COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern sent the following letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner (R-OH) following revelations reported in Roll Call that the Office of Congressional Ethics has opened an investigation against Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-OH):

February 16, 2011

The Honorable John Boehner1011 Longworth House Office BuildingUnited States House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner:

As you are aware, the Office of Congressional Ethics has recently opened an investigation into the undisclosed legal assistance given to Representative Jean Schmidt by the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund. In light of these findings, it is clear that it would be inappropriate for Representative Schmidt to continue her service on the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. Therefore, I am formally calling on you to immediately remove Representative Schmidt from the committee and discontinue her service on the committee until this important matter is resolved.

Sincerely,

Chris RedfernChairman, Ohio Democratic Party

COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern responded to Gov. John Kasich’s suggestion that workers have had the upper hand in contract negotiations. The Dayton Daily News today quoted Kasich stating his support for ending collective bargaining for public employees. In voicing his support for this anti-middle class proposal, Kasich said, ‘We have got to restore balance (between labor and management).’

“It is breathtakingly absurd for this Governor to suggest that middle class families haven’t given enough during this recession,” said Redfern. “The mere suggestion that hourly workers somehow hold the upper hand in negotiations shows ignorance of the facts and a disconnect that is astonishing. John Kasich fails to understand the sacrifices that middle class families have made, including the sacrifice of two weeks of pay by every state worker. And he fails to understand that public employee contract negotiations have been split evenly between the workers and the employers. His effort to end collective bargaining is a jobs killer that will harm middle class families.”

A Columbus Dispatch study found that, since 2008, less than 2 percent of contract negotiations were resolved through outside arbitration and that these 20 rulings were split evenly between the unions and the employers.

Events to Take Place in Akron, Bowling Green, Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, Hamilton, Lima, Toledo and Youngstown

Today, Wednesday, February 9 and tomorrow, Thursday, February 10, supporters of health insurance reform will gather at phone banks across Ohio in a grassroots effort to urge Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine to drop his frivolous lawsuit seeking to repeal health insurance reform. Local volunteers will call their friends and neighbors, asking them to contact DeWine’s office about this important issue.

The events, sponsored by Organizing for America, will take place in Akron, Bowling Green, Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, Hamilton, Lima, Toledo and Youngstown. Full details are below. Events are open to the media. Local residents who have benefited from health insurance reform will be on hand to talk to the media.

BACKGROUND:

DeWine’s lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer money and constitutional law experts overwhelmingly agree that the suit does not pass constitutional muster. Orin Kerr, a George Washington Law School professor, said the repeal effort has a less than one percent chance of making it through the courts. Yale Law School professor Jack Balkin said the Supreme Court will, quote, "not be fooled, and they will reject this challenge." Ohio newspapers agree. The Akron Beacon Journal called the repeal effort "frivolous," a "nuisance" and "something Republicans usually rush to pummel." Columnist Tom Suddes called the effort "frivolous" and a "sure loser."

If health insurance reform were to be repealed, Ohioans would suffer because:

•   Insurance companies would continue to deny Ohioans coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

•   Ohio seniors would be denied prescription drug coverage if they fall into the ‘donut hole.’

•   1.4 million Ohioans would not have access to quality, affordable health care.

•   100,000 Ohio small businesses would not have tax credits they need to provide health insurance to their workers.

•   1 million young adults would not be able to stay on their parents' health insurance plans.

EVENT DETAILS:

Today, Wednesday, February 9

Butler County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
115 Knapp Drive
Hamilton, OH
Event begins: 6:30 p.m.

Cuyahoga County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Headquarters
1466 St. Clair Avenue Cleveland, OH
Event begins: 5:00 p.m.

Mahoning Valley Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Mahoning County Democratic Party Headquarters
3325 Mahoning Avenue Youngstown, OH
Event begins: 1:00 p.m.

Montgomery County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Montgomery County Democratic Party Headquarters
131 S Wilkinson Street Dayton, OH
Event begins: 6:30 p.m.

Summit County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Summit County Democratic Party Headquarters
438 Grant Street Akron, OH
Event begins: 1:00 p.m.

Wood County Protect Affordable Healthcare in Ohio Phone Bank
Wood County Democrats Office
455 South Main Street Bowling Green, OH
Event begins: 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 10

Allen County Protecting Our Progress in Lima Phone Bank
Panera Bread 724 Dean Avenue Lima, OH
Event begins: 6:30 p.m.

Lucas County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
4737 Secor Road Toledo, OH
Event begins: 6:15 p.m.

Mahoning Valley Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Mahoning County Democratic Party Headquarters
3325 Mahoning Avenue Youngstown, OH
Event begins: 12:00 p.m.

Montgomery County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Montgomery County Democratic Party Headquarters
131 S Wilkinson Street Dayton, OH
Event begins: 5:30 p.m.

Stark County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Stark County Democratic Party Headquarters
4220 12th Street NW Canton, OH
Event begins: 5:00 p.m.

Summit County Protect Our Progress Phone Bank
Summit County Democratic Party Headquarters
438 Grant Street Akron, OH
Event begins: 1:00 p.m.

COLUMBUS- Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern extended his congratulations to the city of Charlotte, North Carolina for being selected as host of the Democratic National Convention.

Cleveland was among four finalists that included Charlotte, St. Louis and Minneapolis. The convention will be held during the week of September 3rd, 2012.

“I am grateful to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and his Northeast Ohio team for submitting an outstanding bid and making the DNC’s choice so difficult,” Chairman Redfern said. “Like Cleveland, Charlotte is a vibrant and beautiful city. As Democrats, we are looking forward to showcasing our Party's platform of working to build the middle class by creating good paying jobs in Ohio and across this country.”

COLUMBUS- Ohio Democratic Party Executive Director Doug Kelly said Gov. John Kasich should enroll in diversity and sensitivity training classes.

“Kasich walked into a room of African-American state senators, started shouting and said “I don’t need your people,” Kelly said.

Refusing to explain his comment, Kasich had his spokesman tell the media that “by your people,” Kasich meant Democrats.

“So let me get this straight. Kasich appeared before the African-American lawmakers to talk about the fact that he has not hired one minority among 22 cabinet appointments, drops a pejorative like “your people,” and then claims he meant Democrats,” Kelly said.

“At minimum, he’s completely insensitive. But combined with his hiring practices, I believe it is much worse. Gov. Kasich needs diversity training. He claims race doesn’t matter and that he is color-blind. Well, a little sensitivity and diversity training might open his eyes,” Kelly said.

COLUMBUS – Challenged to stand up for taxpayers and transparency, Ohio's new Auditor of State, David Yost, today took the opposite path.

"Incredibly, the new Auditor of State defended a bill that attempts to strip his office from the standard process of required regular audits of the economic development operations of the state of Ohio,” said David Pepper.

House Bill 1 explicitly removes the JobsOhio organization from the definition of "Public Agency," which are all subject to the regular public auditing process of the State Auditor. The bill then explicitly creates a privatized auditing process for the entity, wholly independent of the State Auditor's office.

Pepper, former Democratic candidate for state auditor, said David Yost should stand up for taxpayers in Ohio and insist that House Republicans require an annual state audit, just like other public agencies face.

Yost defended Kasich’s proposed JobsOhio bill in a letter submitted Wednesday to an Ohio House committee that is moving at a reckless speed to privatize the department without addressing serious questions about transparency, accountability and oversight by the auditor’s office and the Ohio Inspector General.

Yost, Kasich and House Republicans could easily address the serious oversight question by amending the language of the bill to state that the state auditor shall annually conduct an audit of JobsOhio as it does other Public Agencies, said Pepper, who as an Hamilton County Commissioner was recognized in 2009 for “Best Transparency” by a Cincinnati newspaper for his efforts to educate voters on county spending and policies.

COLUMBUS – Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said he wouldn’t wish Mike DeWine’s health insurance plan for injured Ohioans upon his worst enemies.

Shortly after taking office as attorney general, DeWine announced he would join a lawsuit to overturn Pres. Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act that extends health insurance coverage to children, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Around the same time, Mike DeWine was being chauffeured around by a state employee paid with tax dollars. The driver struck a bicyclist, who rode through a red light, with DeWine’s car and then DeWine initiated his own brand of health care coverage.

According to newspaper reports, Mike DeWine had another state employee drive the injured bicyclist to Jamestown about 55 miles away in Greene County. The local coroner, an elected official, who just happens to be DeWine’s friend and personal doctor, examined the victim for ankle and foot injuries.

DeWine paid for the X-rays. DeWine’s state employee also gave the man $70 for missing a day’s work and sent him on his way.

When the man called DeWine’s office to inquire about replacing a cell phone that was destroyed in the accident and receiving money for losing another day on the job, DeWine consulted his attorneys and decided he had done enough.

“This is Mike DeWine’s twisted version of health care. You hit a guy on his bike, order your state employee to drive him an hour to your friend for a medical examination, slap 70 bucks in his hand and hope for the best,” Redfern said.

Redfern said hard working Americans should have access to affordable health care that provides coverage when accidents happen. They shouldn’t have to depend upon whether the car owner that hit them has a personal driver, state employees at his disposal and doctors who are personal friends. “Did you learn anything from this Mr. DeWine? Drop the lawsuit and support the president’s Affordable Care Act,” Redfern said.

Click here to read the full article "DeWine's assistance not enough for bicyclist who collided with car," from The Columbus Dispatch.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state's new nonprofit JobsOhio panel aimed at spurring economic development would operate in private, according to language of a bill released today.

The nonprofit corporation's "board of directors" or "any committee thereof" or "any subsidiary" would be exempt from Ohio's open records law, under the bill, known as House Bill 1. The names and salaries of employees of the board would be public.

The legislation is supposed to undergo its first hearing this afternoon in the House State Government and Elections Committee.

Setting up the eight member nonprofit board to perform the duties of the state Department of Development was one of the central ideas of Gov. John Kasich during his successful bid for governor against Ted Strickland. He would appoint the entire board.

The nonprofit would also not be subject to regular audits by the state Auditor's Office, instead relying on an audit committee that would hire an independent certified public accountant to do an annual audit. And it would not be subject to Ohio's ethics laws and only partially subject to state lobbying laws.

Employees of the nonprofit would not be considered public employees nor would the nonprofit be considered a state agency. A provision in the bill states that the OhioJobs non-profit would be exempt from Ohio's public records law "regardless of who may have custody of the records."

…

COLUMBUS – Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and David Pepper, former candidate for State Auditor, said Tuesday that the State Auditor should not be barred from examining John Kasich’s privatized Ohio Department of Development.

“State Auditor David Yost assured voters he would serve independently, and stand up for accountability and transparency in government regardless of party. Yost should live up to this promise, and demand that the legislation to privatize the Department include language that permits his office to examine the agency’s books,” said Pepper, the Democratic candidate for State Auditor in 2010.

Republicans in the Ohio House started holding hearings Tuesday on proposed legislation to privatize the Department. The bill, not available to the public until Tuesday, would effectively allow the new department to operate in private with no transparency.

If the bill were to pass as proposed, the State Auditor would have no authority to audit the board. The board would be audited by a private committee completely independent of the state Auditor's office. When Auditor Yost took office, he swore to protect the taxpayers of Ohio. It is his duty to put politics aside and reject the exclusion of the board from the state Auditor's office.

"We call upon David Yost to independently represent Ohio taxpayers and push to reverse John Kasich's decision to hide from public view the state's economic development efforts, and the doling out of millions of taxpayer dollars," said Redfern.

COLUMBUS – Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern issued the following statement as Ohioans prepare to mark the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"We mourn the passing but celebrate the historic life of Dr. King," Chairman Redfern said.

Across the state, Democrats are holding events to commemorate the life of Dr. King.

"On this day, we should take time to reflect upon Dr. King's dedication to non-violence. He was determined to bring civil rights reform to this country through an appeal for peace," Chairman Redfern said.

Chairman Redfern said Ohioans continue to embrace Dr. King's struggle for civil and human rights.

"We should not forget what brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis that fateful April day. It was the plight of sanitation workers, long ignored by those in power, seeking economic justice," Chairman Redfern said.