this morning before Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas J.
Osowik. Through Richardson, Noe pled not guilty. Noe also faces federal charges
of illegally funneling $45,400 to President Bush's re-election campaign by giving
money to friends and associates to contribute in their names," Catherine
Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.TOLEDO -- State corruption scandal lands first indictments, Noe target of 10-month investigation, John Seewer, Chillicothe Gazette.
Punishments amount to nothing when someone breaks Ohio law
COLUMBUS -- "'It’s not just reining in lobbyists. We need to think bigger than that,' said Catherine Turcer, legislative director of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group. The whole process of lobbying and awarding state contracts needs more transparency, and disclosure of lobbying activity should be more meaningful, she said. Although Taft proposed a number of good reforms, it’s only a start, she said. Spurred by a coin-investment scandal involving GOP donor Thomas W. Noe, of Maumee, Ohio Democrats repeatedly have accused majority Republicans of running a pay-toplay system, where big donors and gift givers are rewarded with state contracts," Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- "Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group, said she especially likes Taft’s proposal to limit contributions from those who get unbid contracts. When an individual or company gets an unbid state contract, current law is supposed to limit what they can give to certain statewide candidates. But the limit, $1,000 in the two years before the contract, is lifted once the contract is awarded. There also is nothing to stop a large company or law firm that wants an unbid contract from having its members write 50 $1,000 checks to an officeholder. Taft would hold companies to a limit of $10,000 total and would extend the $1,000 ban for one year after the contract is awarded," Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- "In a statement, the court said it increased most categories of contributions to 'encourage' donors to give directly to candidates where finance reporting requirements have traditionally been stronger. . . .Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, was also puzzled by the court's rationalization. She, too, believes pro business interests will continue to give money to pro-business third-party advocacy groups. 'I don't see an enormous effect,' Turcer said. 'People will always find a way around the process. Wealthy and powerful interests always want to affect the courts, but we need the Supreme Court to keep adjusting,'" T.C. Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- State court boosts contribution limits to campaigns; Justices hope to deter donations to third-party groups. "Catherine Turcer, legislative director for the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, said the increases were beneficial particularly for judicial candidates at the local level. 'They need to get their message out. You figure in the amount of time it actually takes to generate money and talk to people and get your campaign going, having a limit that is really low makes it difficult for them to campaign, so they end up relying more heavily on the political parties,' she said. But she's not sure the increases will push more people to give to candidates rather than third-party groups because some donors care about a broader agenda they wish to support," Mandy Zatynski, Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS -- Judicial vacancies often filled by election losers. "One-fourth of the judges in Franklin County arrived on the bench via the same route: They were rejected by voters in an election, only to be appointed later by the governor. . . 'Voters don't want party hacks to become judges, and I don't believe this is happening,' said Catherine Turcer, of the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action. 'But we need to think about a better process,'" Kevin Mayhood, Bruce Cadwallader, Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.
Brennan Center urges Supreme Court to set rules for when they meet in court
NEW YORK, NY -- "the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, along with co-counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to review Avery v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. The case involves an Illinois Supreme Court justice who declined to recuse himself, and then ruled for one of his biggest campaign contributors. The brief was filed on behalf of 12 organizations [including Ohio Citizen Action] committed to ensuring fair and impartial courts... Karmeier, who received over $350,000 in direct contributions from State Farm’s employees, lawyers and others, and over $1 million more from groups of which State Farm was a member or to which it contributed, won both the fundraising battle and the election. Justice Karmeier then declined to recuse himself from Avery, which had been pending before the Illinois Supreme Court during the campaign," press release, Brennan Center for Justice.
 |
|
Sen. Ray Miller
|
COLUMBUS -- Blackwell clears GOP of violating finance rule, Sandy Theis, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- "Catherine Turcer, of government watchdog Ohio Citizen Action, said the residency requirement for petition circulators might survive constitutional challenge, but she called it 'silly.' 'The person who is collecting the signatures really is much like the paper and the pen,' she said. 'They're a vehicle to get the petition to the voter so the voter can sign. You need to confirm the signatures, and we have a good matching process, and that's how you rule out fraud… It's really provincial thinking," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.
Ohio Chamber names backers of 2000 effort to oust Justice Resnick
COLUMBUS -- "Secret donations from corporations and individuals vilified a sitting Ohio Supreme Court justice in one of the ugliest political campaigns in Ohio history. Now, the secret is out. One day after a Franklin County Common Pleas judge ordered the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and its clandestine political campaign group to name names or face a $25,000-per-day fine, a list of the financial backers of Citizens for a Strong Ohio finally was released. Friday's action ended four years of legal wrangling over the names," Doug Oplinger, Dennis J. Willard, Akron Beacon Journal.
CLEVELAND -- "Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan public-policy group, said the questions will remain, but she noted that people don't always share what they are doing, especially if it is criminal, with their closest friends. 'I wouldn't paint [White] with the same brush of disdain as I would with Nate Gray,' Turcer said," John Caniglia, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- Radio ads spotlight state insurance director; Critic says she is taking advantage of position. "Catherine Turcer, a campaign finance expert at Ohio Citizen Action, said Womer Benjamin is simply taking advantage of her public position. 'Some people might say it's just a perk of the job; you take advantage of whatever opportunities are out there,' Turcer said. 'It's also clear that she knows how to maneuver to show herself off to the best advantage. It gets her name out there at an opportune time, not just to voters but to party leaders,'" Julie Carr Smyth, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
BELLAIRE -- "'It was a well-known pay-to-play atmosphere. It was very blatant,' said Sandy Buchanan, a former statehouse lobbyist who is now executive director of Ohio Citizen Action, the state's largest environmental group. 'It was just kind of a given that legislators never had to pay for drinks or meals,' Buchanan said. Ney, affectionately known as 'Bobby,' fit right in, several of his contemporaries said. The garrulous young lawmaker moved easily in bipartisan circles and was a frequent visitor to the capital bars and parties where checks were dispensed. In one year, Ney reported receiving about $10,000 in honorariums from 17 businesses and organizations, many with issues pending before the Legislature," Noam N. Levey and Walter F. Roche Jr., Los Angeles Times.
CLEVELAND -- "Lorain County's airport chief took home $52,500 last month for unused sick days and vacation, including time he piled up in a previous job... Some observers were stunned. 'Why should taxpayers pay for work that's not related to their county?' asked Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit government watchdog. 'It's illogical. It's funny, really. If schoolteachers move from one district to another, they don't get to take their vacation time with them to their new jobs,'" Molly Kavanaugh and John Caniglia, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Cincinnati lawyer stands to profit from representing Ohio in class-action suits
 |
| Stanley Chesley |
But president says all members should decide use of money that council controls
COLUMBUS
-- "Questions about social-services grants that City Councilwoman Charleta
B. Tavares approved are more about politics than fiscal responsibility, said the
leader of a group that received such money... Those expenditures and others like
them should have been discussed, said Catherine Turcer, legislative director for
the government watchdog Ohio Citizen Action. 'It’s the chamber’s
job to look for business and draw people to the city,' Turcer said. 'They were
looking for grants from the city to do their job,'" Jodi Andes, Columbus
Dispatch. Access fee; no link.
COLUMBUS -- "In the five-page letter to GOP donors and activists, Blackwell said, 'And with your help, I intend to provide fresh, new leadership and bold reforms to Ohio as our next Republican Gov.' A pledge card accompanying the letter said 'corporate & personal checks are welcome.' Corporate donations are illegal in Ohio," Associated Press.COLUMBUS -- Blackwell under fire: Letter asks for illegal money; Secretary of State thanks GOP for helping Bush win 2nd term. "U.S. Rep. John Conyers, of Michigan, who prepared a report on Ohio’s election problems as ranking Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the letter bolsters suspicions that Blackwell’s actions as secretary of state during the election 'stemmed from partisan political motivations' to help Bush. 'Such a blatant statement acknowledging the commingling of his official duty to ensure a fair election with his partisan duty to re-elect President Bush, made in a political fund-raising appeal, evidences Secretary Blackwell’s poor judgment at best, and the manipulation of election administration for partisan purposes, at worst,' Conyers said in a statement," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.
Ohio Chamber ignores rebuffs over campaign ads
AKRON -- ". . . lawyers for Citizens for a Strong Ohio plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, continuing the flimsy contention that the organization engaged only in issue advocacy and, as such, enjoys First Amendment protections against revealing the donor list.," editorial, Akron Beacon Journal.
Jan
3: Ohio
budget tops assembly's highlights
Government
watchdog contends state lawmakers were unproductive in 2005
COLUMBUS
-- "When Ohio Senate President Bill Harris (R., Ashland) listed the chamber's
35 top accomplishments of 2005 last week, 16 were contained in a single bill,
the state budget. 'It seemed this year as if it were a lame-duck session after
they got finished with the budget," said Catherine Turcer of government watchdog
Ohio Citizen Action. "It was a highly unproductive year for them.
But then it may be better that they get out of town as fast as they can before
they can do any more damage.' Speaker of the House Jon Husted (R., Kettering)
disagreed with the contention that 2005 was unproductive, but he too kept coming
back to the state budget," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.
High court strikes a blow for openness in politics by repudiating attempts to influence from the shadows
CLEVELAND -- "In that campaign -- one of the nastiest in the history of U.S. judicial campaigns -- television ads financed by Citizens for a Strong Ohio depicted a female judge changing her vote after a bag of money was dropped on her desk. The ad was contemptible and came to be nationally acknowledged as a model of how anonymous money was corrupting the process," editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- Democrats: Redrawing districts key to regaining foothold. "'When you don't have good, competitive general elections, you don't have good democracy,' said Catherine Turcer, of Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan government watchdog," Associated Press.
Money and Politics news from Jul - Dec 2005, Jan - Jun 2005, Oct-Dec 2004, Jul-Sep 2004, Jan-Jun 2004, 2003, Oct-Dec 2002, Jul-Sep 2002, Jan-Jun 2002, 2001, Oct 1998 -2000