I Lied...

Holiday schedules and work schedules were too much for me this week too, so all I have to say is have a Happy New Year and we'll be back at it soon as possible :-)

Thanks for tuning in this past year, we've had quite a few hits more than I expected!

A Happy Round of Holidays, Whatever Your Flavor

So the Senate finally passes it's health care bill...tho one could argue that might not have been the best outcome after certain Senators decided to gut and mangle it. Is the passing of this bill a Christmas miracle, or a Christmas nightmare?

Only time will tell. Right now, we get to see what happens when the House and Senate sit down to reconcile their two versions...versions that are about as different as they could get.

As for me, I apologize for the unannounced break...but posting will resume on schedule, Tuesday and Thursday, starting next week. Where we'll see what we can do about getting up to speed on this mess that healthcare reform has become.

A happy Boxing Day to all of you!

Congressional Race Watch 2010

Just a couple news links about people who will have their names in various electoral hats next fall!

On Saturday, the House of Representatives passed the major financial regulation overhaul bill pushed for by the Obama Administration. Pat Tiberi and Steve Austria voted against the bill, Mary Jo Kilroy voted for it.

This week the Franklin County Board of Commissioners spent $7 million on a grant to help prevent premature births and lessen the ill effects of such births. Paula Brooks (who will be challenging Pat Tiberi for his seat in Congress) is quoted by the Dispatch as saying, "We're saving our children, and we're also making sure our community is on the cutting edge of dealing with an issue that's very vexing."

That's it for today folks, tune in next week!

Ohio House Bill 318: Income Tax Cut Delay

Thanks to an update e-mail from the Columbus Library I found out about House Bill 318, the bill designed to postpone the income tax reduction and give legislators a pay cut. The goal for this bill is to keep as much money in the state budget as possible (probably a good idea given the , and it looks like a pretty solid bill.

Key provisions include:

1. 2 year postponement of the last part of the income tax cut
2. Reduces legislator salaries and supplements by 5%
3. Eliminates statutory automatic annual pay increase
4. Various other rule and compensation changes

Now's the time to read the bill (linked again for you in these parenthesis) and then let your state Senator know how they should vote on this issue. Since, after all, they represent you.

Financial Regulation Reform

So now that the health care situation is more or less under control (?) legislators are looking to the financial industry. They're looking to put tighter controls on banks and other institutions that like to do crazy risky stuff and bring down the markets or abuse customers in a way that puts and keeps a helluva lot of us in debt.

This is complicated, because there's an awful lot of money tied up in convincing legislators they don't really want to do that. The banks and brokers and investment firms are spending millions upon millions of dollars on lobbyists and the like to keep the government from making any changes.

The House committee dealing with all this already passed a bill, and now the entire assembly must debate and vote on it, possibly by the end of this week. In response, Senator Dodd is deciding to push ahead with the Senate's version, so the momentum doesn't get lost...but in doing so is sacrificing bi-partisan support. Meh.

So if you have feelings on the subject, now is the time to let your representatives in the House and Senate know!

Not Much To Look at Here...

There isn't a whole lot to say right now, namely 'cause I've worked a series of turn and burn, 12 hour shifts over the past few days. That's left precious little chances to do much more than sleep and work, so...I've fallen behind the times.

I do have a few links from my Google News Alert system worth sharing, so I'll use that as a cop out tonight:

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are having trouble with Obama's Afghanistan plan...but for different reasons. Members from Ohio aren't any different.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are having problems money-wise, and the possibility of them finding a new home has surfaced (even if it isn't seriously on the table yet). While Mayor Coleman is pretty fired up about trying to find a solution, Franklin County Commissioners are a little less enthusiastic.

So that's it. For today. I have bigger plans for Thursday...but at the moment, I need to get back to focusing on learning to be the boss at my new job.

Some News Round Up Action

Today is gonna be quick and simple...in my news searchings, I came across four stories mentioning local politicians and I thought I should share.

The first three are from the Columbus Dispatch:

This story here discusses voting records of Ohio representatives, specifically how they did or did not vote with party leadership. It opens with an interesting anecdote about a defense spending bill that Pat Tiberi bucked the trend on.

Another from the politics page is about earmarks, and who in central Ohio is seeking them in Congress and who isn't. If nothing else, it does show GOP lawmakers from the area are willing to walk the walk on fiscal responsibility.

The final piece from the Dispatch goes into how the Democrats are unable to come up with a cohesive health care agenda, and the lawmakers from Ohio are prime examples of this. Some want a public option, some don't, compromise isn't a word anyone knows, etc etc.

The fourth piece today is actually from the Times-Standard from Eureka, CA. It's on a solar power bill co-sponsored by Pat Tiberi, giving tax credits to solar panel manufacturers in hopes of stimulating job growth.

That's all for this week...tune in next week, same bad time same bad channel.

Morse Road Special Improvement District

I've been working at a different location the past couple weeks, and as a result have had the chance to drive a commute I typically don't. My drive twice a day has been the vast stretch of Morse Road, from about 270 all the way till it dead ends into High St. I haven't been down Morse past about Cleveland Ave for the better part of two years, so all the construction threw me off.

Starting at Cleveland Ave, there's all sorts of stuff going on. Looks like they're tearing up sidewalks, putting in retaining walls, redoing turning lanes and medians. Drive a little further down, you see trees all wrapped in canvas sitting next to holes dug between the road and the sidewalks. Move East to West along Morse, it's easy to see to progression of the project and I'd say it's looking pretty good where they've finished.

I see a banner hanging from a (new looking) street light, near the junction with I-71, that stated simple "Morse Road Special Improvement District." Needless to say, I had to Google this to find out more.

I found out from Business First of Columbus that a group of property owners along more from Indianola Ave to Cleveland Ave grouped together to form a Special Improvement District. Under Ohio law, it's an area where the residents effectively form a non-profit organization to help maintain and improve on their common areas where the local government isn't willing or able to.

I also discovered a story from the Columbus Dispatch dated August of 2008 about the start of the 2nd phase of the Morse Rd improvement project...essentially, $18 million was spent on infrastructure including reworking sidewalks and laying utility pipes. I wasn't able to locate any stories more recent than this... apparently further judgement/interest is being withheld until the project wraps up (which it seems pretty close to doing).

Seems pretty nice...a pretty good effort, and a definite facelift for the area. The next question (and one that's been asked for the last 2-3 years apparently) is whether or not it will help fill the empty store fronts all along Morse Road. Hmmm...

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm personally thankful for a lot of things...really too numerous to mention...but I think it can all be summed up thusly: I'm thankful for living in this nation, at this point in history, born into a position to help be an element for change.

And just 'cause I don't like the woman, today reminds me of this great clip: Sarah Palin pardoning a turkey, and then giving an interview right in front of the continuing slaughter. I love the look of the guy behind her..."Um, should I wait? Does she realize how incredibly ironic this is? Well, they aren't paying me to stand around..."

What My Blog Is All About

Recently there's been some drama as an indirect result of what I do here...and in the course of said drama, it became clear to me my object might not be as clear to the readers as it is to me.

My goal with this blog is to provide information. I strive to keep things fairly balanced, in that I present both sides (as with my post on the casino amendment in recent weeks, for instance). I do this by reading what one side says, then summarizing it on this blog with links. Then, I do the same with the argument against the issue.

Do I put in editorial comments now and then with these summaries? Yes. Yes I do, especially when I feel passionately on a subject. I'm not claiming to be completely unbiased or that I'm presenting a white-washed, edited-by-my-boss product. However, I try to do my best to keep them from clouding the position summary.

After I've done the informational segment, I generally go into detail what I feel on the topic and why. That's just my opinion...I usually work in a line to the effect of "That's my take, now go read up on it yourself." I don't think I've ever presented my little soap box messages as the truth on a subject, nor have I posted ONLY my opinion and passed it off as information.

It's pretty simple. A lot of people do what I do...and really, the professional services do it better (which is why I link to them all the time). But what a lot of the professional news companies can't do so well is present issues with a local perspective, from a living room that probably isn't much different than yours.

That's what this blog is all about.

Senate Votes for Cloture on Health Care

On Saturday night, the US Senate voted on cloture for their version of the healthcare bill, allowing it to move onto a real debate without fear of filibuster.

The concern on a controversial bill like this is once it hits the Senate floor for debate, a Senator opposing the bill filibuster it. This would prevent the bill from even being debated, never mind voted on. All the opposing Senator has to do is speak on and on about whatever occurred to the Senator (once, a Senator filibustered by reading a phone book). No one wanted to bring it to the floor until they had achieved cloture, a procedure where 3/5 of the Senators had voted in the bill should be debated without being filibustered.

They pulled it off though, those crafty Democrats. 60-39. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats voted for cloture after threatening not to. Bernard Sanders of Vermont also sided with the Democrats.

Now onto Step 2: Debating, amending, and passing the bill. This is where you come in!

Write, call, or e-mail your Senators. In Ohio:

George Voinovich, Republican

Web Contact Form

Washington, DC Office 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-3353 Central OH 37 West Broad Street Room 310 Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 469-6697 Fax: (614) 469-7733 Southeast OH 78 West Washington Street P.O. Box 57 Nelsonville, OH 45764 Phone: (740) 441-6410 Fax: (740) 753-3551 Southwest & Dayton Area 36 East 7th Street Room 2615 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 684-3265 Northwest OH 420 Madison Avenue Room 1210 Toledo, OH 43604 Phone: (419) 259-3895 Fax: (419) 259-3899 Northeast OH 1240 East 9th Street Room 3061 Cleveland, OH 44199 Phone: (216) 522-7095 Fax: (216) 522-709 Fax: (513) 684-3269 Sherrod Brown, Democrat Web Contact Form Washington, DC Office 713 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-2315 Northeast OH 1301 East Ninth St., Suite 1710 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 p (216) 522-7272 f (216) 522-2239 Southwest OH 425 Walnut Street, Suite 2310 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 p (513) 684-1021 f (513) 684-1029 Central OH 200 N High St. Room 614 Columbus, OH 43215 p (614) 469-2083 f (614) 469-2171 Northwest OH 205 West 20th St. Suite M280 Lorain, OH 44052 p (440) 242-4100 f (440) 242-4108 So have at it! Call up the office (in DC or closest to you), write a letter, or use the web form to be all electronic and speak your mind on the topic! Tell your representatives how to represent you!

United States Senate Race 2010

So Senator George Voinovich is retiring at the end of his current term, after two terms serving in the Senate. While I haven't always agreed with how he's represented my state, one cannot argue the Senator has dedicated his life to working for the people of Ohio with integrity...something of a rarity in today's day and age, or even any age.

That said, now we need to pick a new United States Senator from Ohio to join Sherrod Brown. Neither party has a clear candidate yet...and I haven't heard about any third party candidates throwing their hats in the ring yet. Here's what we have on the platter so far.

Democrats:

Lee Fisher, currently the Lieutenant Governor.

Jennifer Brunner, currently the Secretary of State.

Republicans:

Rob Portman, not currently holding a government position but well experienced at the federal level

Tom Ganley, President and CEO of the Ganley Automotive Group and has never held public office.

I'm not personally seeing any clear leaders...Rob Portman has more experience, but it was all with the Bush Adminstration...and that may very well hurt him if the party is trying to distance itself from those philosophies. Brunner has a higher profile than Fisher, but I'm not sure if that's a help or a hindrance just yet. The primary races should be quite interesting :-)

Rest assured, I'll be watching for developments and doing some looking around!

Congressional Race 2010

So currently, Pat Tiberi represents the 12th Congressional District here in Ohio. It's a wide ranging district, from the Northwest of Delaware all the way down to the East of Reynoldsburg. Rep. Tiberi is in his 5th term serving the district, which means he's been in office for nine years or so now.

According to his reelection website, Tiberi hopes to use his new position on the Ways and Means to promote his agenda on retirement security, making healthcare affordable, and tax reform. Before, Tiberi was on the Financial Services panel, and played a role in drafting legislation that made it easier for people to purchase homes.

Paula Brooks, Franklin County commissioner, has decided to challenge the incumbent. She's been a Franklin County commissioner since 2005, and before that served on the Upper Arlington city council for 8 years before being term-limited out.

According to Brooks' website, her strengths are a long history in the state (biographies I've read emphasize the fact her family is 10 generations American or so), fiscal responsibility (helped Franklin County maintain a AAA bond rating), expanding access to healthcare and good jobs, and promoting green policies.

Over the next year, I'll be keeping an eye out on these two and how their race is going. Digging into records, keeping up with news, all that fun stuff. So keep an eye out!

Loyal Opposition

Did you know the House of Representatives managed to pass a bi-partisan healtcare bill? No, serious! They did. They had members of both parties vote in favor of it, and managed to pass the damn thing!

Well, they had one Republican lawmaker vote in favor, and passed it by two votes.

If that's not seat-of-your-pants governance, I'm not sure what is. And it sure as hell isn't bi-partisan.

I'm not 100% sure who's fault it is this bill isn't more of a consensus. It's easy to blame one side (the Democrats are railroaded the minority party) or the other (the GOP is refusing to play ball on principle). Really, it doesn't matter who's fault it is. 'cause

The big contentious deal with this bill (as I saw it...correct me if you see it differently, please) was the public option. I understand that. I respect that.

It's totally legitimate for conservative lawmakers from both parties to say, "Nuh uh, no way. That's totally unacceptable for a whole bunch of reasons, and if you have it in the bill I'm not voting."

The next logical step is the introduction of a bill or two that are viable alternatives. And sorry: "viable alternative" doesn't mean "ideologically opposite" which is how it's been taken to mean in the last ten years or so. If you make your answering bill too far away from the original, negotiation is pointless...and I believe the GOP lawmakers know this when they introduce bills. The idea of loyal opposition is just lost on lawmakers these days.

Loyal opposition: "applied to the opposition parties in the legislature to indicate that the non-governing parties may oppose the actions of the sitting cabinet ... while maintaining loyalty to the source of the government's power."

While the idea was initially used to allow the minority parties in the British parliament to disagree with the majority party without being accused of treason, it can be applied in a slightly different manner now. While the Republicans cannot currently push their own agenda as effectively as they like (there are penalties for losing elections), they should be staying loyal to the concept of effective governance.

That's what both sides are forgetting about, that they have a job to do. It's all well and good to stand by principles...but we have problems to solve, people, and being pig headed isn't helping anyone.

Happy Veterans Day to You!

Cliche, but thank a Vet...and I don't mean the one who gives your puppy shots. And after you've done that, how about taking the advantage of the freedoms they've protected for you and getting a little involved in your government?

Just a thought.

Health Care Reform (the real post)

I've been sitting here for the better part of two hours now, trying to figure out how to approach this topic. I'm starting to have some serious sympathy for lawmakers, because the sheer scope is daunting as all get out.

I found the text for the actual bill passed by the House a few days ago. I knew the bill would be too big and unwieldy for me to really read. I didn't realize then my half formed thought would be the understatement of the week. Just digging through the table of contents to see the highlights (Public option, rescission abuse reform, exchanges, standards, etc etc) took me just about a half hour. That's without clicking any of those links to try and untangle the legalese.

Are you seriously suggesting those guys up on Capitol Hill actually read this thing (or any other bills) before voting on it?

Title I is all about the immediate reforms Congress wants to address. Prohibiting rescission, getting the uninsured high risk citizens taken care of under a temporary program, pre-existing condition exclusions prohibition, extension of dependent coverage for uninsured young adults, eliminating domestic violence as a pre-existing condition, post retirement reduction of benefits, lifetime limit elimination are all included. All things that needed to be dealt with sooner than when the new law is fully up to speed.

Title II is a key element. It's protections and standards... the pre-existing condition exclusion is specifically outlawed, as is rescission for anything but non-payment of premiums. Rules for rates are laid out, parity in benefits for mental health and substance abuse problems are called for, and essential benefits are defined and required from insurers. An independent Health Choices Administration with a commissioner appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate is established. The rest of the section fits the new changes into the existing framework of government (where attorneys general fit in, the Federal Trade Commission, etc).

Title III covers health care exchanges, and the public option. It establishes both of them, and defines the rules and regs for them.

Title IV is all about responsibility, a split between personal and employer based. Looks like tax penalties if you don't have coverage.

Title V is where they work in the penalties/off sets into the tax code.

This is where the text gets funky...it starts over with Title I again, this time labelled "Improving Health Care Value." Looking down the bullets, it looks like Medicare reforms.

Now, I'd link you to the interactive document that Thomas provides...but the site deletes search results after so many hours, creating a broken link. So I'm gonna link you to their search option...

http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/111search.html

And tell you to punch in 3962. From those results, you want the third entry...the one that was passed on 11/07/09.

On the whole, I'm not sure what's wrong with the bill. I'm really pretty baffled and growing more and more angry when I consider how close this came to not passing. I think it's time to write some letters.

Post on the Health Care Bill in the House Coming...

I promise. It'll be up by this afternoon.

Election Results!

As my Statcounter account tells me, there were a lot of you who stopped in on Wednesday and Thursday, probably looking to find out what happened in the election. I apologize, profusely, for not having anything up. Long story short, wrapping up one job and starting another will take blogging time away from me.

Here are some results from the Issue elections (with some commentary)... if you're still curious about various municipal, judicial, and school board elections, the Franklin County Board of Elections has the full (unofficial) results posted here.

State Issues

#1, Veterans Bonus: Passed with 72.15% of the Vote.

#2, Livestock Care Board: Passed with 63.66% of the Vote.

#3, Casino Authorization: Passed 52.97% of the Vote.

County Issues

#4, Children's Services Levy: Passed with 61.60% of the Vote.

Local Issues

See the unofficial results page for the full rundown on your local issues.

Recap:

Essentially, all the big issues passed. Franklin County turnout was 30.70% (really? Seriously? What the hell were you doing that was more important than voting on a Tuesday in November?? We can't all have screwed up registration like me!) and statewide it was 40.29%. All I gotta say is not many people have a right to complain when the government starts doing what it wants without a sense of accountability.

I'm disappointed in Issue 1 passing. I've said it before, I have a lot of respect for the members of the Services and don't feel the government does enough for them...but the year we're closing libraries, and schools, and other humanitarian services because the state is BROKE isn't the right time to throw money at anyone.

I'm also disappointed about Issue 2. I don't feel it'll really serve anyone's best interest, except the ones who already have money and influence. Hopefully I'm wrong, and just being cynical...but I'm not sure about that.

I'm pretty ambivalent about the casinos. I can see it being a good thing, I can see it being a not so good thing. I don't think anyone really thought this out...they just wanted to put together something the voters would authorize, and left a lot of things open ended or full of loopholes. Now we see if that is abused or rectified, I suppose...

At least the Children's Services levy passed. The job of taking care of kids in need, whether foster care or those needing to be checked up on by social workers, is really too big for the resources we allocate to it. I would've been a little sick if voters had shot this down.

And that's all she wrote this time. Starting next week I'll be starting to look forward to next year's election...the big 2010 "referendum" on the Obama "revolution."

Election Day!

Today is an off-off election! Here in Ohio we've got a variety of municipal and school board races, a mess of levies for schools and the like, not to mention the casino issue and the proposed livestock board.

Head on out an get your little sticker, kids, and celebrate the fact you can do it and not get blown up.

Ohio State Issue 3: Casinos

So yet again, there is an issue on the ballot with a goal of legalizing gambling in Ohio. This time around it'll put a casino each in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo.

There are a lot of numbers about how much money this proposal would bring into Ohio in both up front fees and tax revenue. Not to mention how it'll keep gambling dollars in Ohio, instead of to all the neighboring states and Canadian provinces (oh yes, because I totally go to Toronto to play my Texas Holdem). They also point out how the primary backers are prominent Ohioans with interests in the state.

Yes On Issue 3.com (Pro)

The opposition points out some good points, like how the deal isn't good enough for Ohio (taxes are capped lower than in other states, cash betting slips under the tax radar, the hidden cost of infrastructure). I am less concerned about the lack of "Buy Ohio" rules written into the bill...that's capitalism, baby. If Ohio business can't compete, then it's not up to Columbus to make up the difference. At the same time...we shouldn't be screwing ourselves just so we don't have to drive as far for a slot machine. I do like the arguments about "net job creation," which points out some good facts on how studies aren't always what they seem.

Truthpac.org (Against)

Final Amendment Language (Informative)

Official Argument For (Informative)

Official Argument Against (Informative)

My take? We've gotten along just fine without casinos, and I don't think this is the best way to go about introducing them now. I'm not sure this is a good deal for Ohio, and really...that's all we should be looking at, not convenience, not short term budget problems. I'd vote no.

Ohio State Issue 2: The Livestock Care Standards Board

In addition to the comment on Thursday's comment by the Buckeye Voice, I've heard some disturbing things about the Livestock Care Standards Board proposal from the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau.

1. The board would be appointed. The distance from the public it's supposed to serve bothers me, 'cause that's when the lobbyists can work best.
2. The money is very, very lopsided...millions of dollars raised to support the amendment, as opposed to a few thousand raised to oppose it. That smacks of corporate interest to me.
3. Small, "niche" farmers are feeling threatened all over the state. At first, I figured that wasn't a big deal (if you aren't up to snuff you go out of business, fact of life)...until I listened to the interview with a farmer who delivers fresh (within 48 hours) milk to his customers with a minimum of processing. I can see why big farmers would want him shut down, and could use the new board to make this farmer comply to standards that eliminate his competitive edge and skyrocket his costs.
4. The supporters don't seem to be proposing this to correct problems. They seem to just want to put another regulator into the stream of business to "make sure everything is well and good"...and that just sounds fishy to me.
5. It's an amendment to the state constitution, making it very, very hard to undo once put into law. Why be so permanent about this?

At first blush, it makes a lot of sense. "Let's put some vets and farmers on a board to figure out how to take care of the animals!" Until you realize...this isn't solving a problem or addressing specific concerns. There's no real voice for the opposition. And the board would be appointed and thus safe from any feedback the public has.

The more I think about this one, the less I like it. But it's YOUR vote, dammit, so decide for yourself. Here are some links...

Safe Local Food.org (Pro)

Human Society (Against)

Columbus Dispatch (Informative)

PDF of the Amendment (Informative)

Check it out. Do some digging. Decide if I'm being paranoid or am on to something.

PS: Sorry for the late post!

Election 2009, Issues

There's nothing really earth-shakingly controversial on the ballot this November, but there are a few issues that could have some far reaching effects. Casinos, for instance. If approved, where could that road lead us? Or perhaps the Livestock Standards Board...that one could open up a whole slew of unintended consequences. So here's an abbreviated list. As usual, the full list can be found here, at the Franklin County Board of Elections website.

State Issues

1. To Authorize the State to issue bonds to provide compensation to veterans of the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts
2. To create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to establish and implement standards of care for livestock and poultry
3. To amend the Constitution to allow for one casino each in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo and distribute to all Ohio Counties a tax on the casinos

The veteran's bonus issue has been up before, and it's been shot down before. I honestly don't think it's a great idea right now...not a question of hating on the soldiers, airmen, Marines, and sailors who keep us safe and free, but of fiscal responsibility. When we're this far in the hole as a state we can't just keep digging deeper. I don't know much about Issue 2, so expect me to dig into it and post on the topic soon. And the latest gambling issue is on the table this fall...I'm not clear on this one either, so we'll probably be seeing a post on Issue 3 as well.

County Issues

Issue 4 is a tax levy replacement and decrease for Children's Services. The new tax would be 3.1 mills ($.31 for each $100 of value) for ten years, down from 3.5 mills.

Local Issues

There are a lot of local option issues--alcohol sales--for Columbus, Westerville, and others. If you have a problem with people getting the OK to sells alcohol either during the week or on Sunday, you'll want to check the list and see if any are near you. Similarly, if you're sick of driving an extra 15 minutes on Sunday to get a six pack, check out the list.

Issue 23 is a Charter Amendment for Gahanna, and Issue 27 is a Charter Ammendment for Hilliard.

If you live in Whitehall, Issue 32 is the recall vote for Jacquelyn K. Thompson.

Issue 36 is a New Albany Charter Amendment proposal, and Issue 37 is for the adoption of the Obetz Charter as proposed by the Charter Commission.

Issue 39 is a proposed police levy for Blendon Township. 2.5 mills ($.25 per $100) for 5 years, starting 2009.

Issue 40 is a replacement levy for bridges, streets, and roads. 1.5 mills ($.15 per $100) for 5 years.

Issues 41 and 42 are replacement fire protection levies for Pleasant Township. The first is 1 mill for a continuing period of time, and the other is 1.57 mills ($.157 per $100) for a continuing period.

Issue 44 is an addition tax levy for the Bexley Library. 1.5 mills for 5 years.

Reynoldsburg and South-Western are at it again: Issue 46 is an additional levy for Reynoldsburg schools, 9.9 mills. Issue 47 is an additional levy for South-Western schools at 7.4 mills.

Issue 48 is a replacement of the Westerville schools levy. 11.4 mills for a continuing period of time.

Issue 49 is an additional Worthington school levy, that is incremental: 2009 = 3.9 mills for a continuing period, add 1.5 mills in 2010 for a continuing period, add 1.5 in 2011 for a continuing period. By 2011 that makes it a 6.9 mills ($.69 per $100 valuation) continuing by 2011.

And that's all she wrote on the ballot issues!

Election 2009, Candidates

What really amazes me is the fact judges seem to so rarely run opposed. What's the deal with that? A friend of mine once made the point that the local county judge is the front line definer of law, and protector of civil rights. Does that make it that much of an undesirable job, or are we not expressing discontent with them? Or are they actually doing a good job? Hard to tell...you might see some posts on this in the future...

Anyhow, for the sake of saving time, I only listed elections where there's actually some choice. You can get the full list here, courtesy of the Franklin County Board of Elections. Again, this is NOT a complete list!

Franklin County Judges

Judge - full term commencing 1/3/2010 (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Rick Brown 7090 Reiber St, Worthington 43085
• Mark A. Hummer 1795 W Edgemont Rd, Columbus, 43212

Bexley

Auditor (Vote for not more than ONE)

• William G. Harvey (write-in) 417 Westland Ave, Columbus, OH 43209
• Gary W. Qualmann (write-in) 173 Stanbery Ave, Columbus, OH 43209

Member of Council (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Robyn Jones 825 Vernon Rd, Bexley, OH 43209
• Matt Lampke 2447 Plymouth Ave, Bexley, OH 43209 Web: www.mattlampke.com E-mail: mlampke@columbus.rr.com
• Richard Sharp 845 College Ave, Bexley, OH 43209
• Rick Weber 59 S. Stanwood Rd, Bexley, OH 43209

Columbus

Member of Council (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Matt Ferris 324 E Sycamore St, Columbus, 43206
• Alicia Healy 721 Bulen Ave, Columbus, 43205 Website: www.helloworld.com/electAliciaHealyAliciaHealy.com
• Roseann Hicks 920 Garden Rd, Columbus 43224
• A. Troy Miller 3389 Stadler Dr, Pickerington, 43147
• Joseph A. Motil (write-in) 167 W Cooke Rd, Columbus, OH 43214
• Eileen Paley 668 Bellamy Pl, Columbus 43213
• Priscilla Tyson 268 S Harding Rd, 43209

Grandview Heights

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Aaron C. Bowman 1436 Inglis Ave, Columbus, OH 43212
• Susan Jagers 1543 Wyandotte Rd, Columbus, OH 43212
• P'Elizabeth Koelker 1298 Fairview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212
• Anthony Panzera 1067 Broadview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212
• Steven R. Reynolds 1070 Virginia Ave, Columbus, OH 43212

Grove City

Member of Council-At-Large (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Steven M. Bennett 1806 Hawthorne Pkwy, Grove City, OH 43123
• Warren E. Gard 1658 Cayuga Ct, Grove City, OH 43123

Member of Council - Ward 3 (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Melissa J. Albright 4888 Morning Light Ct, Grove City, OH 43123
• Michael Uhrin 5580 Meadow Grove Dr, Grove City, OH 43123 Web: www.Uhrinforgrovecitycouncil.com E-mail: Councilmanuhrin@gmail.com

Hilliard

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Jim Ashenhurst (Rep) 5147 Vinington Pl, Dublin, 43016
• Stephanie Kunze (Rep) 5994 Farm Creek Ct, Hilliard, 43026 Website: www.StephanieKunze.com
• Kelly McGivern (Rep) 3257 Northampton Dr, Hilliard, 43026
• Meagan Pandey (Dem) 4495 Avery Rd, Hilliard 43026 Website: www.meaganpandey.com E-mail: meagan@meaganpandey.com
• Brett A. Sciotto (Rep) 3701 Boathouse Dr, Hilliard, 43026

Reynoldsburg

Member of Council (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Nathan Burd (Rep) 1566 Burkey Ct, Reynoldsburg 43068
• Barth R. Cotner (Rep) 1439 Jackson St, Reynoldsburg 43068
• Chris Long (Rep) 1675 Haft Dr, Reynoldsburg 43068
• Cornelius McGrady, III (Dem) 8675 Kingsley Drive, Reynoldsburg 43068
• Donna A. Shirey (Dem) 1023 Lancaster Ave, Reynoldsburg 43068

Upper Arlington

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Frank Ciotola 4225 Greensview Dr., Columbus 43220
• David DeCapua 2101 Yorkshire Rd, Columbus, OH 43221
• Debbie Johnson 1903 Brandywine Dr., Columbus, OH 43220 Website: www.johnsonforuacouncil.com E-mail: debbie@johnsonforuacouncil.com
• Frank Milillo 2056 Zollinger Rd, Columbus, OH 43221
• Vern Morrison 2333 McCoy Rd., Columbus, OH 43220 Website: www.governua.com E-mail: governua@gmail.com
• Mike Schadek 1537 Guilford Rd., Columbus, OH 43221 Website: www.voteschadek.com E-mail: mike@voteschadek.com
• Wade Steen 2500 Sherwin Rd, Columbus, OH 43221

Worthington

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Mike Duffey 645 Farrington Dr, Worthington, OH 43085
• D. J. Falcoski 5971 Olentangy River Rd, Worthington, OH 43085
• David G. Foust 675 Oxford Street, Worthington, OH 43085
• Lou Goorey 2201 Castle Crest Dr. Worthington, OH 43085
• Scott Myers 272 Colonial Ave, Worthington, OH 43085

Whitehall

Member of Council - Ward 1 (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Bob Bailey 567 W Virginia Circle, Columbus, 43213
• Karen Liepack-Conison 958 Karl Ct, Columbus, 43227

Member of Council - Ward 4 (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Van Gregg 5182 Doral Ave, Columbus, 43213
• Leslie P. LaCorte 5066 Etna Rd, Columbus, 43213

Canal Winchester

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• John Bender 7270 Snowberry Ln, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• William Bennett 36 E. Waterloo Street, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Steve Donahue 257 Old Coach Pl., Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Robert Hawk 7239 Old Creek Ln, Canal Winchester, OH 43110E-mail: hawk4council@aol.com
• Bobbie Mershon 257 Washington St, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Leah Turner 225 Highland Ave, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• James H. Wynkoop 129 Washington St, Canal Winchester, OH 43110

Groveport

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Edward G. Dildine 182 Green Ave, Groveport, OH 43125
• Donna Struckman Drury 282 Fayer Ct, Groveport, OH 43125
• Dan Knode 261 Harbinger Dr, Groveport, OH 43125
• Ed Rarey 424 Cherry St, Groveport, OH 43125
• Jim Staebler 160 Harbinger Dr, Groveport, OH 43125
• Jan Stoots 456 Benson Dr, Groveport, OH 43125

Lockbourne

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Eric Feen 131 Commerce St, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Linsey Griffith (write-in) 11 Plumb St, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• George E. Hammond 99 Williams St, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Christine M. Vaughn 109 Commerce St, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Theodore L. Walker 17 Williams St, PO Box 203, Lockbourne, OH 43137

Marble Cliff

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Matthew P. Cincione 1228 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212
• John F. Kukura, III 1435 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212
• David T. Roark 1970 Cardigan Ave, Columbus, OH 43212
• Linda Siefkas 1560 Roxbury Rd, Columbus, OH 43212
• Kendy Troiano 1969 Cardigan Ave, Columbus, OH 43212

New Albany

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Shirli M. Billings 34 Keswick Dr, New Albany, OH 43054
• Colleen H. Briscoe 7582 S Goodrich Sq, New Albany, OH 43054
• Edward Fellows 7015 Harlan Sq, New Albany, OH 43054
• Richard D. Justman 7891 Peter Hoover Rd, New Albany, OH 43054 E-mail: rdjustman@gmail.com
• Glyde A. Marsh 3449 Reyns New Albany Rd, New Albany, OH 43054
• Sloan T. Spalding 7567 King George Dr, New Albany, OH 43054

Obetz

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Patricia Altevogt 2388 Lindsay Rd, Columbus, OH 43207
• Louise Crabtree 1914 Poplar St, Columbus, OH 43207
• James Tiller 4354 Charlotte Rd, Obetz, OH 43207
• Jim Triplett 5072 Dexter Ct, Columbus, OH 43207
• Bonnie Holbrook Wiley 4277 Orchard Ln, Columbus, OH 43207

Riverlea (What's going on here??)

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Jon Ankrom 114 W Riverglen Dr, Worthington, OH 43085
• Deborah A. Barman 5872 Olentangy Blvd, Worthington, OH 43085
• Michael Blanchard 5803 Dover Ct, Worthington, OH 43085
• Larry Casterline 5775 Dover Ct, Worthington, OH 43085
• Scott Gordon 5804 Pioneers Ct, Worthington, OH 43085
• Don Griffith 286 Beverly Place, Worthington, OH 43085
• Briggs Hamor 162 W Riverglen Dr, Worthington, OH 43085
• Eric MacGilvray 5840 Falmouth Ct, Worthington, OH 43085
• Daniel W. Noonan 306 Frontenac Pl, Worthington, OH 43085
• Jeff Pisching 5877 Olentangy Blvd, Worthington, OH 43085
• Kelsey Unrue 141 W Southington Ave, Worthington, OH 43085

Urbancrest

Member of Council (Vote for not more than FOUR)

• Christine Bailey 3582 Second Ave, Grove City, OH 43123
• Abdi O. Issa 2874 Olive St, Grove City, OH 43123
• Robert A. Kemper, Sr. 2615 Augustus Ct, Grove City, OH 43123
• Shawn R. Moore 3409 First Ave, Grove City, OH 43123
• Veronica Shepherd 2876 Vine St W, Grove City, OH 43123
• Kenneth M. Skeaton 3493 Second Ave, Grove City, OH 43123
• Marlin R. West 3588 Lincoln Rd, Grove City, OH 43123
• Carolyn Willis 3491 First St, Grove City, OH 43123

Blendon Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Stew Flaherty 4433 Smothers Rd, Westerville, OH 43081
• Jan D. Heichel 5576 Santiago Dr, Westerville, OH 43081
• Alex Stallings 4051 Beauty Rose Ave, Westerville, OH 43081
• James Welch 5460 Acapulco Pl, Westerville, OH 43081

Brown Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Joy Chapin 8558 Morris Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Gary L. Dever 3989 Walker Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Ronald A. Williams 3520 Walker Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026

Clinton Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• John Coneglio 1824 Hess Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212
• Carl Reardon 1869 Elmore Ave, Columbus, OH 43224
• Larry Wilkes 2100 Sale Rd, Columbus, OH 43224

Frankling Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Matthew Berkemer 1766 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204
• Don Cook 3209 Clime Rd, Columbus 43223
• Ralph Horn 1610 Eastfield Dr N, Columbus, OH 43223 E-mail: rhorn1610@gmail.com
• Paul Johnson 677 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204

Fiscal Officer (Vote for not more than ONE)

(Un-expired term ending March, 31, 2012)

• Lisa Morris 1076 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204
• Bonnie Watkinson 1408 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204

Hamilton Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Willie Blair 4949 Parsons Ave, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Shannon Bush 500 Rathmell Rd, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Judy Campbell 853 E London Groveport Rd, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Howard Hahn 1279 Rohr Rd, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Chris Hann 4600 Lockbourne Rd., Columbus, OH 43207

Jackson Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• David E. Burris 4375 Shirlene Ct., Grove City, OH 43123
• Daphne Hawk 2374 White Rd, Grove City, OH 43123
• Bill Lotz 3800 Zuber Rd., Orient, OH 43146

Jefferson Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Donna Finn 5909 Headley Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Mat Flanagan 7019 Clark State Rd, Blacklick, OH 43004
• Dave Keseg 8330 Kesegs Way, Blacklick, OH 43004

Madison Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Edward Dildine 4495 Katherine, Columbus, OH 43232
• Jim Hummel 5501 Bachman Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• John A. Kershner 4887 Winchester Pike, Columbus, OH 43232
• Brad Lewis 6773 Lithopolis Rd, Groveport, OH 43125
• Victor Paini 7521 Burgstresser Ct, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Bill Stoots 456 Benson Dr, Groveport, OH 43125

Mifflin Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• James Gould 309 Farm Creek Dr, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Joseph F. Spanovich 760 Taylor Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Lynn Stewart 561 Laurel Ridge Dr, Gahanna, OH 43230

Norwich Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Fred Berkemer 1806 Hickory Hill Dr., Columbus 43228 Website: www.berkemer.us
• Charles W. Buck 4814 Canterwood Ct, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Larry Earman 4369 Shire Creek Ct, Hilliard, OH 43026

Perry Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Andrew J. English 1589 Newcomer Rd, Columbus, OH 43235
• Robert E. Myers 2450 Merbrook Rd, Columbus, OH 43235
• James M. Roper 1183 Circle on the Green, Columbus, OH 43235

Plain Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Sharon Cason-Adams 6098 Alice Dr, Westerville, OH 43081
• David W. Ferguson 7318 Berkley Sq S, New Albany, OH 43054
• Eugene R. Zappitelli, III 7558 Schleppi Rd, New Albany, OH 43054

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than ONE)

(Un-expired term ending December 31, 2011)

• Valerie Griffith 7505 Alpath Rd, New Albany, OH 43054
• David Olmstead 6248 Kitzmiller Rd, New Albany, OH 43054
• Donald R. Shoemaker 7860 Peter Hoover Rd, New Albany, OH 43054

Pleasant Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Ron Chesshir 6021 Grove City Rd, Grove City, OH 43123 E-mail: r.chesshir@yahoo.com
• Gene Dawson 1011 High St, Harrisburg, OH 43126
• Shane Gibson 5654 Linn Dr, Grove City, OH 43123
• Nancy Hunter 8780 Alkire Rd, Grove City, OH 43123
• Richard McKeever 5554 Cardinal Dr, Orient, OH 43146
• Kathy Myers 5306 London-Groveport Rd, Orient, OH 43146
• Dale R. Worthington 5840 Beatty Rd., Grove City, OH 43123

Prarie Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Ronald D. Ball (write-in) 6750 Alkire Rd, Galloway, OH 43119
• Steve E. Kennedy 6621 W. Broad St, Galloway, OH 43119 Website: www.prairietownship.com E-mail: skenne1@aol.com
• Chris Rymer (write-in) 460 N Grener Ave, Columbus, OH 43228
• Joseph Wharton (write-in) 4755 Annhurst Ave, Columbus, OH 43228

Sharon Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• John Haueisen 587 Fox Ln, Worthington, OH 43085
• Linda L. Jarrett 55 Dunhill St, Columbus, OH 43235
• Edward L. Johnston 430 Crandall Dr, Worthington, OH 43085
• John H. Oberle 60 W. Southington Ave, Worthington, OH 43085

Truro Township

Township Trustee (Vote for not more than TWO)

• Dennis L. Nicodemus 1146 Carrousel Dr E, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Bill Smith 8123 Rodebaugh Rd, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Barb Strussion 1730 Graham Rd, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Canal Winchester Local School District

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• James M. Barnett 122 Kramer St, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• William S. Griffith 1800 Washington St, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Chad Hockman 166 E Waterloo St, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Chuck Miller 1297 Pheasant Run Dr NW, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Brian J. Niceswanger 250 Pfeifer Dr., Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Stan Smith 10685 Busey Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Debra M. Waites 3585 Cedar Hill Rd. NW, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Mike Yonnotti 6000 Waterloo Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110

Columbus City Schools

Full Term (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Tracy Broaddus (write-in) 4276 Maize Rd, Columbus, OH 43224
• Bill Buckel (write-in) 1641 Hess Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212 Website: www.billbuckel.com
• Hanifah Kambon 63 N Ohio Ave, Columbus 43203
• Ramona Reyes 1628 Francisco Road, Columbus 43220
• Thomas Ruff (write-in) 2243 Wellesley Rd, Columbus, OH 43209
• Mike Wiles 203 E Welch Ave, Columbus 43207

Unexpired Term Ending 12/31/2011 (Vote for not more than ONE)

• Paul Timothy Carringer (write-in) 454 Woodglen Ct, Columbus, OH 43214
• Lemuel E. Harrison, Jr. (write-in) 1004 Conestoga Dr, Columbus, OH 43213
• Carol Perkins (write-in) 1580 Melrose Ave, Columbus, OH 43224

Gahanna Jefferson City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Jeffrey L. Carson 7481 Morse Rd, New Albany, OH 43054
• Miles F. Hebert 51 Walcreek Dr W, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Scott Mounts 195 Greenbank Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Jill Schuler 88 Highmeadow Dr, Gahanna, OH 43230
• Clarice J. Yoder 3200 Mann Rd., Blacklick, OH 43004

Grandview Heights City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Katie Clifford 1163 Parkway Dr, Columbus, OH 43212
• Grant Douglass 1115 Urlin Ave, Columbus, OH 43212
• Thomas F. Hayes 1472 Mulford Rd, Columbus, OH 43212
• Dan Headapohl 1252 Hope Ave., Columbus, OH 43212 E-mail: headapohlheadapohl@gmail.com
• John W. Kessler 1763 W First Ave., Columbus, OH 43212

Groveport Local Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Charlotte Barker 552 Harbinger Ct, Groveport, OH 43125 E-mail: cdbarker41@att.net
• Duane O. Dailey 5000 Hayes Rd, Groveport, OH 43125 E-mail 1: dodailey@att.net E-mail 2: dodailey@aol.com
• Nancy S. Gillespie 3970 Eastrise Dr, Groveport, OH 43125
• Jason Hovance 5401 Sims Rd, Groveport, OH 43125
• Diana Orum 4775 Briargrove Dr, Groveport, OH 43125
• Bryan Shoemaker 5522 Shagbark Pl, Groveport, OH 43125

Hamilton Local Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Walley Obert 5172 Parsons Ave, Lockbourne, OH 43137
• Deana Riffle-Wilcox 397 Oak Village Dr, Obetz, OH 43207
• David L. Schutte 1556 Chillicothe Ave, Obetz, OH 43207
• Ed Tucker 1757 Chillicothe St, Obetz, OH 43207
• Mark A. Wilson 5118 Edgeview Rd, Obetz, OH 43207

Hilliard City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Terri Botsko 2823 Honeysuckle Ln, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Chris Courtney 5263 Bonner Dr, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Justin Gardner 5572 Weston Trail Dr, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Paul Lambert 7275 Roberts Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Don Roberts 2027 Tuckaway Ct, Columbus, OH 43228
• Andy Teater 3837 Dayspring Dr, Hilliard, OH 43026
• Lisa A. Whiting 801 Thorncrest Ct, Galloway, OH

New Albany Plain Local Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Laura Kohler 4 Pickett Pl, New Albany, OH 43054
• Thomas Lammers 5214 Hanover Close, New Albany, OH 43054
• Cheri Lehmann 6380 Rose Garden Dr. New Albany, OH 43054
• Natalie Matt 7503 Ogden Woods Blvd, New Albany, OH 43054

Reynoldsburg City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• G. Daryl Albrecht 8095 Reynoldswood Dr, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Kristin Bryant 1900 Baldwin Rd, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Ryan Brzezinski 8451 Priestley Dr, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• David W. Hedrick 514 Hawthorne Pl, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Cheryl Max 1405 Haft Dr, Apt A6, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• James A. Slonaker, Jr. 565 Bellow Park Ct, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Andrew J. Swope 1966 Sherring Ct, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Elaine Tornero 7716 Critwell Ct, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 Website: www.elaineforboard.com E-mail: elaineforboard@gmail.com

South-Western Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Sandra E. Davis (write-in) 2694 Hanarry Ct, Grove City, OH 43123
• Karen Dover 5354 Thornhill Ct, Grove City, OH 43123
• Cathy Johnson 7475 Opossum Run Rd, London, OH 43140
• William G. McCarty 224 Darbyhurst Rd, Columbus, OH 43228
• Jo Ellen Myers 4554 Teabury Sq N, Grove City, OH 43123 Website: www.takebackswcs.webs.com E-mail: joellenforswcs@columbus.rr.com
• Edward H. Palmer 6382 Wahl Ct., Grove City, OH 43123
• Adam Slane 5330 Sawatch Dr, Columbus, OH 43228 Website: www.slaneforschoolboard.com E-mail: citizensforadamslane@gmail.com
• Rob Starrett 4335 Waterside Pl, Grove City, OH 43123

Westerville City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Al Hammond 549 Illinois Ct, Westerville, OH 43081
• Kevin W. Hoffman 1147 Tidewater Ct, Westerville, OH 43082
• Denise M. Pope 446 Six Pence Cir, Westerville, OH 43081
• Kristine E. Robbins 106 Bellefield Ave, Westerville, OH 43081

Whitehall City Schools

Member of Board of Education (Vote for not more than THREE)

• Walter S. Armes 4010 Etna St, Whitehall, OH 43213
• Darryl Hammock 4720 Harbinger Cir E, Whitehall, OH 43213
• Carolyn McIntosh 140 Rita Ct, Columbus, OH 43213
• Blythe Wood 385 Cumberland Dr, Whitehall, OH 43213

Just one final reminder...this is not the complete list of candidates/races. It's just ones I pulled that had MORE people running that POSITIONS OPEN.

Election 2009 Lists

I had hoped to start posting election stuff this week...but it's just not gonna happen. Honestly, I won't have much to offer this time around...but with a little luck, I can start priming my pump so you'll be able to find some good stuff for the 2010 elections, when we've got some national offices up for grabs.

At any rate, start watching this space on Tuesday for a list of races and candidates across the county!

Silence is Golden...

...but not on a blog, typically.

In today's installment, I offer a prologue to my return to blogging!

A new election season is coming up, and I've done nothing in the way of informing anyone (including myself) about it. And there's been some fun stuff in state and national news that I've let slip by unremarked (Ohio budget crisis, anyone? Healthcare reform? A rather bizarre Nobel Peace Prize?)

I'm gonna start being better at this whole regularity thing. If anyone knows of a "blogger's Metamucil," let me know. 'cause I know from past experiences I'm gonna need the help!

Watch this space, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for informative updates.

Unofficial Results!

These unofficial results are brought to us by the Franklin County Board of Elections via their website. Check it out!

To remind yourself of the issues voted on, check out my earlier post.

MetroParks levy Passed, with 57.76% of the vote. (Yay!)

Grandview Heights levy Passed, with 86.08% of the vote.

Upper Arlington bond issue Failed, with 71.95% of the vote against.

Hamilton Township levy Passed, with 70.82% of the vote.

Jefferson Township levy Passed, with 72.66% of the vote.

Canal Winchester school levy Passed, with 52.20% of the vote.

South-Western school levy Failed, with 55.74% of the vote against.

Westerville school levy Passed, with 65.54% of the vote.

Worthington school levy Failed, with 59.46% of the vote against.

Groveport Madison school levy Passed, with 52.78% of the vote.

Reynoldsburg school levy Failed, with 53.08% of the vote against.

Election Day, May 2009

It's only a minor election...I mean, there were just two issues that needed my vote today. Fortunately, I was actually IN the poll list this time around, and got to use the crazy machine...which I was pleased to note had a paper trail. Kinda cool!

I'll add an update on this post when I have some info on results!

Sucking some more...

ok, so some how I went all friggen weekend without getting a post. I apologize to the limits of my abilities...and WILL get an election post up tonight or die trying!

Swine Flu

ok, I suck. I'm trying to gather details and put a story together on this...but it's hard, ok? lol

Tune back in later tonight or tomorrow and I'll have it.

Metro Parks Levy

One of the really neat things about Columbus is the Metro Park system. It's a series of pretty well-put-together parks that are *gasp* free to the public. Down in Cincy? The parks run by the County are really nice, but they charge you to get in and stuff. The libraries and the parks go a long way to making me feel ok living in Columbus.

How did Metro Parks get so nice? In large part thanks to a 10 year levy passed in 1999, for .65 mills. As the Columbus Dispatch noted in their endorsement of the levy, the MetroParks Board of Commissioners and the Executive Director John R. O'Meara (since 1998) have kept promises made in their operating plan for that levy. I see no reason why the system will suddenly fall apart.

As for the current levy, it is a REPLACEMENT, meaning it will not add to the current levy, which does expire at the end of the year. The new levy--if passed--will be larger than the last, by .1 mills. The cost per $100,000 of value is about $23 bucks a year. The Board of Commissioners (who are appointed by a judge, curiously enough) have already published their plan for the next ten years, depending on this funding. You can read the whole report here.

I feel this is a worthwhile levy, for it preserves nature within a fairly urban area. It allows the public of all stripes to go and enjoy a hike, a walk through an animal observation area, and to just escape the hustle and bustle of the city life for a while. Go look at the levy committee's website and browse around...then decide for yourself.

Technology FAIL

So, I updated here on Monday morning, from work. Via my phone. Or, so I thought.

In reality, I just sent the update to a long-inactive personal blog. I love it when I set up preferences correctly.

At any rate, apologies. Profuse ones. But now I must go and write tomorrow's post...so bear with me.

A Round Up?

Here are a few of the stories I found interesting on the some Ohio blogs I've started following in the past couple weeks.

Over at Ohio Daily Blog there's a story all about Jennifer Brunner's proposed election reforms, based on her review of the 2008 election. Check it out!

Also at Ohio Daily Blog there's a report that Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper is considering a run for the State Auditor position...after his showing in the 2006 Commissioner race, I think he could have an interesting career!

@ Porkopolis I found an interesting editorial defending torture as a limited use tool in our immune system. I'm not sure it's wrong, but I'm far from certain it's right.

Bret Thompson at Progress Ohio gave us an update on a grass roots effort to restore funding for the Ohio Historical Society to the budget.

Also at Progress Ohio, Dave Harding had a story on Obama signing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. I think this is a very worthy bill, fitting of the times...good to see it being reported on!

Last but not least, @ Writes Like She Talks Jill Miller Zimon has a very justified about the apparant lack of concern for women in Ohio, the only state in the Union without any organization on record.

And that's all the reading I feel like linking to! I'm sure once you follow these, you can find plenty more to tickle your fancy.

See ya next week!

A BIGGER Budget??

Sorry it's late today...don't hold it against me too much!

Evidently, the House Democrats are being even more optimistic with their revenue projections than Strickland was. You see, they've expanded the budget to $54.4 billion...with worthy programs, sure. But I dunno how wise the spending is, never the less. My inner conservative is coming out.

It's only the first round of changes before the full House vote tho, so...we'll see. Check it out at the Dispatch.

That's all I have today, folks...I'll be bringing you a round up of stories from around the Ohio blogs on Friday!

I Should Have an Update...

...but I spent the weekend breaking up with my girlfriend. So...yeah, no blogging got done, sorry.

However, I think I'll be back up to speed by Wednesday's posting time, so bear with me.

Thanks for checking in.

Primary Candidates

On Monday, I promised you a list of the candidates in the upcoming May election. Here's what you will be seeing on your ballot, depending on residency (since, y'know, if you live in Reynoldsburg you won't be voting for anyone to run for the Hilliard city council).

Remember this is a primary ballot, which means whoever wins in May will get to run in November for the actual position. It's like a qualifying round. All addresses and other contact info are from the Franklin County Board of Elections publication of said information.

Hilliard

Member of Council (Democrat), vote for 4:

Meagan Pandey 4495 Avery Rd, Hilliard 43026 Website: www.meaganpandey.com
E-mail: meagan@meaganpandey.com

Member of Council (Republican), vote for 4:

Jim Ashenhurst 5147 Vinington Pl, Dublin, 43016
Doug Jackson 3261 Prairie Gardens Ct, Hilliard, 43026
Heather L. Keck 3400 Heritage Oaks Dr, Hilliard, 43026
Stephanie Kunze 5994 Farm Creek Ct, Hilliard, 43026 Website: www.StephanieKunze.com
Kelly McGivern 3257 Northampton Dr, Hilliard, 43026
Brett A. Sciotto 3701 Boathouse Dr, Hilliard, 43026

Reynoldsburg

City Auditor, Democrat:
None

City Auditor, Republican:
Richard E. Harris 1100 Bedlington Ct, Reynoldsburg 43068

Member of Council (vote for 3 of each party):

Democrats

Cornelius McGrady, III 8675 Kingsley Drive, Reynoldsburg 43068
Donna A. Shirey 1023 Lancaster Ave, Reynoldsburg 43068

Republicans

Nathan Burd 1566 Burkey Ct, Reynoldsburg 43068
Barth R. Cotner 1439 Jackson St, Reynoldsburg 43068
Chris Long 1675 Haft Dr, Reynoldsburg 43068
Ron Stake 7660 Rodebaugh Rd, Reynoldsburg 43068

Whitehall
Only elections with more than 1 candidate will appear on ballot.

Member of Council, Ward 1 (vote for 1):

Bob Bailey 567 W Virginia Circle, Columbus, 43213
Karen Liepack-Conison 958 Karl Ct, Columbus, 43227

Member of Council, Ward 4 (vote for 1):

Van Gregg 5182 Doral Ave, Columbus, 43213
Leslie LaCorte 5066 Etna Rd, Columbus, 43213

Others

There are Franklin County Municipal Court candidates who won't be appearing on the primary ballot. There are also City of Columbus positions with candidates who are certified to run, but there aren't enough of them to hold a primary. Ditto with the Columbus Board of Education candidates...there aren't more than will be able to run in the actual election, so there won't be a primary for them.

If you'd like to see who's set to run for these positions in the fall, check out the 2009 Elections information page from the Franklin County Board of Elections website.