Money & Politics News 2001
	Dec 27, 2001: Disclosure of campaign contributions is needed COLUMBUS -- "Our city needs better disclosure of contributions, contributors and their economic interests. Voters and city officials need to be able to connect the dots. Disclosure helps root out corruption. How can the city of Columbus address corruption if it can't track the money?" letter-to-the-editor, Elizabeth Enke, Columbus Dispatch.
	Dec 11, 2001: Poll: Majority of Ohio voters still oppose removing term limits CINCINNATI -- "The Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, found that 62 percent of registered voters opposed a constitutional amendment that would remove term limits, while 32 percent supported such an amendment and 6 percent didn't know. Fifty-nine percent opposed a constitutional amendment that would increase the number of consecutive years that lawmakers could serve from eight to 12 years, while 37 percent favored it and 5 percent didn't know, the poll found. . . .David Zanotti, president of the Ohio Roundtable and term-limits advocate in 1992, said he hopes the poll quiets talk about a ballot issue that would remove or alter them. 'There's no question that it would be a losing proposition. People in Ohio like term limits,' Zanotti said," John McCarthy, Associated Press.
	Dec 10, 2001: Building relationships A fourth of campaign contributions came from developers, builders or their attorneys COLUMBUS -- "'That's where the money comes from, because that's who we regulate,' said Councilman Richard W. Sensenbrenner, chairman of the council's development committee. Sensenbrenner said he accepts money only from developers who share his views on growth management. Although he has never done it, he said he is prepared to return a contribution if the donor disagrees with a stand he takes," Doug Caruso, Columbus Dispatch.
	Dec 9: Access at City Hall: A matter of giving and receiving Dozens of campaign donors are also city vendors COLUMBUS -- "Partners in the [Burgess & Niple Engineering] firm, which was paid $3.5 million in unbid engineering contracts through the city's department of utilities in 2000, donated at least $9,600 in 1999 and 2000 to [Columbus Mayor Michael] Coleman's campaign fund. The firm's partners give money to candidates, [Chief Executive Francis] Smith said, to encourage good government. Smith said he has never thought about whether his firm's political donations gain Burgess & Niple better access to city officials, much less extra consideration when the company is up for a contract. 'They return calls when I call them,' he said, 'but, then, I'm the chairman and CEO of one of the largest engineering firms in the city, too,'" Doug Caruso, Columbus Dispatch.
	Nov 21: Campaign financing cost: $2.5M Wealthy hopefuls may pass on aid CINCINNATI -- "Some local political activists, including a few City Council members, are pledging to mount a repeal effort, but they concede the system likely will remain in place at least for the 2003 election cycle. Opponents believe the issue passed only because the public didn't realize it involved taxpayer money helping fund political campaigns. Another $50,000 in taxpayer funds will be required just for startup costs," Kevin Osborne, Cincinnati Post.
	Nov 18: Official count: Yes on Issue 6 CINCINNATI -- "Cincinnati will have public financing of political campaigns after all. Issue 6, the Cincinnati charter amendment for public financing of city candidates' campaigns, apparently failed on Election Night — Nov. 6 — by a mere 23 votes in the unofficial count, but it passed by 547 votes in the official count Saturday, out of nearly 85,000 cast. There will be no recount. If there were, opponents would have to pay nearly $4,000 to do it, and an opposition leader said Saturday that is highly unlikely. . . Other cities, including Tuscon, Ariz., and New York City, have similar public financing laws and have not had successful legal challenges, Mr. Strauss said. 'As long as it is voluntary, it's OK.' [former councilman Pete] Mr. Strauss said," Howard Wilkinson, Cincinnati Enquirer.
	Nov 7: Issue 6 loses by 23 votes Recount expected in campaign finance decision CINCINNATI -- "A proposal to change how Cincinnati City Council candidates finance their campaigns failed by a razor-thin margin and is likely headed for an automatic recount. Issue 6, a measure that would use public funds to subsidize City Council and mayoral campaigns, lost 50.01 percent to 49.99 percent. The gap was 23 votes, 40,884 to 40,861," Tim Bonfield, Cincinnati Enquirer. CINCINNATI -- "Issue 6 stumbles -- for now -- with 23-vote loss; Automatic recount on campaign finance," Kimball Perry, Cincinnati Post. ". . . Ohio legislator and Issue 6 opponent Tom Brinkman is convinced that it will pass when all the votes are counted. 'We're going to lose on the provisional votes,' Brinkman said. 'We did nothing on the absentees. We're going to lose.' Provisional votes are some absentee and 'walk-in' votes that are counted last. 'I just don't think we'll win,' Brinkman said."
	Nov 2: Along with a new mayor, Toledo will get a host of power brokers TOLEDO -- "When Toledoans go the polls on Tuesday, they won’t just elect the next mayor of Toledo. They will be indirectly choosing a host of behind-the-scenes power brokers - many of them longtime friends who have helped line the campaign coffers of the candidates - like Mr. [Richard] Stansley and Mr. [Jim] Ruvolo. The winning candidate’s entourage will not only have access to northwest Ohio’s most powerful elected leader, they could have direct influence on policies that shape the city for decades. 'Not everyone’s a bad guy. But if the supporters have given money, and they have a vested interest in the city, it should raise flags: What do they want?' said Catherine Turcer, campaign reform director of Ohio Citizen Action. 'You have to ask those questions,'" Joe Mahr, Michael Sallah, Toledo Blade.
	Oct 31: Punch-card voting survives raucous panel The group picked to study election reform in Ohio ended up submitting a watered-down report to the legislature COLUMBUS -- "Now, [Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell] said, Ohio will fall behind other states, many of which have already upgraded their voting methods. 'I think the punch-card system should go tomorrow,' Blackwell said. As Ohio's chief elections officer, Blackwell must approve all elections systems, and he promised to explore whether he has the legal authority to ban punch-card devices from the state. The method now is used in 69 of Ohio's 88 counties. He has said that replacing punch-card machines with optical readers would cost $47.6 million. The weakened report says Ohioans should be more educated when they go to the polls, but it hardly addressed the issue of punch-card ballots -- essentially blaming voters rather than machines for ballots that go uncounted, Blackwell said," Darrel Rowland, Columbus Dispatch.
	Oct 30: Issue 6 subsidizes candidates Aims to reform process CINCINNATI -- "'There is a cost to the status quo,' said Catherine Turcer of the Citizens Policy Center [Ohio Citizen Action's research and education affiliate] in Columbus and an Issue 6 supporter. In an analysis of campaign spending in Cincinnati, Ms. Turcer said her agency found that more than half of the top 25 contributors in 1997 and 1999 Cincinnati elections had contracts with the city. She said incumbent candidates raised 1.5 times more than challengers in the 1999 election and 3.6 times more in 1997," Robert Anglen, Cincinnati Enquirer.
	Oct 24: Cincinnati City Council: The dash for cash, 1997-1999 CINCINNATI -- "Cincinnati’s top donor families for 1997-1999 are the [Carl] Lindners and the [Richard] Farmers. During 1997, when contribution limits were still in place, 19 members of the Lindner family contributed to city council candidates. In 1999, when there were no contribution limits, only nine family members contributed to candidates for city council. The total amount generated from the Lindner family increased in 1999 by almost $100,000. The total contributions for both 1997 and 1999 were similar. However, if the contribution limits were in effect in 1999, 165 contributions totaling $761,023.63 would have been eliminated from the political giving," release (.doc), Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, Ohio Citizen Action.
	Oct 15: Legislature may be stuffing the ballot box on voting reforms The legislature can throw the recommendations from both Blackwell and the panel into the wastebasket COLUMBUS -- "Blackwell wants to require counties to purchase voting machines that permit tabulating at the precinct level and provide an audit trail to preserve an accurate count. The machines also would give voters a 'second chance' to check their ballots and make sure they are accurate," Lee Leonard, Columbus Dispatch.
	Oct 12: Clean campaign panel criticizes Ford, Kest TOLEDO -- "The campaign committee gave both candidates a negative rating with regard to their pledge to avoid demeaning references, personal attacks, innuendo, or stereotyping, said committee spokesman Gary Blaine, a minister at the First Unitarian Church of Toledo. . . The committee was formed to monitor the mayoral race after the two candidates signed identical pledges in late August. The candidates have agreed to keep their campaigns focused on issues and not on personal foibles," Associated Press.
	Oct 11: Voting place reforms necessary DAYTON -- "Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican, is trying to get Ohio to move beyond punch cards, which a big majority of counties now use. Give him credit for taking on a tough case," editorial, Dayton Daily News.
	Oct 10: Election panel splits over punch cards COLUMBUS -- "State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, of Brookville, one of two Republican senators on the 11-member committee, said he prefers to keep punch-card ballots, which are used in 70 of Ohio's 88 counties. 'I do not believe we have been given convincing evidence that the punch-card system is flawed,' said Jacobson, who also is the Montgomery County Republican chairman. Keith Cunningham, chairman of the Allen County Board of Elections, said the committee was passing up an opportunity to endorse more modern voting methods. 'I will not support attempts to water this [Blackwell's draft] to the point where it just sits on the shelf,' Cunningham said," Associated Press. COLUMBUS -- "Punch-card voting dispute delays election-reform study 2nd time," Lee Leonard, Columbus Dispatch.
	Oct 7: Chief elections officer wants end to punch-card ballots COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell wants to put the word "chad" back into the dictionary of obscure references. Blackwell, who is Ohio's chief elections officer, said the state should abandon punch-card election ballots because they can cause more headaches for election officials than other forms of polling. The Election System Study Committee, which Blackwell heads, will consider its final report when it meets on Tuesday. It was delayed by one week after a dispute arose between Blackwell and others on the 11-member panel over punch cards," John McCarthy, Associated Press. Full text: Election System Study Committee Draft of Final Recommendations
	Oct 5: Election system study committee may fall short COLUMBUS -- "'A lot has happened since Election 2000, but the people of Ohio know that they never want to see or hear about another chad,' says Catherine Turcer, Campaign Reform Director for Ohio Citizen Action. 'And there is good reason – they throw away more people’s votes' . . . Punchcards aren’t the only problem, points out Rob Richie, executive director of the Center for Voting and Democracy. 'Antiquated voting equipment led to more than a million votes not being counted in the 2000 presidential race. All equipment must improve to preserve the integrity of our democratic process. The Committee at a minimum must keep its draft recommendations ensuring that voters have a ‘second chance’ opportunity to correct errors, that votes are tabulated at the precinct level, that people with disabilities have a fair chance to cast a secret ballot and that all equipment generate clear audit trails to verify election results,'" Ohio Citizen Action, Center for Voting and Democracy. Full text: Election System Study Committee Draft of Final Recommendations
	Oct 1: House speaker explores change in term limits law COLUMBUS -- "Less than a year after taking control of the Ohio House, and with only three years left to serve, Speaker Larry Householder is quietly testing whether Ohio's term limits law is ripe for change. Term limits, which hold lawmakers to eight-year terms, were approved overwhelmingly by Ohio voters nine years ago. The limits took effect for the first time in January, sweeping 45 new legislators into the Ohio House," Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press. Photo: House Speaker Larry Householder (Glenford).
	Sep 4: Testimony to Ohio Election Study Committee COLUMBUS -- "As an example of Instant Runoff Voting, in Election 1992 we has three top candidates: George Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. Since none of the candidates received a clear majority, those ballots that selected Perot as their number one candidate would move to their second choice. It is very possible that their second choices would have re-elected the senior President Bush. In 1996, President Clinton would have been re-elected with Instant Runoff Voting but in Election 2000 we could have easily avoided the entire Florida fiasco using Instant Runoff Voting. After the first run of ballots, all the ballots with candidates other than George W. Bush and Al Gore would have been retabulated with their second choices. Nader support would then fall to Al Gore," Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.
	Aug 31: Stay above fray, expert tells panel for clean politics Advice on mayoral campaign TOLEDO -- "'We are going ahead with it. We are working on a plan. We are working to get nominations for the committee.' [Administrative vice president of the League of Women Voters Sue] Nichols said they are building a list of organizations, including civic and religious groups, to be contacted for help. 'We are looking to get this committee as large as we can to make sure it represents as broad a cross section of the community as it can,' she said," Fritz Wenzel, Toledo Blade.
	Aug 25: Ford, Kest sign code of conduct for clean race Mayoral hopefuls among 1st in nation to adopt pledge TOLEDO -- "[The pledge] may short-circuit a bitter race between warring factions of the local Democratic Party that held the potential to become one of the nastiest in city history.. . .Catherine Turcer, campaign finance reform director for Ohio Citizen Action, which co-sponsored the Ohio project [on campaign conduct] in 2000, said she is delighted to hear Toledo’s mayoral candidates are interested in the clean campaign pledge. 'It’s wonderful,' she said," Fritz Wenzel, Toledo Blade.
	Aug 24: Statement to Ohio State Reapportionment Board COLUMBUS -- "Communities should choose their representatives. Their representatives shouldn’t choose them. Primary consideration should be given to keeping communities whole and compact, rather than political maneuvering," Catherine Turcer, Campaign Finance Reform Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
	Aug 19: Speaker pushing for fatter GOP fund COLUMBUS -- "Ohio House Republicans, who raised $3.4 million for the 2000 elections -- $2.6 million by individual members and candidates -- already are working out for the 2002 election.. . .Why is it important to raise money for the caucus? Because under 1996 revisions to Ohio's campaign finance laws, individuals and political-action committees can give only $5,000 to a caucus. They can contribute $2,500 to each legislative candidate," Lee Leonard, Columbus Dispatch.
	Aug 9: Spend less, tell more Campaign reform waits on city council CINCINNATI -- "Cincinnati City Council has so far balked at asking voters to approve campaign-finance reform, including public funding of city council campaigns. . . . New York and San Francisco have already enacted a form of the Fair Elections Amendment," Steve Barjaktarovich, Cincinnati City Beat.
	Aug 3: Petitions reviewed for errors Anti-tax group seeks to block campaign-finance ballot issue CINCINNATI -- "Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) is combing through more than 300 petitions containing more than 11,000 signatures hoping to find enough flaws to prevent the campaign finance reform package from reaching the ballot. 'The law allows us to do this and we are going to do everything we can to see that this does not qualify for the ballot,' said State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr., the founder of COAST. . . . Public financing of city campaigns may become an issue in the mayoral race. Mayor Charlie Luken opposes it, while Charter candidate Courtis Fuller thinks it's a good idea," Howard Wilkinson, Cincinnati Enquirer.
	Jul 26: Charter idea would limit election cost CINCINNATI -- "Citizens for Fair Elections submitted nearly 11,300 signatures - well above the 6,845 required - to the Cincinnati City Council clerk's office to qualify the proposed campaign reform for the ballot," Barry Horstman, Cincinnati Post.
	Jul 19: Laura Yeomans resigns from Citizen Action after twenty years NEW PHILADELPHIA -- Laura Yeomans will leave Ohio Citizen Action on August 1 after twenty years with the organization. She will become an organizer for the Immigrant Workers Project of the Ohio Catholic Rural Life Conference. In announcing her departure, Yeomans said, "For the past five years I have volunteered as the coordinator of English classes for Guatemalan immigrants in Tuscarawas County. I have organized and trained a team of 25 tutors working with 45 or more immigrants. Tutors not only teach English, but provide food, clothing, and help with problems with the police, medical care and social services. With the Immigrant Workers Project, my volunteer work will become part of my job and I will help other communities start similar programs."
	Jun 17, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Inside Politics: Masters of the mystery money," Julie Carr Smyth, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Campaign donors gave $31,140 to the two leading candidates in Cuyahoga County's most contentious state Senate race last fall. That much we know. But exactly where the money came from, the candidates aren't saying. Both Parma Heights Republican Robert Spada, who ultimately won the 24th District seat, and Democrat Ed Boyle received F grades last week for their campaign disclosure statements in a study released by Ohio Citizen Action."
	Jun 16, 2001: WILLOUGHBY -- "Bouquets," editorial, Lake County News Herald. "To the Citizens Policy Center, a campaign reform watchdog affiliated with Ohio Citizen Action. It just issued "A's" and "F's" to candidates in the 1999-2000 election cycle, ratings which Citizens Policy itself could sometimes get for its spin and attitude. But when campaign reform might seem futile and government overseers are limited, these citizens do a great job of helping keep democracy in action."
	Jun 12, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Lawmakers give many reasons for missing finance information," Darrel Rowland, Columbus Dispatch. "At the bottom of the grading scale with F's -- disclosing employers for fewer than 60 percent of their contributions -- were Sen. Robert F. Spada, R-Parma, and Rep. Shawn N. Webster, R-Hamilton. 'We thought we met all the requirements but obviously we left something out,' Webster said. The former school-board member, who said he is filing a corrected report, was one of a handful of freshman legislators to run afoul of the disclosure requirement. He noted he faced no such rules when he ran for school board. Spada did not return a call. " COLUMBUS -- "Most candidates are disclosing campaign contributors," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. COLUMBUS -- "Watchdog group says most Ohio leaders reporting campaign contributions," Jo Ingles, Ohio Public Radio. Scenes from the press conference.
	Jun 11, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Most Ohio candidates disclose properly, a few flunk," release, Laura Yeomans, Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action. "Most top government leaders received high "A" grades for campaign disclosure efforts, including Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery, Governor Bob Taft, Senate President Richard Finan and Senate Minority Leader Leigh Herington, according to a report today released by Ohio Citizen Action. Top officials who disclosed employer identifications at a rate less the 90 percent included: Speaker of the House Larry Householder and House Minority Leader Jack Ford who received "B" grades for identifying 87 percent. "
	Jun 6, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Taft sends Senate president letter explaining veto," Associated Press. "'If I let it become law as 'the legislature's doing,' I will be convicted in the press as an aider and abettor. They are on a tear, as you know, against the 'secrecy' of 'one-party rule.' 'I believe there is a strong case to be made that such a major change in the relationship between two branches of government should be considered and enacted as a separate piece of legislation. 'I also believe the courts will declare the language invalid at their first opportunity -- under single subject and separation of powers.'"
	Jun 6, 2001: DAYTON -- "To: Gov. Bob Taft Re: Petty paybacks," editorial, Dayton Daily News. "You undoubtedly are aware that Senate President Richard Finan is going to take it personally if you veto the proposed rules saying the work of certain legislative staffers isn't public and that the staffers don't have to explain themselves if called to do so in court. You know the proposed rules are bad public policy, and that public records are central to the functioning of democracy. ... Now you have to stand up for principle. You have to tell the good gentleman from Cincinnati that you forgive his descent into pettiness, that, in truth, you're doing him a favor by extracting him from his tantrum."
	Jun 6, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Citizen Action will release its 1999-2000 Disclosure Report Card: Which Ohio candidates properly disclose contributions?," media advisory for June 11, Laura Yeomans, Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.
	Jun 4, 2001: TOLEDO -- "Veto legislative secrecy," editorial, Toledo Blade. "Vetoing this assault on the public’s legitimate right to know what goes on in the legislature may be uncomfortable for the governor, because the budget was passed solely with votes from his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate. But that’s no excuse for Mr. Taft not to do what’s proper for the people of Ohio."
	May 30, 2001: CLEVELAND -- "Blindfolding the public," editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The assault on open government continues in Columbus. In an arrogant display of contempt for open government, an item was inserted into the proposed state budget on Sunday that would make it easier to hide from public disclosure the money lobbyists spend on legislators at professional conferences. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to remember a state budget as blatantly misused as a vehicle to insulate government from public scrutiny. This latest insult is truly outrageous. The last people who deserve further protection against financial-disclosure requirements are legislators or lobbyists."
	May 27, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "There's no place for secrecy in doing the public's business," column, Darrel Rowland, Columbus Dispatch. "Do you care if a bill was written not by the legislative sponsor but by the National Rifle Association? Does it interest you when a lobbyist who also serves as a senator's campaign manager writes an amendment giving a corporate client a $4 million tax break and then gets the senator to slide the measure into an existing bill?"
	May 27, 2001: CLEVELAND -- "GOP is straining its britches with power in the Statehouse," Sandy Theis, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "If the public records exception remains in the bill, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of those who complain to utility regulators will no longer be subject to public scrutiny. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Alan Schriber, who persuaded the Senate to add the provision, said the idea is to protect consumers. No consumers clamored for such protection. In fact, of the more than half a million calls fielded by the PUCO last year, not a single person complained about the current system. Consumer advocates oppose the change, saying they rely on information culled from the complaints to better identify and understand the problems consumers face with the rapidly evolving utility industry. Who wanted it, then? The PUCO's lawyers, Schriber said."
	May 15, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Citizen Action says parties could do more on disclosing donors," Sandy Theis, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Citizen Action analyzed political party accounts because they are becoming conduits through which secret donations are legally laundered, Yeomans said. Parties are exempt from a 1995 law that limits the amount of money statewide candidates can collect from individuals and requires candidates to list donors' occupations. Last year, Gov. Bob Taft became embroiled in a fund-raising scandal in which he helped the GOP promote 'Team Ohio,' an exclusive club that promised "access" to top-ranking GOP officials in exchange for a $25,000 donation to the Republican Party building fund." COLUMBUS -- "Information on donors scarce, group says," (Darrel Rowland, Columbus Dispatch). COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's political parties are graded on disclosure," (Jo Ingles, Ohio Public Radio). COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Citizen Action, others seek disclosures of political funding," (Mike Wagner, Dayton Daily News). COLUMBUS -- "Political parties still lacking in disclosure of contribution information, report states," (Nate Ellis, Columbus Daily Reporter). COLUMBUS -- "Watchdog faults state GOP on fund disclosure practices," (Toledo Blade).
	May 14, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Ohio political parties: Secrecy remains legal," release, report, Laura Yeomans, Ohio Citizen Action. "Ohio Republican Party committees and the Ohio Democratic Party committees voluntarily disclosed 75 percent of the employers for major individual contributors in 1999-2000, receiving "C" grades for overall employer disclosure, according to a report released today by Ohio Citizen Action. The Republican Senate Campaign Committee received a "C" grade for employer disclosure. The Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee, the House Democratic Caucus Fund, and the Ohio Senate Democratic Committee received "F" grades."
	Apr 5, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Free speech protects attack ads, ruling says," Joe Hallett, Columbus Dispatch. "While [Commissioner Mary] Sullivan concurred that the chambers' ads were offensive, she said U.S. Supreme Court rulings gave the commission no authority to regulate free speech 'simply because you don't like it.' She said Resnick had a recourse, namely to sue the chambers for slander. " COLUMBUS -- "Election ad complaints rejected; Ohio commission says it doesn't have jurisdiction over commercials that criticized Justice Resnick," (Associated Press).
	Mar 22, 2001: CINCINNATI -- "Did [Cincinnati] city council ambush true campaign finance reform?," Doug Trapp, Cincinnati City Beat. "After a little hemming and hawing, Cincinnati City Council last week passed its first campaign finance reform law in years. But will the new law, which deals only with information disclosure, mean the death of a comprehensive reform package backed by a coalition of citizen groups? City Councilman Pat DeWine, the engineer of the new law, based it on existing state and federal laws requiring candidates reveal the employer and occupation of their donors."
	Mar 21, 2001: AKRON -- "'Imperial incumbency' rules Columbus," op-ed, David Zanotti, Ohio Roundtable, printed in the Akron Beacon Journal. "How about asking politicians who run for office to have the courage to finish their final terms and take their new jobs after they fulfill their promises to the voters? ... Leaving office to give your party a lead on the next election cycle violates the intent of the appointment laws. That's not the fault of term limits. That's the fault of political bosses more interested in maintaining power than in honoring the constitution."
	Mar 2, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Inquiry into ads critical of Resnick will continue ," T.C. Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The tie occurred yesterday because Republican Commissioner William M. Connelly, who voted for the investigation in November, changed his mind. Connelly said he was 'troubled' that it would be unfair to go after the ads’ contributors, who believed they were protected by the law."
	Mar 1, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Roads to reform," Laura Yeomans, memo, Ohio Citizen Action.
	Feb 23, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Group behind attack ads fights Ohio election law," T.C. Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The [U.S. Chamber of Commerce], which aired a nasty series of commercials last fall suggesting that a state Supreme Court justice traded her support for campaign contributions, contends those ads were a protected form of free speech. But the Ohio Elections Commission is investigating whether the ads aimed at Justice Alice Robie Resnick are subject to state election laws requiring that donors’ names be disclosed." COLUMBUS -- "Anti-Resnick ads: Probe might end before judge rules on legality," Robert Ruth, Columbus Dispatch.
	Feb 15, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Analysis: Promised campaign-finance reforms are slow to show," Joe Hallett, Columbus Dispatch. "'Maybe I was a little naive to think that shame would lead to action,' said Catherine Turcer, campaign-finance reform director for Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit government-watchdog group.... Foremost on the list of campaign reforms sought by Citizen Action, Blackwell and party leaders is full disclosure of contributions to all campaign and political-party funds. Events of last year showed that current Ohio law contains gaping loopholes in campaign-funds reporting requirements."
	Feb 5, 2001: COLUMBUS -- "Three Ohio TV stations in top ten percent," release, Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action. "'According to a study released by the University of Southern California, three Ohio television stations rank in the top ten percent for the amount of time devoted to candidates and issues,' Catherine Turcer, spokeswoman for Ohio Citizen Action, said today."
	Jan 2, 2001: CINCINNATI -- "Full text of Cincinnati campaign finance reform petition," 35KB Word document.