Controversial record dogs GOP treasurer hopeful

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Aaron Marshall

Plain Dealer Reporter

Weeks before Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien pulled off a historic upset in the race for the Republican slot for state treasurer, a short letter arrived at her office.

Sent by nearly a dozen Ashtabula County elected officials, the bipartisan group's letter questioned why contributions made to the state Public Employees Retirement System handled by O'Brien's office had been miscalculated and "consequently will have a substantial impact on retirement benefits available to us."

The problem was that O'Brien's office underreported to PERS in 2004 the amount that officeholders made, according to Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson, who has met with PERS officials on the matter. That is important because a person's highest three years of salary are used to determined the pension.

While O'Brien insisted Friday that everything was reported properly to PERS, the letter states that "PERS has told us the problem with the contributions and correct accounting lies with your office."

Said Johnson: "She wants to just pass it off and say we don't understand what is going on, but it's definitely wrong."

As the little-known O'Brien begins her underdog general election run for state treasurer, the recent letter underscores troubling lapses that have surfaced from her 12-year tenure as auditor in Ohio's far northeastern county.

The most serious questions about O'Brien's record arise from state audit findings spread over several years, including a 2003 finding that a lack of safeguards in O'Brien's office led to the embezzlement of $40,000.

Couple those findings with a series of costly court disputes with local officials, and a picture emerges of an auditor with a penchant for controversy a picture at odds with her pleasant demeanor.

With $11 billion in state assets riding on the state treasurer's job, O'Brien detractors question her fitness for office while O'Brien and her supporters shrug off the disputes as partisan politics and see her as a fierce watchdog of public money.

O'Brien is used to being taken lightly in politics. It happened in her first race for county auditor in 1994, when she knocked off a 24-year incumbent "who never saw it coming," as O'Brien puts it. It happened again this May, when O'Brien toppled state treasurer Jennette Bradley in the GOP primary.

Running an insurgent "pro-family," social-issues campaign against the moderate Bradley, the 54-year-old O'Brien hitched her wagon to conservative Republican gubernatorial nominee Ken Blackwell.

"They clearly said we want some new faces and we'd like the farm team here," said O'Brien about her win over Bradley, Gov. Bob Taft's running mate in 2002, who became the first person in 50 years to go from winning the office of lieutenant governor to losing in the next election's primary.

Next up is her Democratic opponent in November, Franklin County Treasurer Rich Cordray, who has $1.2 million in the bank while O'Brien has only a few thousand.

"I think Sandy is getting her fund raising off the ground and starting to bring in some money," said Ohio Republican Party Chief Bob Bennett. She will largely fend for herself, as the GOP faces challenges for U.S. Senate, governor and two other statewide seats.

Said Bennett: "I think it's way too early for Rich Cordray to be measuring for the drapes in his new office."

O'Brien will be outspent, but she may not be outworked.

"She's maybe the hardest campaigning person that I've ever seen," said Ashtabula County Republican Party Chairman Richard Hornstein.

While no one doubts O'Brien's trail tenacity, questions are gathering like summer storm clouds about her time as auditor as she campaigns for control of a state treasury laden with $11 billion in assets and $160 billion in the state's retirement systems and other state funds.

The strongest evidence of O'Brien's troubles in office come from findings detailed in state audits by Republican state Auditor Betty Montgomery.

A 2003 year-end audit said that a lack of internal controls allowed an O'Brien employee to embezzle $40,000 over two years.

"If policies and procedures had been developed and followed . . . this theft might have been prevented or discovered in a timelier manner," the audit said.

Springing to her defense, O'Brien said that the money was fully recovered and that the theft was discovered because of a special audit she performed. "I was the one who caught it and got the confession and took it to the prosecutor."

However, a September 2003 Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department report shows that two employees brought the theft to O'Brien's attention, sparking the internal audit.

O'Brien said her internal audit "was sort of concurrent." Asked if policies were changed, O'Brien said, "We just tightened up what we were already doing."

Other findings from recent state audits include the improper purchase of a Ford Explorer in 2003 for her office and the 2004 overpayment by $1,500 of O'Brien's own salary.

O'Brien's record also reflects a series of run-ins with county officials-primarily Democrats - over local projects.

One flash point: A 160,000-square-foot lodge and conference center opposed by O'Brien but approved by the Democratic county commissioners.

When the lodge project went forward in late 2003 and early 2004, O'Brien took months to pay bills, earning a rebuke from Montgomery's office that noted she was "without the discretion" to refuse "merely because she doesn't like a particular project."

O'Brien sees the lodge dispute - and other instances where she has butted heads with local officials - as a badge of honor demonstrating her independent stance and close eye on the public till.

"If I see a compliance issue that I believe isn't proper, I'm going to take it to a higher authority," O'Brien said.

"In the long run, it works out because the public knows that what you're doing is right, and you're facing the big special interests who may not like the exposure."

Other legal flaps include a dispute over a job-training program, suing for outside counsel instead of using the county prosecutor to represent her, refusing to pay a $5,000 appraisal bill as well as refusing to do an appraisal on a campground.

The lawsuits, almost all of which O'Brien lost, have cost more than $100,000, by the count of County Commissioner Bob Boggs, a Democrat and political enemy of O'Brien's. He sees the disputes as calculated.

"She works with the conspiratorial theory that everybody else in county government is bad and she's a good person and can't get anything done because we're against her," said Boggs.

"She doesn't know her job, and she doesn't follow Ohio law."

O'Brien counters that some of the legal costs were rung up because the county prosecutor refused to represent her in battles against the commissioners.

She said those who view her as a roadblock are playing partisan games and noted that she found improperly spent money in a local veterans agency that resulted in a conviction.

"I was elected Republican in a Democratic county. The opposite party has come at me every time I'm up for re-election," she said. "The voters know when you're standing up for them and not special interests, and that's why they keep you in office."

County party chief Hornstein helped recruit O'Brien for the county auditor spot and has watched her battle.

"She is controversial," Hornstein said. But "I think she would be a good treasurer because she's a very honest person and has watched every penny."

Added Hornstein, in a sentiment that his Democratic counterparts might echo: "She's not the go-along-and-get-along kind of type."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 1-800-228-8272

From Rasmussen

In the Ohio race for U.S. Senate, Republican Senator Mike DeWine again enjoys a moderate lead, 46% to 39%, over Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown. Last month Brown was the leader, 44% to 41%€”?the first time the Democrat had pulled ahead all year.

Though still below 50%, support for DeWine's candidacy now matches his highest level in 2006. But Republicans should not uncork the champagne just yet. Our three-poll rolling average continues to show a very close race.

DeWine attracts only 73% of GOP voters, versus the 75% of Democrats who support Brown; 9% of GOP voters are inclined to vote for a third-party candidate. (Only 3% of Democrats feel that way.)

There's the Bill Pierce Effect.�

From Politics Extra

The third in a series of Enquirer questions to gubernatorial candidates, titled Choice, continued to draw fire today when the executive director of Equality Ohio criticized the Ohio Republican Party for "tired political tactics.''

Lynne Bowman, head of the non-profit group which advocates on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Ohioans, urged "all the candidates for governor of Ohio to support state employees and their families by providing domestic partnership benefits for those in long-term relationships.''

In response to Thursday's Choice question, "Should live-in partners of state employees receive the same health and pension benefits as married state employees,'' Republican Ken Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland both answered "no." Independent candidates Bob Fitrakis and Bill Peirce answered "yes."

The Ohio Republican Party quickly pounced on Strickland for flip-flopping on earlier support of domestic partner benefits, although Strickland said the state's newest constitutional amendment would precent the state from offering live-in partner benefits.

"Like many Ohioans, we believe basic health coverage for all, including Ohio's state workers and their life partners, should be a priority for our next governor," Bowman said in a news statement.

Lee Fisher screwed up. Listen to the audio here.

And here is Blackwell's press release:

Strickland Does Not Understand Tax Policy

Democrat Makes Embarrassing Gaffe on Home Mortgage Deductions

COLUMBUS - In a news release and audio comments distributed yesterday, Congressman and former prison psychologist Ted Strickland’s running mate Lee Fisher embarrassingly and incorrectly stated Ohioans deduct home mortgage interest from their state taxes.

Fisher claimed gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell’s single rate state income tax reform proposal would eliminate the home mortgage tax deduction. Aside from the totally inaccurate description of Blackwell’s tax position, Ohio homeowners know the home mortgage tax deduction is a federal deduction not a state deduction.

€�”Strickland and Fisher are so misinformed that they think Ohioans deduct home mortgage interest from their state taxes,” said Blackwell campaign spokesman Carlo LoParo.“Homeownership and taxes are real issues that matter to Ohioans. We cannot afford a governor who needs on-the-job training on important pocketbook issues like taxes.”

Fisher also made the strange leap of logic that lowering state income tax rates for middle class Ohioans is a tax increase. A family of four with two wage earners each making $30,000 a year with allowed state deductions pay $1,979 in state taxes, a rate of 3.3 percent. Blackwell has proposed a state single rate of 3.25 percent with exemptions to provide relief for low income Ohioans.

€�”Strickland has never seen a tax he didn’t like or want to hike,” said LoParo.“Ken Blackwell thinks Ohioans already pay too much in taxes while Ted Strickland wants them to pay more.”

DOH!

Make of this what you will. The following e-mail was sent to Blackwell Blogger Matt Naugle from someone claiming to be a paid staffer in Ted Strickland's campaign. It's impossible to know for sure if the person truly holds the position he claims to, but it's interesting either way. You can find the entire e-mail transaction here.

From: Barry Sanders
Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: [email protected]
Date: Jun 26, 2006 9:47 PM
Subject: hi matt
Matt,

My name is "Barry". I am employed by the Strickland/Fisher campaign. I serve as a paid staffer in a mid-level assistant position. I am willing to provide you with information that you may find useful.

An example - There is significant internal conflict on the campaign about how to address the Turnpike issue. One camp is saying that we should not disagree with Ken's plan and take the wind out of the sales, and another camp is saying that we should be completely opposed. I am willing to provide you with more if you are interested. I am particularly interested in talking about Lee Fisher and his mental instability. He is a loose cannon and a complete embarrassment to the campaign, internally. In public, he is great and eloquent, but behind closed doors he is a nut case.

Keep up the good work. I know of a lot of democrats that are going to vote for Ken. The "Where's Ted?" approach has spooked some folks and has created a negative buzz. In addition to the new Zogby numbers. I will tell you later, my core motivation for pulling this "Benedict Arnold."

Naugle responded with skepticism and wrote it off as a fake. "Barry" insisted his e-mail was truthful even though the name is fake, and explained that while he supports Strickland he hates Lee Fisher. He even said he was thinking about making a blog that had a theme of "Vote for Ted, Not for Lee." And he continued to hammer away that the Strickland Campaign is struggling for a response to Blackwell's TurnkPike initiative, and said that they will "f*** it up" when they finally do have one.

The next day, Blackwell's spokesperson sent the following e-mail to the Strickland Campaign and the the Ohio Statehouse Press Corps.

From: Carlo LoParo
Date: Jun 27, 2006 2:45 PM
Subject: Strickland's disgruntled staffer
To: [email protected]

Jess,

Following is an email exchange between someone allegedly on your staff and our web blogger Matt Naugle. I found it very interesting that someone on your team wants to help our campaign effort. Please tell them no thank you.
We plan to beat you fair and square without the help of your disgruntled staffers. Nonetheless, I think it's only appropriate to let you know that not all is well at camp Strickland. Enjoy.

Carlo LoParo
Press Secretary
Ohioans for Blackwell

The most interesting thing about all of this is that, since the individual used a fake name, it's difficult for anyone - including the Strickland Campaign - to know if he actually holds the position he claims to hold.

This could have been a hoax, but it could also have been a set-up. An attempt to make it appear that Blackwell is seeking out unfair advantages and running a "dirty campaign," a perception that liberals would love to make stick.

Either way, Camp Blackwell handled it well and I am eagerly awaiting Ted Strickland's position on the turnpike issue.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

According to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, 250 people a day leave Ohio for retirement-friendly Florida, which has no income tax, no inheritance tax and no gift tax.

So how do the candidates for governor compare on spending and taxes? Blackwell's tax and spending limits have been adopted by the general assembly. His Republican primary opponent actually accused him of proposing cuts too deep.

Democrat Ted Strickland gets F's from anti-tax groups. He is rated at 13 percent out of 100 percent by the National Taxpayers Union, and just 3 percent by the National Tax Limitation Committee. Business and industry gave him 14 percent in 2005. The National Federation of Independent Business gave him 8 percent in 2003-04.

The other day I heard an ad on the radio selling the beauty and business-friendly climate of Michigan. It was broadcast in Ohio, to steal our jobs, businesses and residents.

What are we waiting for - a burning river?

Ohio simply cannot afford to elect Taft Strickland.

From the Canton Repository. (Read the whole article, it shows you just�how incompetent Brunner is on the campaign trail.)�

€�”We should make it as easy as possible to vote,” said Brunner, a former judge, noting her campaign Web site refers people to the secretary of state’s official Web site for registration purposes.

No, it doesn’t. Neither her Web site nor that of Ted Strickland, her party’s candidate for governor, has a way to help people to register to vote.

This is especially amusing when you consider that Brunner wants to be in charge of the state's elections. She's lucky that Greg Hartmann isn't as crazy as she is, or she just might be accused of trying to suppress the vote!

A little common sense, really.�

An editorial by The Intelligencer:

Oversight of the elections process is more penetrating and relentless than ever before. A candidate using the public office he already holds for some nefarious plot to win election to another post would be spotted quickly — and would be more likely to find himself in court facing a judge than in the winner’s circle.

That’s why demands by some Ohio Democrats for Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to, in effect, step down from his post are ridiculous.

Blackwell, a Republican who is the state’s chief elections officer, is running for governor against U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio. Some Democrat leaders in Ohio have suggested that Blackwell should not supervise an election in which he is a candidate for governor.“The person who oversees the rules cannot in fundamental fairness also be the judge of the game,” commented Strickland’s running mate, Lee Fisher.

Someone else should be named to fulfill the secretary of state’s election-related duties, Fisher and others have suggested.

Political party solidarity being what it is, we’re not certain how Fisher and company would find someone who would not face accusations of using the secretary of state’s office improperly. Name a prominent Republican, and Democrats would complain that he helped Blackwell. Pick a Democrat, and Republicans would worry that Strickland was getting some sort of advantage.

Blackwell has handled duties related to elections well and, we believe, impartially. We don’t think Ohioans have any reason to worry about him attempting to make the secretary of state’s office into a tool in his campaign for governor. He shouldn’t bow to those who probably are more interested in embarrassing him than in ensuring that the campaign for governor is conducted fairly.

On the Dennis Prager show.

From USAToday

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio €”? Two years after the 2004 presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell still faces accusations that he made it hard for Democrats to vote. Here at a public housing community center, however, black ministers €”? many of them Democrats €”? are showering him with applause, laughter and amens.

The Republican candidate for governor, an imposing 6-foot-4 in this small, packed room, is sharing his experiences as a black person in America. His father was a meatpacker, he says. He grew up in public housing, selling peanuts and helping at a funeral home. He worked in the civil rights movement, and he challenged the lending practices of white bankers in Cincinnati.

He did not, he says, try to suppress minority turnout in 2004. ("Do you think Mrs. Blackwell raised a dumb child? Why would I suppress the black vote when I understood how well I do in the African-American community?") In fact, he says, a record number of blacks voted in Ohio in 2004.

When he's done, several Democratic pastors say they might vote for Blackwell for governor this fall over Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland. Henry McNeil, pastor of Alpha & Omega First Baptist Church, says Blackwell closed the sale. "I didn't come with a made-up mind. It was made while he spoke," says McNeil, who backed Democrat John Kerry for president in 2004.

Was this incident reported in our local press?�

From Openers

“To put it quite bluntly and simply, Sherrod Brown talks and I lead,” he said in prepared remarks at the event, which drew more than 2,000 people.“Sherrod Brown has used his time in Congress to talk a lot. He’s used his time in Congress to complain a lot about Republicans. I have used my time in Congress to reach out and to work with Democrats and Republicans, alike, to change things and to get things done and to pass legislation. I have used my time to help Ohio families.”�

"I voted for the Patriot Act to help find and stop the terrorists, and it makes a difference. Sherrod Brown voted to deny these tools to our terrorist fighters. And, guess what? I’ll tell you how far off the mark Sherrod Brown is. Guess who voted for the Patriot Act — besides Mike DeWine? Even Barbara Boxer voted for the Patriot Act! No — it gets better — Hillary Clinton voted for the Patriot Act. Ted Kennedy voted for the Patriot Act. And, John Kerry voted for the Patriot Act'but not Sherrod Brown."

What a turnout!�

From a Strickland press release

Columbus, Ohio€”?In a radio appearance on a conservative talk show based in California late last week, Ken Blackwell said he favored a flat tax or a consumption tax, either of which would harm Ohio’s already struggling middle class families.

While on the Dennis Prager Show Thursday, the host asked Blackwell“what kind of tax do you favor?” Blackwell replied: "A flat tax. I am comfortable with a consumption tax…"

On Saturday, Blackwell also revealed that his overarching concern is for "the exodus of wealthy Ohioans" leaving the state. In the same story, Blackwell reiterated his flat tax proposal. ("GOP looks at investor tax breaks", Columbus Dispatch, June 24, 2006)

€�”This fits Mr. Blackwell’s other extreme proposals to shift the burden onto Ohio’s middle class families,” said Lee Fisher, candidate for lieutenant governor.“We need a governor who will work to lessen the strain on middle class Ohioans, not bury them under additional taxes. This is just another example of how Ohioans can’t trust Mr. Blackwell to lead on the issues that matter most to them.”

OK, we give up…how will this raise taxes and be bad for Ohio?�

Who comes to mind when you read things like this?

At a time when [the Democratic] party can ill afford to alienate centrist constituencies across the country, it is doing just that with Lieberman, and some senior Republicans are wondering whether they shouldn't get into the fight to help Lieberman despite the fact that a weakened Lieberman could mean a win for their expected nominee in the state, Alan Schlesinger.

"Lieberman has been a more loyal American and a real leader for our nation than some of the men we have on our side of the aisle in the Senate," says a Republican fundraiser. "I don't want to see Lieberman lose to a leftist nut like Ned Lamont."

Senator Not-Sherrod-Brown is lucky that Republicans seem to be more tolerant of moderates right now than the liberals are. When you consider that Lieberman is now toying with the idea of leaving the Democratic Party and running as an independent, that tolerance may be what keeps us in control of the Senate.

In a column, Rose Russell, an associate editor at The (Toledo) Blade, takes race-baiting to a new level:

CONGRESSIONAL Republicans' actions Wednesday on the issue of renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were scornful.

However, the Republicans' whammy raises questions about that commitment.

Southern House Republicans' refusal to remain under federal oversight that ensures no voter is subjected to barriers led them to cancel a vote to extend the law scheduled the other day.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of Illinois insists that his Republican colleagues are "committed to passing the Voting Rights Act legislation as soon as possible." From that vantage point then, it doesn't appear there is a threat to the need to extend the law for another 25 years.

Oh it does, why? It was not a Republican who stood in that school house door demanding segregation. It was not a Republican who invented the poll tax. It was not a Republican who created the literacy test. What in the previous 30 years would give any rational onlooker the notion that it was Republicans who stood in the way of racial equality? I have indeed had to spank the GOP recently for racial shenanigans, but unfortunately they were doing just as the Congressional Black Caucus had requested — they again gave the OK to congressional districts created for the sole purpose of electing black and Latino representatives. The slimy insinuation that racism is the cause of the delay is the product of a small mind which has no other recourse but name-calling.

The voting rights law requires the Justice Department to give approval before changes are permitted in voting practices in nine southern states that have been documented to bully black voters.

The purpose of the law is to prevent the return of scare tactics that whites used to hinder black voters from exercising their right.

An accurate statement — 40 years ago. Though I have no doubt that I could produce for you several (well-hidden) incidents of voter intimidation, the 60s are long gone that fight has already been won. Leftists like Miss Russell keep the specter of this wide-spread racism alive for only one purpose: to keep the black vote in the Democrat's pocket through fear. Bull Conner must be rolling over in his grave at the sight of the theft of his greatest weapon!

After all, African-Americans have become full members in the political process. Black southerners enjoy both voting in elections and holding public office at every level of government - although none of the Republicans seemed to point out that there is no black senator from the South yet.

That's one explanation the rebellious southern Republican congressmen gave as to why they don't need federal oversight of voting practices anymore.

But they are wrong, and what they did Wednesday by stopping the vote proves it.

Wade Henderson, the executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, put it succinctly when he said, "Those members who held up today's vote represent retrogressive forces that America hasn't seen at this level since the 1960s."

The southern states are not as squeaky clean as they want the public to believe. A bipartisan commission found proof of voting rights violations recently in Georgia, Texas, and in other southern communities, according to Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

With polls of Americans showing that over 35% believe in flying saucers, I have no doubt that the engineers of the race industry can produce anecdotal evidence of anything that they desire, but color me unconvinced (pun unintended). After the 2000 election, I watched nearly the entire proceedings of the US Commission on Civil Rights hearings held to investigate reports of racial shenanigans after that election and I witnessed rampant racism alright. Unfortunately, most of it came from the then-head of the commission itself — Mary Francis Berry.

I will give Miss Russell credit for noting the major stumbling block to the bill's renewal (though she does not give it the credit it deserves):

Meanwhile, the Republicans also disagreed on whether to require bilingual ballots where at least 5 percent of the citizens speak a different language.

Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King's sensible amendment would end the requirement. Printing ballots in several languages or providing interpreters for regions with large immigrant populations isn't what a country with one national language does.

If you don't understand a document, don't sign it. If you can't read a ballot, don't vote. In an English-speaking nation like this one, expect to read, speak, and write English.

Callous? No.

Immigrants who become citizens must learn enough of the language to become citizens. If they want to vote, then they should learn enough English to vote intelligently.

Though I wish it were not necessary, I am not pollyannaish enough to believe that we have outlived the Voting Rights Act's usefulness and I call for the act's renewal, but not before the law requires that all citizens be treated without regard to race, gender and religion as the spirit of the legislation requires. The time has come for the racial spoils system to end — a fact that Miss Russell curiously fails to recognize. Racism? I will not be so bold as to accuse Miss Russell of the crime of which she so slyly insinuates motivates the Republicans.

If only she had the same compunction.

I wish that while Democrats are pondering how "hard" it is to register to vote, they would take a moment to ponder how hard they and their precious big government have made it to:

Start a small business

Pay your taxes

Renew your driver's liscense

Die

From the Blade

Mr. Irvine’s organization and other pro-gun groups praise both Republican Ken Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland, the leading candidates for governor. Gun-control proponents prefer Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Sherrod Brown, who are running for Mr. DeWine’s U.S. Senate seat.

Both contests have drawn national attention, but the gubernatorial candidates are firing more freely on the gun issue.

Mr. Strickland is a southeast Ohio congressman who touts his“A” rating from the National Rifle Association and says he’s bucked party leadership for years on guns, though he does not own one personally. He voted against President Bill Clinton’s ban on assault weapons and for a measure last year to shield gun manufacturers from liability in crimes involving their products.

In a press release last week, Mr. Strickland criticized Republican leaders in the Ohio legislature for not passing a bill that would wipe out municipal gun restrictions in several cities, including Toledo.

Mr. Blackwell, Ohio’s secretary of state, is a gun owner who traces his Second Amendment support to his days on Cincinnati City Council. He opened a trapshooting tournament on Tuesday; his campaign and the state Republican Party spent part of the rest of the week questioning Mr. Strickland’s commitment to gun rights.

From the Dispatch

Laid end-to-end, every dollar that Ohio House Republicans have given to their caucus campaign fund since 2003 would stretch from Columbus to Wichita, Kan.

For House Democrats, the trail would end in Dayton.

Stressing that all Republicans benefit when the party holds strong majorities, GOP lawmakers have been pushed hard to not only raise enough money for their own races but also to raise extra cash for the caucus.

A caucus is a group of all lawmakers of the same party from the same legislative chamber. Both branches of the legislature have them, so Ohio has four.

Most expect Republicans to raise more money. They have more members in the House (60-39) and Senate (22-11), chair every committee, and run in GOP-drawn districts that nearly guarantee continued success.

Lobbyists and special interest groups give more money to lawmakers who have power. But some are still surprised by the size of the disparity between the two parties.

Since 2003, current House Republicans have given more than $8.1 million to their caucus, nearly 11 times what Democrats have donated to theirs. In the Senate, Republicans have given their caucus $4.9 million, 15 times what Democrats have raised.

From the Enquirer

Rep. Ted Strickland, the Lisbon Democrat who is Blackwell's opponent for governor, said Friday that he just started reading Blackwell's book and said he was struck by Blackwell's call for "an end to the welfare state, so that no welfare state remains at all, not even an altered state that is radically different from the one we have today."

"There have been aspects of government programs that have had a negative impact in some cases," Strickland said, "but does he really want to do away with government programs that really work, programs like Medicaid, children's health insurance, and adoption assistance?"

Thank you tax cuts.� From the Dispatch

Through May, tax revenue is exceeding state budget estimates by $350 million, while spending is less than expected. The fiscal year ends June 30.

From the Dispatch…�

Ohio House Republicans expect to begin hearings in July on a bill that would significantly cut state taxes on investments. At the same time the GOP candidate for governor, J. Kenneth Blackwell, is on the campaign trail stressing his desire to cut taxes.

In a coordinated election-year effort for Republicans to push an anti-tax message, the House Ways and Means Committee plans to take up a bill that would phase in a capital-gains tax cut over three years.

Few committees meet during the summer, generally a slow time for legislative action around the Statehouse. Sally C. Kilbane, a Rocky River Republican and com- mittee chairwoman, said she does not have a timetable for moving the bill.

Gov. Bob Taft and Senate President Bill M. Harris, RAshland, said they have not been involved in discussions about any capital-gains tax cut proposal.

But Blackwell’s campaign, including Rep. Tom Raga, of Mason, the lieutenant governor candidate, is up to speed and has had input into the plan.

"I’m fully aware of what they’re doing, and it’s an accelerator of what I’m trying to accomplish," Blackwell said, referring to his plan to create a lower, flat state income tax. "It allows us to cut the capitalgains tax faster."

Lowering the tax, Blackwell said, will help slow down the exodus of wealthy Ohioans from the state.

"We’re on the same page," he said of himself and House Speaker Jon A. Husted, R-Kettering. "We’ve looked for ways to effectively accomplish the objectives we both have laid out."

The campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland offered no comment.

This would be great if passed.� Less penalties for those who take a risk and invest their money.�