Uncategorized

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Cincinnati.com columnist Jason Williams eviscerated Ohio Republicans for playing politics with redistricting. Williams rightfully observes that Republicans are “flipping everyone the bird,” ignoring the Constitution and putting their own political interests over the needs of Ohioans when drawing new maps. The column points out the multiple times Ohio voters overwhelmingly called for redistricting reform and the various ways GOP politicians went ahead and ignored those calls. 

“Statehouse Republicans are arrogantly and unapologetically doing whatever the heck they want with the map-drawing pen, throwing a big, fat gerrymandering party like they’re living on a consequence-free Pleasure Island,” writes Jason Williams in the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

“Republicans will do anything to avoid accountability for the various ways they’ve betrayed Ohioans, including choosing their own voters rather than the other way around. From day one, the GOP has ignored calls for fair districts and put their own political interests over the needs of Ohioans,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

You can read more from the Enquirer here and below: 

• In 2018, Ohioans wagged their fingers at the state’s controlling political party and sent a loud and clear bipartisan message about redistricting. Be fair. Republicans have responded by flipping everyone the bird.
• Statehouse Republicans are arrogantly and unapologetically doing whatever the heck they want with the map-drawing pen, throwing a big, fat gerrymandering party like they’re living on a consequence-free Pleasure Island. 
• It’s hard to believe the gerrymandering could get worse after voters overwhelmingly approved bipartisan redistricting reform three years ago. But all one needs to do is look at Hamilton County on the proposed congressional maps unveiled last week by the state Senate and House as an obvious example that Republicans are blatantly ignoring what voters ordered them to do.
• They’ve blown multiple deadlines to come up with this? What a joke.
• The ballot initiative put stricter map-drawing guidelines and more layers of checks and balances in place for redistricting. Republicans have collectively responded: We don’t care.
• The legislature has until Nov. 30 to make changes to its proposed maps, but no one who pays close attention to this stuff is optimistic that House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman are suddenly going to start eating Fairness Flakes for breakfast every day.
• Gerrymandering makes people feel like their vote doesn’t count. Apparently their vote to reform redistricting didn’t count, either. It’s a vicious cycle that disillusions voters to check out. That’s what Statehouse Republicans want. Fewer voters often favors the majority party. 
• We’re seeing the dark side of one-party rule play right now. No wonder the statehouse has been under the months-long cloud of the pay-to-play FirstEnergy scandal. Power-drunk lawmakers think they can do whatever they want.

###

Columbus, OH —  Today, three of the five members of the “Foul Five” will meet at the Ohio Press Network GOP Senate forum in Columbus. And just because Vance and Timken won’t be there does not mean the forum will be any less nasty. 

In fact, it could mean tonight’s forum is even nastier. When Vance was absent from GOP events in the past, Mandel put together a shoebox with Vance’s face on it that reads “Never Trumper J.D. Vance” in his place. Yikes. 

The GOP Senate candidates will meet following two pro-Mandel Super PACs launching a cumulative $1 million ad buy attacking J.D. Vance. The ads highlight Vance’s own words calling Trump an “idiot,” “reprehensible,” and “noxious.” The latest ad lambasts Vance for calling himself a “flip-flopping flipper” to describe how he changed his position on Trump. 

And we know that all these attacks come at the expense of the issues Ohioans care about, like meaningful investments in infrastructure, efforts most of these candidates have opposed at every turn. Ohioans are looking for candidates who are on their side, and this lot isn’t it. 

“While Democrats are keeping their promises by investing in infrastructure and creating good-paying jobs, Ohio Republicans have focused on petty feuds that do nothing to help working families get ahead. Every forum and debate continues to highlight the deeply personal divisions that make the messiest primary in the country even messier,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

###

Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Veterans and Military Community Caucus Chair Connie Pillich released the following statement to mark Veterans Day:

“I saw a commercial on TV the other day. A national company was touting its many employees who had had military service. While I was pleased that so many of my fellow veterans got good jobs after their service, it reminded me how trendy it is to support veterans these days.

“Back in the day, it was not so trendy. In the Vietnam era, it was a very different picture. There were no ticker-tape parades, no veterans hiring preferences, and almost no educational and health care benefits. Shamefully, some returning vets were greeted with scorn and vulgar gestures, rather than appreciation.

“So, it is nice to see the change. 

“But what will happen next? Our longest war is over. But it will continue to impact America’s post-9/11 veterans for many years to come: serious injuries such as amputations, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress don’t just disappear because we have withdrawn from Afghanistan. 

“In spite of progress such as the Forever GI Bill, the VA’s recognition of additional Vietnam War-related illnesses, and Ohio’s GI Promise, all of our veterans must build their lives in communities that largely cannot relate to what they have done. These days, only about one-half of one percent of Americans served their country – compared with about 12% during WWII. 

“I hope we do not forget the commitment and sacrifice of today’s veterans. Let’s continue this trend of supporting our veterans for a long time to come. Better yet, let’s make it a way of life.”

###

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Toledo Blade Editorial Board yesterday touted the importance of President Biden’s infrastructure bill that includes major investments to improve Ohio’s infrastructure and create new jobs for Ohioans. 

“This bill is the largest single commitment to infrastructure by the federal government in more than a decade. Once President Joe Biden signs the bill and the funding is on the way, Ohio and America must get to work to rebuild the state’s roads, bridges, and rails,” writes the Blade Editorial Board. 

“Ohioans were promised meaningful investments in infrastructure, and Ohio Democrats are keeping that promise. This bill will not only repair our broken roads and bridges, but also expand broadband across Ohio and create new, good-paying jobs for Ohioans. Despite GOP obstruction and opposition, Ohio Dems are delivering for working families in Ohio,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more from the Blade HERE and below:

• Passage of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill by Congress last week brings a much needed infusion of cash for infrastructure needs in Ohio. Working to modernize and fix faltering roads and bridges and other hard infrastructure programs means jobs for Ohioans.

• No state alone can fund the vast infrastructure needs brought on by decades of neglect. That’s why funding from the federal government was required.

• The bill provides an estimated $10 billion in funding for Ohio highways and makes additional competitive grant funding available.

• Ohio has more than 100,000 miles of roadways and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), scored Ohio’s roads at a “D” in their 2021 report card.
• The bill provides $60 billion for state and local governments to fund major improvement projects, including work on bridges.

• Lake Erie will benefit from $1 billion in new funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
• Ohio will net $1.2 billion over five years to help maintain water systems and provide safe drinking water.

• This bill is the largest single commitment to infrastructure by the federal government in more than a decade. Once President Joe Biden signs the bill and the funding is on the way, Ohio and America must get to work to rebuild the state’s roads, bridges, and rails.

###

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, The Ohio Capital Journal released new text messages today showing the former top utility regulator (and Mike DeWine appointee) helped FirstEnergy line its own pockets at the expense of hard-working Ohioans. The new messages put Shady Sam back in hot water, showing he provided FirstEnergy a myriad of favors from inside the DeWine administration, including dropping a few key sentences into the 2019 state budget that saved FirstEnergy millions of dollars and prevented Ohioans from receiving refunds based on the major profits the company received. DeWine appointed Randazzo to lead PUCO despite warnings about his close ties to Big Energy — close ties that ended up costing Ohioans dearly.  

“PUCO’s stated mission is to ensure Ohioans can access utility services like electric distribution, in a monopolistic market, at fair prices. The texts, however, suggest that PUCO’s chairman worked behind the scenes so utilities could pocket hefty margins from captive customers instead of refunding them,” writes Jake Zuckerman with The Ohio Capital Journal. 

“While Sam Randazzo was helping FirstEnergy keep money out of the pockets of hard-working Ohioans, Mike DeWine was praising Randazzo for the ‘good work’ he was doing. Ohioans deserve a government that is looking out for them, not big, special interests. It’s time for a new direction for Ohio,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

You can read more from Ohio Capital Journal here and below: 

• Ohio’s top utility regulator quietly lobbied lawmakers to include a provision in the state budget that saved tens of millions for FirstEnergy Corp., text messages from company executives show.

• Court records indicate prosecutors have mostly focused on two outputs from Randazzo to benefit FirstEnergy: his backstage role shaping HB 6, and his steering of PUCO decisions. 
• The obtained text messages, however, suggest Randazzo also helped convince lawmakers to slip into the 2019 budget a short few sentences worth millions to FirstEnergy.

• “Senate kept SEET in — thanks to ty and Sam Randazzo,” FirstEnergy Senior Vice President of External Affairs Michael Dowling texted to the company’s CEO Charles Jones on June 19, 2019, according to messages provided to The Ohio Capital Journal.
• The texts don’t identify “ty.” However, lobbying records show FirstEnergy’s director of state affairs, Ty Pine, registered to lobby on the budget.

• PUCO’s stated mission is to ensure Ohioans can access utility services like electric distribution, in a monopolistic market, at fair prices. The texts, however, suggest that PUCO’s chairman worked behind the scenes so utilities could pocket hefty margins from captive customers instead of refunding them.
• The change allowed FirstEnergy, technically the parent company of three Ohio utilities, to group its three subsidiaries together in determining whether their profits were “significantly excessive.” 
• This allowed FirstEnergy’s Ohio Edison utility, which serves more than 1 million residents, to run up what its critics call a significantly excessive profit margin, so long as lower returns from the other two brought down the aggregate rate.
• “FirstEnergy has used the SEET law change to avoid customer refunds and also to obfuscate what Ohio Edison’s earnings are, so that interested parties, regulators, and policymakers cannot determine how much excessive profit they are keeping,” wrote two consultants in a 2020 memo for the Ohio Manufacturers Association, which represents large-scale electricity customers.
• The obtained text messages add new detail alongside other previously known Randazzo interventions in PUCO cases and lobbying lawmakers to FirstEnergy’s benefit.

###