Mark Dansack challenges Mark Wagoner...

This press release just in from the Mark Dansack for 46th District House of Representatives Campaign:

Mark Dansack challenges opponent to stay implementation of the Taft Corruption Bailout Act (Senate Bill 7) until a full investigation into the irregularities at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is conducted.

Monclova Township Democrat Mark Dansack, a candidate for the 46th District House of Representatives in Ohio, has issued a challenge to his opponent, Mark Wagoner, to introduce legislation which would stay the implementation of Senate Bill 7 until the full details of all irregularities within the operation of the Bureau are known.

“It’s not bad enough that we have seen the Noe “Coingate” fiasco and the MDL investment losses of over $200 million, but now we are finding out that GOP reforms instituted as a cost-cutting measure in the late 1990’s have actually increased the bureau’s total operating costs at more than twice the rate of inflation - since these reforms were instituted”


As a result, according to figures quoted by both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Toledo Blade, the BWC has actually spent roughly $1.6 Billion more under the managed-care initiative than it would have had costs been held in check.

“This gross mismanagement of public funds by these self-described fiscal conservatives speaks volumes about what is wrong in Ohio and has been for the past decade and a half. When the scandal erupted, the only proposal from the General Assembly was to place (through Senate Bill 7) more burden on the injured workers that the system was intended to help.”

Dansack continued, “I call on Representative Wagoner to stand up for working men and women in Ohio and put his full effort into delaying implementation of what should be called the Taft Corruption Bailout Act.”

Dansack works as a legal aid for Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer and deals daily with injured workers, physicians, managed care organizations, and the Bureau of Workers Compensation.

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get these injured workers the care that they need and representatives from the GOP are hanging their hats on their cost-saving measures that they have implemented. I challenge Mr. Wagoner to join with me in agreeing that the measure passed in March, 2006 is no longer valid, as it fails to take into account additional information that has been made available illustrating major problems with the administration of the Bureau”.

It is Dansack’s opinion that the remedies proposed in Senate Bill 7 are analogous to an auto mechanic attempting to overhaul a broken down engine by adding a quart of oil and some washer fluid, or a physician attempting to administer a cure for an unspecified disease without first completing a full examination of the patient. “Look, we wouldn’t trust a mechanic or a physician who wouldn’t take the time necessary to figure out what’s wrong, and we shouldn’t trust state government with this corruption bailout plan which clearly attempts to balance the Bureau’s budget on the backs of the very injured workers it is supposed to protect”.

According to the Toledo Blade, in the mid-1990s, bureau officials said the new managed-care program would lead to savings of 15 percent to 30 percent of the bureau's medical costs and provide better services to injured workers. Instead, the costs have steadily risen, and managed-care firms made hundreds of millions off the agency. “In another occurrence of the frequent buck-passing we have seen at the state level, Mark Rickel, Governor Taft’s press secretary, squarely placed the blame on James Conrad, who resigned in 2005 as the scandal broke. I ask Mr. Rickel the following questions: Who appointed Mr. Conrad and why is Governor Taft so unwilling to accept any responsibility for any of his decisions?”

“My view is that we ought to scrap the entire language of Senate Bill 7, as it clearly is deficient in terms of even coming close to solving the colossal problems we’ve seen at the BWC in Ohio. Let’s let the new Governor and new legislature work on an initiative for a fair and equitable solution to reforming the system to a system that adequately protects injured workers, while also ensuring that proper oversight is undertaken to make sure that the waste of public funds is eliminated. The injured workers in Ohio and businesses who pay premiums into the system deserve nothing less.”

Dansack, 44, is married to Heather, and they are the parents of two young daughters, Caitlin and Sophia. Prior to joining Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer in 2003, Dansack worked in manufacturing with General Mills, Inc. in Toledo. Dansack holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, both earned at the University of Toledo.

More information about Mr. Dansack’s campaign can be obtained at dansackdistrict46.blogspot.com

Ben Konop Press Release on plan for Senior Citizens

This just in from the Ben Konop for Lucas County Commissioner Campaign:

Konop To Unveil Three-Part Senior Safety Proposal

Democratic candidate promoting new ideas to increase senior independence and well- being.

Continuing his campaign based on new ideas and a fresh vision for Lucas County, Democratic Candidate for Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop will today unveil a three-pronged approach to addressing senior safety issues.

Konop will discuss his initiatives with seniors throughout the community today, Thursday, September 14th. Konop will be appearing at a senior pancake breakfast at 8:30 AM at West Park Place, 3501 Executive Parkway, at an 11:15 AM Senior lunch at the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center, 1315 Hillcrest Avenue, and at a 4:15 PM Bingo game at the Margaret Hunt Senior Center, located at 2121 Garden Lake Parkway. Media is invited to attend any event.


At each stop Konop will outline his proposals which include a free 911 cellular-phone program, a HOW-R-YOU? program including regular automated calls to seniors, and the creation of a senior citizens’ police academy.

“These initiatives, modeled after successful programs throughout the state and the country, will help seniors live more independently and safely here in our community,” stated Konop. “At a minimal cost to taxpayers, we can implement programs that help those who deserve it the most: Our county’s senior citizens.”

This is the latest in a string of substantive policy initiatives from Konop designed to move Lucas County forward into the 21st Century. “As the campaign goes on, the difference between me and my Republican opponent is becoming clear,” added Konop. “My Republican opponent represents the Tom Noe and Bob Taft politics of the past, while our campaign is about real change and a new direction for Lucas County,” stated Konop.

The full text of the initiatives follows.


Paid for by Konop for Lucas County, Tony Pizza, Chair
100 S. Huron St. Suite 7C, Toledo, OH 43602

BEN KONOP FOR SENIOR SAFETY

3 WAYS WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB FOR SENIORS IN LUCAS COUNTY

1) FREE 911 CELL PHONE PROGRAM FOR SENIORS

HOW THIS WORKS: Drop-off points are set up throughout the community, so citizens can donate used cellular phones. The used cell phones, regardless of service, are still equipped to dial “911” in case of an emergency. These cell phones are distributed by the county at no cost to all seniors who wish to participate in the program.

2) HOW-R-YOU? A PROGRAM TO PROMOTE SENIOR INDEPENDENCE

HOW THIS WORKS: A computer generated telephone call is made to senior subscribers, checking on their well-being once a day. Once the subscriber answers this telephone call, a pre-recorded message is played to the recipient. The subscriber is then instructed, through this message, to press a certain telephone key to indicate that they are alright. Once this is accomplished the computer program ends their call, and begins to dial the next listed subscriber.
If for some reason the subscriber does not answer the telephone, or does not press the predefined key, the computer program initiates an alert to the Sheriff’s Office Communication Operator who then attempts a “live” telephone call to the subscriber. The Communication Operator then checks on the well-being of the subscriber. If no contact is made to the subscriber, the Communication Operator then dispatches a law enforcement officer to the subscriber’s residence to physically check on the well-being of the subscriber.

3) SENIOR CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

HOW THIS WORKS: This 7 week course will be taught to seniors by retired police officers at community buildings throughout the county. Topics include identity theft prevention, self defense and home protection. Students receive a certificate at the conclusion of the 7 week program.

VOTE FOR DEMOCRAT BEN KONOP FOR LUCAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER…IT’S TIME TO STAND UP FOR SENIORS!

The read more button thingy

I'm trying something new to make the blog as user friendly as possible, especially on days where there are more posts and press releases for you to navigate the site and click on the "read more" for the posts you are interested in. It will also make the site a bit quicker to get thru if you are watching or participating in one of the threads with comments.

Any thoughts or comments on this is appreciated.

:-)

Lourdes Santiago Press Release on Police Staffing Numbers

From the Lourdes Santiago for Toledo Council campaign:

Santiago Vows to Fight for More Police in Budget Process

TOLEDO, Ohio – As proud family members and city officials looked on, twenty-nine new recruits were sworn in Wednesday as Toledo’s newest class of police officers. Shortly before the swearing-in ceremony began, Councilwoman Lourdes Santiago called for additional funding for the Toledo Police Department in next year’s budget to substantially increase the 2007 class of new officers.

“It is essential that we do everything in our power to make families and businesses feel safe when they settle in to our neighborhoods,” Santiago said. “It is only through the cooperation of city officials, police officers, and community members that we can hope to make our city more secure. Today marks the first step,” she continued.


Councilwoman Santiago, who is currently running to retain her at-large seat on City Council, discussed part her campaign plan that calls for more new officer positions to be included in the upcoming year’s city budget. Santiago pledged to “do everything in [her] power” to secure funds for additional officers in upcoming budget negotiations.

According to information obtained from the Toledo Police Department, the department requested that 30 officer positions be established for 2006. All but one of those positions has been filled as of today’s swearing-in ceremony. In next year’s budget, a total of 20 new officer positions are being requested – a decrease that is said to reflect changes in retirement projections for 2007.

Santiago noted that Cincinnati, a city comparable to Toledo in population and demographics, has roughly 350 more uniformed personnel than the Toledo Police Department1. “According to recent statistics, there are several categories of crime in which Toledo currently outranks Cincinnati, such as aggravated assault and burglary2. With more police on patrol to deter criminals and more detectives investigating crimes that have already been committed, we will be able to lower those numbers significantly,” Santiago said.

Councilwoman Santiago noted that she would be meeting with Chief Navarre in the coming weeks leading up to budget negotiations to discuss the department’s needs, in order to find a number that would be effective for the goals mentioned while remaining affordable for the city’s current revenue projections.

Santiago’s full campaign platform, titled “Strong Neighborhoods for a Strong Toledo,” is available to the public on her Web site, www.santiagoforcouncil.com.

References:

1. Cincinnati police figures (1,043 uniformed personnel) obtained from Cincinnati Police Department Office of Personnel, 9/13/06. Toledo police figures (692 sworn personnel) obtained from Toledo Police Chief Michael Navarre’s Office, 9/13/06.

2. 2004 crime figures obtained from AreaConnect, “Actual Reported Population and Crimes.” Available on the Web here

More on the proposed salary increase for top Toledo administrators...

I read the information as presented in the title linked Toledo Blade article:

Toledo's police chief gets $92,000, compared with an average of $116,437 for the cities of Dayton, Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

The lowest pay, after Toledo's, is Akron, at $104,229, according to the administration's information.

City finance directors average $121,829 in other cities, compared to $83,999 for Toledo's finance director, John Sherburne, according to the information.

Then I started searching...


According to Salary.com the median salary for a Sheriff/Chief of Police is: $88,574

That of course is much lower than what was quoted in the Toledo Blade article so, I after I spent about an hour searching for additional information. I was able to discover that many smaller cities pay less but not much information as to cities of comparable size. I then contacted Brian Schwartz and asked him if it would be possible for me to get the salary information from the other larger Ohio cities. Brian was kind enough to fax the information to me, which I appreciate because I wanted to be accurate and fair in looking at this issue. There are two groups of data - one is based on the highest salary possible the other is based on what is currently being paid. Focusing on what is currently being paid first in Toledo, then the lowest then the highest then the median.

Finance Director - $83,999 $115,440 (Dayton) $132,000 (Cinci) $121,829 (median)
Human Resource Director - $86,000 $105,851 (Akron) $125,843 (Dayton) $113,266.50 (median)
Law Director - $86,000 $115,773 (Akron) $137,987 (Columbus) $121,035 (median)
Public Service Director - $92,000 108,992 (Cleveland) $140,000 (Columbus) 120,808 (median)
Fire Chief - $91,499 $104,229 (Akron) $136,644 (Columbus) $112,270 (median)
Police Chief - $92,000 $104,229 (Akron) $142,313 (Columbus) $110,344 (median)

Some additional information that was included also states that the proposed ordinance would make changes to the benefit packages that would result in a savings of $340,000. It also states there is an additional savings of $246,750 in the City budget by not filling the Public Safety Director and the Economic Director.

For those who would rather see an Economic Director, that position is listed at a cost of $110,000 to $123,375 depending on a benefit details. It's also pointed out that the Mayor's salary was increased 81%, President of City Council 39% and City Council 48.6%.

Of course there are 75 positions that are involved, so there are still some questions as to where the additional money would come from since it's assumed it would cost more than $586,750 to implement these changes. There's also the additional concern of allowing the Mayor to be able to go beyond any salary cap without having to go before City Council. I'm not aware of any situation other than the one reported in 2004 when it was reported Toledo City Council stalled on the issue of increasing the pay cap for the Economic Director. My personal opinion on that is there should be some form of checks and balances within the system and there is a mechanism in place if there is an issue of offering a salary that is over the cap. Not just for the current Mayor but for any Mayor.

To sum this up, there is valid documentation that the pay scales for the positions listed are below what other large Ohio cities are paying. How much the City can afford and where that money would come from and is it supported for the Mayor to be able to exceed a salary cap at his or her discretion, will I'm sure be discussed more as this comes before the Council's Human Resources Committee and of course here as this progresses.

Cordray Press Release - Creating Financial Oversight...

This just in from the Richard Cordray for Treasurer Campaign:

STATE TREASURY CANDIDATE PLEDGES TO CREATE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT “TRAPS” FOR NOE-LIKE TRANSACTIONS

(Cincinnati)--Franklin County Treasurer Richard Cordray, the Democratic candidate for Ohio Treasurer, said that office should be a watchdog for “oddities and irregularities,” and pledged to set up internal processes to do so if elected.

At a meeting here for government finance officials from throughout the state, Cordray said that although the state treasurer doesn’t have a regulatory role, like the attorney general or auditor, the treasurer’s staff handles paperwork and processes that gives them an implicit responsibility to flag transactions that appear “unusual, questionable, or downright screwy,” like the coin investments handled by Tom Noe for the Bureau of Workers Compensation.


“Several warning lights should have flashed when the first transaction for $25 million came through the treasurer’s office in 1998,” Cordray said. “Although the treasurer is not responsible nor empowered to make investment decisions for the BWC or any of the public pension funds in Ohio, it is certainly highly unusual for payments to be made without being secured, as was the case with the Noe coin venture.

“The state treasury should be like a bank, in that irregular transactions automatically trigger a review. If elected, I will immediately conduct an operational review of internal controls and take steps to strengthen them. We will implement a robust system of checks and balances that set off warning signals of transactions that are anywhere from just plain wrong to outright weird.”

Cordray noted that in the Franklin County Treasurer’s office, investments are made using the best practice of delivery versus payment basis, and that some form of collateral is held to protect and secure the investment.

Additionally, Franklin County Treasurer’s office requires that all staff members who handle investments follow an ethics policy, which he would also employ in the state treasurer’s office, Cordray said.

“When the paperwork for the first unsecured $25 million deposit for Tom Noe came through the treasurer’s office to be processed, the only other elected officeholder in the position to question what the administration was doing and to call a time-out was the state treasurer,” Cordray said. “If elected state treasurer, I will halt and question any transaction that is clearly not by the book. At the very least this will give all parties an opportunity to publically provide answers and defend decisions to the satisfaction of the taxpayers.”

As the local officials entrusted with taking care of the day-to-day business of financial management of schools, county and city services, members of the Ohio Government Financial Officers Association understand better than most the importance of stringent standards and controls when handling public funds, Cordray said.

Cordray said local financial officers like those in the audience are the individuals who ultimately protect the public’s trust.

“You are the professionals who catch the first whiff of corruption, giving us time to get rid of something going bad before it contaminates the entire process. Yours is the kind of sensibility that should be in place in the state treasurer’s office, and if elected, I will work to make that happen.”

Cordray was endorsed by the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants earlier this month.

Richard Cordray was also featured here on Glass City Jungle, and appeared on Nookular Option...

Joe McNamara Press Release on "double dipping"

This "scoop" in from the Joe McNamara Campaign for Toledo City Council:

McNamara Calls on Council to Reject Pay Raises for “Double Dippers”

Toledo City Council candidate Joe McNamara will hold a press conference today, Wednesday, September 13 at 3 PM in front of the Igloo ice cream stand at Monroe & Douglas calling on City Council to reject pay raises for managers who “double dip,” collecting both a salary and state retirement pension.

:-)

Blog it Toledo, Mark Bula and more...

This week's Blog it Toledo is now online and it hightlights some of my favorite places to stop by with a new one, Progress Ohio that I recommend checking out.

I was happy to see Autumn Lee's article about Mark Bula, I am a huge fan of Mark and what he is doing for the residents of Sylvania. Mark was also kind enough to be the first person to do a one on one interview with me back in June. It's thanks to him that the whole idea of the "Sitting Down with" series happened, so I'm glad our local media is writing about Mark.

One of my Blog it Blogs was focusing on Key Fairies and Tomato Fairies, but Traci Curth has an online exclusive article that focuses on a Fairy she's not to happy with some of the hype that is surrounding it. Michael Miller has some thoughts on Jeff Heitz that is also a suggested "must read" in my opinion.

As always many more excellent and informational articles await you in this weekly edition of the Toledo Free Press so make sure to pick up your copy and visit online.

:-)

I also once again missed submitting a post for the Carnival of Ohio Politics but it's a great one this week so don't forget to stop by.

Dave Schulz Press Release on Government Transparency and Accessibility

From the Dave Schulz for Toledo City Council campaign:

Candidate will urge use of latest technology and other ways to make city government more transparent and accessible

City Council candidate Dave Schulz will hold a press conference on Wednesday September 13th at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Government Center in Downtown Toledo.

Dave will be joined by two individuals who have shown great gusto for pushing for more transparency in government; Chris Myers, former school board candidate and private citizen Kate Boyd. They have taken it upon themselves to record video and audio of important city council and TPS meetings so that the public becomes more informed by posting them at www.toledopolitican.com They cannot do this indefinitely and Schulz will discuss ways for city council to bring greater transparency to their proceedings.

Schulz will unveil his “transparency” plans for Toledo City Council which he will push once elected to Toledo City Council. They include:

Internet broadcasting and archiving of council and committee meetings
Internet switchboards on website to allow quick routing to appropriate email address
Transparency of posting as many city documents on the Internet as possible
Timely alerting of public of events and meetings through subscribable e-mail lists, postings on city Web site, and RSS feeds
Online campaign finance reports of all elected officials
Online Ohio Ethics reports

The plan also includes other non-technological fixes and adjustments in order to make government accessible to more people. These include:

More nightly meetings so working people can attend
Explore feasibility of an occasional council meeting in community setting outside of Government Center
Public comment at regular council meetings
Explore expansion of tv broadcasting of meetings

Schulz will also point to a continuing battle that Myers and Boyd have with TPS over broadcasting their proceedings via the internet. He will urge the board to use technology to embrace Toledo Public School residents and encourage every board member to embrace using the latest technology to communicate with Toledo residents.

Schulz said, "I am about open, accessible government, plain and simple. Increasing citizen participation in government encourages better decisions and accountability. The whole community benefits from these efforts."

So...Tom Noe gets 27 month sentence on federal charges

According to WTOL:

TOLEDO -- Tom Noe, the prominent GOP fundraiser at the center of an Ohio political scandal, will spend 27 months in federal prison for arranging a contribution scheme to raise money for the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign in 2004. Federal judge David Katz sentenced Noe in a federal courtroom in Toledo Tuesday afternoon to 27 months on each of 3 counts, and ordered the sentences to be served concurrently. Katz also imposed a $136,200 fine.

Federal prosecutors had asked that Noe get 5 years in prison, because they say he has made other illegal contributions to candidates in Ohio. Noe's attorney argued he should receive only community service, because he says Noe has been publicly humiliated and probation and community service are a more appropriate punishment.

Noe still faces other charges in Lucas County that he will go on trial in October for, yet I can't help feeling some of the same thoughts I had when Bob McCloskey was sentenced, ironically he was also given a 27 month sentence.

While I don't believe either man should have gotten a pass on what led to their convictions, I also believe if we don't change the system all we are doing is making a few examples here and there of those who get caught while the deeper issue of how this happened in the first place still exists.

Let's flash back thanks to this Washington Post article:

When four longtime supporters of George W. Bush in 1998 developed a name and a structure for the elite cadre that the then-Texas governor would rely on in his campaign for president, the goal was simple. They wanted to escape the restraints of the public financing system that Congress had hoped would mitigate the influence of money in electing a president. Their way to do it was to create a network of people who could get at least 100 friends, associates or employees to give the maximum individual donation allowed by law to a presidential candidate: $1,000.

The Pioneers have evolved from an initial group of family, friends and associates willing to bet on putting another Bush in the White House into an extraordinarily organized and disciplined machine. It is now twice as big as it was in 2000 and fueled by the desire of corporate CEOs, Wall Street financial leaders, Washington lobbyists and Republican officials to outdo each other in demonstrating their support for Bush and his administration's pro-business policies.

As long as this type of system still exists there are going to be future problems.

Missteps with Minority voters and the decisions they face..

La Prensa has an interesting AP article written by Erin Texeria, that is entitled, "Republican gains with minority voters offset by missteps" but also highlights some recent problems with the Democratic Party and minority voters as well.



The main "Missteps" from the article then any additional information in blue:

Reports surfaced last week that Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican, called his house painter a ``nice little Guatemalan man'' during a June speech. Burns, whose re-election campaign is pressing for tighter immigration controls, also suggested that the man might be an illegal immigrant. It turns out the worker is legal.

More:

“The other day, the little fella who does our maintenance work around the house, he’s from Guatemala, and I said, ‘Could I see your green card?”’ Burns said at a June meeting recorded by Democrats. “And Hugo says, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Oh gosh.”’ (Burn's staffer says the story was anecdotal). Burns is also known for his recent August comment in which he stated, the United States is up against a faceless enemy of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night."

George Allen, a Republican senator from Virginia, twice referred to an opponent's volunteer using a term considered by some to be a racial slur. ``Let's give a welcome to Macaca here,'' Allen said. ``Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.''

More:

"This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and its great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come."

Former Democratic congressman and civil rights leader Andrew Young, who is black, said this month that Asian, Jewish and Arab shopkeepers in black neighborhoods sold shoddy goods to blacks and drove away their businesses.

More:

"Well, I think they should; they (big stores) ran the mom-and-pop stores out of my neighborhood," he told the Sentinel. "But you see those are the people (owners of mom-and-pop stores) who have been overcharging us--selling us stale bread, and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs, very few black people own these stores."

And, amid protests, the Democratic party this month pulled an advertisement from its Web site that compared Latino immigrants to terrorists.

More:

The ad opens with the words "Security Under Bush and GOP?" It features scenes of a masked man with a bazooka, scenes from terrorist attacks and police inspecting a subway train. It also shows Osama bin Laden, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a docked ship as it claims "4 times as many terrorist attacks in 2005."

Then comes footage of a person climbing over a corrugated metal border fence and another preparing to climb it as the words "millions more illegal immigrants" form on-screen. In the following scene, viewers see the words "North Korea has quadrupled its nuclear arsenal" with footage of a tank and North Korea President Kim Jong Il.

Of course it can be said that these statements are a reflection on the individuals rather than the party. However the above incidents clearly point that both the Republican and Democratic party could do a better job when it comes to inclusion and sensitivity. Even locally we have a situation where there are those in the Hispanic community who feel as if they being divided when it comes to the Toledo City Council race. It was assumed by many that Bob Vasquez would be the candidate that was supported until Lourdes Santiago was selected by the Lucas County Democratic Party. Some in the Hispanic community are forced with the decison of do those who supported Bob now support Lourdes or do those who supported him in the last election still continue to support him. Then the concerns about the whole endorsement process that goes far beyond minorities or one individual candidate, but relates to all of us which, is a topic for another day...

As the original article that inspired this post states:

Outreach to minorities can ring hollow if it's not backed by strong policies, said Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine.

Which to me can be easily summed up as we have a lot of people willing to talk the talk, but less willing to walk the walk...

Toledo City Paper on Homeland Security expenditures...

There is a really great indepth article entitled "Monkey Brained?" by Veronique de Rugy that I highly recommend reading.

It raises some interesting questions as to if money that is supposed to be for Homeland Security needs is being used wisely and where it is really needed. From reading the article it would appear that these funds have become more about pork and less about making anyone actually safer. A few examples from the article:

$7.9 million for investigations of missing and exploited children; $102,000 to promote public awareness of the child pornography tip line; $203,000 for Project Alert, a drug use prevention program for schools; $15.8 million to enforce laws against forced child labor; $500,000 to continue steel tariff training, a program "to ensure Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement of U.S. trade laws benefits from the expertise of the steel industry in classifying steel goods"; and $15 billion for bridge alterations in Mobile, Ala.; LaCrosse, Wis.; Chelsea, Mass.; Galveston, Tx.; Morris, Ill.; and Burlington, Iowa.

$58,000 on a rescue vehicle capable of boring through concrete to search for victims in collapsed buildings in Colchester, Vt.

On Christmas 2004, the department handed out $153 million to programs offering food and shelter for the poor, a significant increase from the previous year’s budget. In September 2004, the Senate attached $2.9 billion to the fiscal year 2005 homeland security bill for disaster aid to farm states affected by droughts, floods, and freezes.

An additional article written by Rick Claypool focuses on how Lucas County spends money for Homeland Security needs.

New Joe McNamara ad starts tomorrow...

But, you can view it here first:





It's entitled, "Service To ALL Of Toledo" and it will be aired starting tomorrow during the 6:00 p.m. news on WTOL and WTVG.

Latest Sherrod satire site, made me say "Far Out"...

I realize that this cartoon type production entitled Far Out Brown is supposed to scare people into believing that Sherrod Brown is some type of an extreme hippy. I have a feeling that this type of cartoon web parody thing is going to increase in use in the future. This particular one was paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

I'm not sure how many people are going to base their decision between Sherrod Brown and Mike DeWine based on a cartoon. I realize many people are doing this sort of thing on their own, the recent cartoon that featured Ohio Republicans and Tom Noe as one example. The attempt to bring up visions of the John Kerry Swiftboating with the image of John Kerry on the TV screen in the room where you can have Sherrod "Chill" is kind of hard to miss. As with most campaign ads, the information listed is used in what can only be viewed as "cherry picking" but that's nothing new. I think we can all agree almost anyone who has been in office can have individual votes presented in a positive or a negative manner and their opponents will try to use that to their advantage as well as the candidate will do the same presenting their record in the best possible light to that particular audience and vice versa. That's why it's so important to take most of this stuff with a grain of salt, the ability to check facts and a sense of humor comes in handy...

While I enjoy some of the cartoon satire as much as the next person, I do really have to wonder though about the waste of dollars in what is sure to become the cartoon wars, especially now that it has moved on beyond individuals doing this sort of thing for "fun" and is being used by organizations that seek political donations. I'm also old enough that to me saying someone is "Far Out" means they are cool, awesome, neat, groovy and a few other lingoisms of that time period.

I don't often post about my other daughters but, a picture I think is pretty "Far Out", of Megan and Erin, yesterday brushing up on how they will celebrate if Sherrod and Ted win:



Now you'll have to excuse me...I'm going to look for a VW Bus and some love beads...

:-)

Lourdes Santiago on Conklin and Company...

Lourdes Santiago was on this morning's Conklin and Company. Lee Conklin started the segment with asking her about her latest press release/conference on "Green Initiatives", and asked if the earlier press release/press conference done by Ben Konop on his plan that featured replacing some county vehicles with hybrids was planned or a coincidence.

She stated it was not planned, that it was a matter of both she and Ben being very progressive when it comes to the need for alternative energy. Lourdes continued with mentioning some of the companies in our area that are focusing on alternative energy such as First Solar in Perrysburg, the new bio-diesel plant that is being built and The Anderson's ethanol focus which shows that the technology is here in our area and it's time we embraced it more. She thinks bio-diesel is a viable option since there is no need to do any retrofitting to have a Jeep, as one example, run on bio-diesel fuel. That any costs that did occur would be made up for in the savings from what the City currently spends on it's over 10,000 vehicles. Ms. Santiago would also like to see solar panels utilized at the Barney Quilter Center as well as other energy saving technology being implemented as another example of the ideas she as chair of the Environment, Utilities & Public Service Committee would like to see implemented.

Lourdes stated the reason why this was important to do now was that the budget process is going to begin and "now is an appropriate time to factor those initiatives in." The City currently spends about 3 million dollars a year for fuel costs and Fleets and Facilities should be looked at.

Then the conversation turned to the actual City Council race, Lee stated the other candidates she was running against, (that's when he made the "Upstart Joe McNamara" reference) and Lourdes stated that "City Council is not the place to cut your teeth. City Council needs experience and expertise." She says she would still be learning the ropes had she not been a part of the City administration before, that someone new "by the time they learn they have been bamboozled or led astray."

Then the last segment of the show with Sandy Isenberg and Jim Tankersley. When the topic turned to the City Council race, Sandy stated having the three Democrats could very well split the vote giving Dave Schulz a win. Jim didn't comment on that aspect, but pointed out that Lourdes was complimenting Ben Konop earlier but that to him it was a double standard to make experience being necessary for Toledo City Council an issue when Ben is running for Lucas County Commissioner and has no prior government experience. Sandy was of course not "allowed" to comment on that aspect of the discussion.

I agree with Lourdes on the need for the City to start using alternative energy, but I disagree with her on the experience issue. I supported Taylor Balderas as being appointed and had I been in district 3 at the time? I would have voted for her, because I think Taylor had a huge potential to bring a new perspective to City Government. I fully understand that every candidate must play up what they feel are their strengths, however, I don't think the lack of government experience is always a negative. It can be a positive...

Joe McNamara Press Conference on “No Crony Left Behind”

"Upstart" Joe McNamara (according to Lee Conklin of WTVG on this morning's Conklin and Company) has just sent out this Press Release:

McNamara Blasts Mayor’s Executive Pay Raise Ordinance as “No Crony Left Behind”

Democrat Joe McNamara will hold a press conference today, Sunday, September 10, 2006, at 2 PM in front of the Public Safety Building in downtown Toledo to call on City Council to reject the “No Crony Left Behind” ordinance from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner that dramatically raises executive pay.

“The mayor hollers about overtime for police officers and fire fighters but he wants massive pay raises for his executives,” notes McNamara. “It’s an outrage. I call it ‘No Crony Left Behind.’”

UPDATE Monday:

Tom Troy of the Toledo Blade, has more on yesterday's press conference including reaction from the City and three of the other City Council candidates.

:-)

Forget the funnel cakes...pass the Pastichio!

If you haven't been down to the Greek Festival - Tomorrow is the last day and it's Family Day so admission is only a dollar. The music is great, the atmosphere family friendly and the food? Always excellent. If you've never been there or if you want more information visit the title link.

My husband made me promise that if we went I would not spend more than five minutes with each person talking politics, which was a challenge but I succeeded. Joe McNamara was there, I know Jim Nusbaum was because I saw people wearing his stickers but he might have been gone by the time we got there. I also heard Lourdes Santiago was there earlier too. Judge Linda Jennings was serving up the Pastichio. Ben Konop was there, he and his parents and a few Konop supporters had some extra room at their table so we sat with them to eat mass quanitites of Greek food. My personal favorite is the Pastichio then the Cheese pies or Tiropita to be precise. George Sarantou who is the one of the many people who work very hard to make the Greek Festival such a success was there and I had a chance to say hello to him before we left. I think I also spotted Harry Barlos...

I'm thinking of visiting again tomorrow...maybe I'll actually have room to try the Baklava Sundae....

:-)

Ordinance to raise salaries of top Toledo officials submitted

We did know this was coming, it was mentioned several times including when our Mayor hired Brian Schwartz. I think everyone agrees with Toledo City Councilperson Phil Copeland who stated:

"Everybody deserves a raise, if they're doing a good job. If they've done a good job, they should be rewarded for it, they should be paid for it, just like anybody else," Mr. Copeland said. "They got bills to pay, just like anybody else."

I think the questions surrounding this issue will be based on can the City afford this right now and if Toledo is behind other large Ohio Cities as far as the amount of pay they offer how much are they behind. I don't think you can base this on what other cities pay that have different cost of living factors.

So, I took a quick search around the internet to see if I could discover what other Ohio cities are paying.

The title linked Blade article states:

Department directors, who have a pay range of $60,500 to $92,500, would be adjusted to a range of $88,048 to $123,254.

One recent internet job listing has this among the other openings:

Troy, OH (pop. 23,000) Director of Public Service and Safety. Salary +/- $108,000 DOQ

Dublin, Ohio has a very professional looking 12 page recruitment document for a Director of Land Use and Long Range Planning, but it doesn't include their salary range.

So, it will be interesting to see what information comes out as a part of this process, who supports the increases, who is opposed to the salary increases and what the final outcomes ends up being.

Half a dozen choices for one Toledo City Council spot...

According to this morning's Toledo Blade as linked in the title...Six Toledo area citizens filed signature petitions for the at large opening on Toledo City Council.

Bob Vasquez, Dave Schulz, Lourdes Santiago and Joe McNamara are the four candidates we have talked about.

David Davison who is a retired police officer who's name those of you who followed the Father Robinson murder trial might remember, he was the first police officer on the scene. Davison also appeared before the Lucas County Republican Party Screening committee, which endorsed Dave Schulz.

Then a new name, James Mohn, who is listed as a Democrat also has joined in submitting signature petitions. The only online information I was able to find on James Mohn was one who retired from UAW Local 14, this past June as a Cutter/Grinder with 11.2 years of service. I'm not sure if this is the same James Mohn, but I'll try to find out information on him as well as more information on Mr. Davison.

If any of you have more information? Either post it in the comments or you can always email me at glasscityjungle@gmail.com.

And then...Dave Schulz turns in his signatures...

Toledo City Council candidate Dave Schulz turned in his signature petitions to be included on the November ballot at around 1:00 p.m. today. Dave submitted 375 signatures, most candidates do go for more than the minimum number required so that if there are any signatures declared invalid for one reason or another (it's amazing how detailed the signature process is) they still meet the number necessary to get on the ballot.

Also, the podcast of Dave's appearance on the Nookular Option yesterday is up for those of you who didn't get a chance to tune in. Or if you did get a chance to tune in but want to hear it again.

:-)

It also sounds like there are at least two other candidates who turned in petitions in addition to Lourdes who I haven't gotten confirmation on.

Lourdes Santiago for Toledo City Council campaign website is live

When I talked to Lourdes Santiago last week about a future interview for the readers of Glass City Jungle, she told me that her campaign website was about to be released.

I just received an email that santiagoforcouncil.com is live, so stop on by and welcome Lourdes to the net.

The site is very well done and informative, so kudos to the Santiago campaign on creating a very nice web presence. For future reference it will also be included in the sidebar with all of our local candidates for office.

:-)

Mark Dansack issues Press Release on analysis of BWC

Mark Dansack, Ted Strickland and Chris Redfern

FOR RELEASE September 8, 2006:

Mark Dansack comments on Cleveland Plain Dealer analysis regarding Ohio’s Bureau of Workers Compensation reforms which have actually increased the bureau’s total operating costs since 1998.

Citing a Cleveland Plain Dealer analysis, Monclova Township Democrat Mark Dansack, a candidate for the 46th District House of Representatives in Ohio, has issued a statement decrying the continued waste in the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.

“It’s not bad enough that we have seen the “Coingate” fiasco with insider Tom Noe being entrusted with $50 million of the Bureau’s funds to “invest” in collectibles, and also the MDL investment losses of over $200 million, but now we are finding out that GOP reforms instituted as a cost-cutting measure in the late 1990’s have actually increased the bureau’s total operating costs at more than twice the rate of inflation - since these reforms were instituted”

As a result, according to figures quoted by the Plain Dealer, the bureau has actually spent roughly $1.6 Billion more under the managed-care initiative than it would have had costs been held in check.

“This gross mismanagement of public funds by these self-described fiscal conservatives speaks volumes about what is wrong in Ohio and has been for the past decade and a half. Then, as a response to “coingate” and MDL, we see the GOP majority ram through Senate Bill 7 earlier this year, an attempt to begin to recoup some of these losses created at their own hands at the expense of the very injured workers that the BWC insurance fund was established to protect”

According to the Plain Dealer, the BWC was established in 1913 as a state-run, no fault insurance program for workers injured on the job. It is now funded by premiums charged to public and private employers that are not self-insured, all of which are now required to have an MCO, or managed care organization. Operation of the program is paid for through an administrative fee assessed against all Ohio employers.

Dansack works as a legal aid for Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer and deals daily with injured workers, physicians, managed care organizations, and the Bureau of Workers Compensation.

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get these injured workers the treatment they need to get well and get back on the job. We see delays in treatment and testing which in turn only delays the recovery of these injured workers that this system was created to protect. In the final analysis, this only increases the costs as the workers continue to receive weekly benefits while they are fighting the system to get well. Any qualified health practitioner will agree that delaying necessary testing and treatment will delay and sometimes prevent an injured worker’s recovery.”

“What we have created in Ohio is a system that seemingly protects the employers rather than the injured workers, which is a direct affront to one of our most vulnerable populations in Ohio.”

Dansack also commented on the large partisan effort to push though the Senate Bill 7 reform bill earlier this year. “I know my opponent voted for the measure. I know I would have voted against it. Then there is the issue of tacking on the increase in the minimum wage bringing it in line with the federal rate. What kind of political
theatre was that? I also know that my opponent boasts a 100 % pro-business voting record according to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. I may be going out on a limb here, but don’t you think he could have found one opportunity to vote with the people instead of big business?

Dansack, 44, is married to Heather and has two young daughters, Caitlin and Sophia. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and Master’s Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Toledo. Prior to joining Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer in 2003, Dansack worked in manufacturing with General Mills for eighteen years.

For more information on Mark Dansack and his campaign for the 46th District, visit his blog

:-)

Joe McNamara makes it formal...

Joe McNamara is the second Toledo City Council candidate to turn in his signature petitions to be on the November 7th ballot. I was told that he turned in the maximum number of signatures which is 500.

Joe stated that he got the majority of his signatures going door to door and that he enjoyed having a chance to talk with Toledo residents. He felt that it was one of the benefits of signature process. There was an earlier media release on this if there is Blade coverage I'll link it here in the morning. Several local television stations were on hand, I saw WUPW Fox 36's coverage of this on their newscast this evening.

I know Dave Schulz's campaign was well within the required number of signatures, I have not heard from the Lourdes Santiago campaign but I'm assuming they have met the required number which is at least 250 valid signatures and no more than 500 signatures. It's anticipated that both of those campaigns will submit their signatures tomorrow.

:-)

An Unofficial poll on Toledo City Council race

I wanted to try something a bit different, it's not official nor is it a scentific poll but more to gauge where the majority of you who visit here are on the Toledo City Council race. If it's something that proves of interest, I'll do some future polls on other races.

I've created it so that you can only vote once per day, and I'll leave it on the sidebar for one week. Candidate names are listed in alphabetical order.

As an FYI, I have talked to all four candidates for City Council and each one has tentatively agreed to do a "Sitting down with" interview for the readers of Glass City Jungle in the weeks to come. I plan to feature these interviews in October so it will be a bit closer to the actual election.

I also have a few other local candidates who have expressed interest in being interviewed that will also be featured in the weeks to come.

I'm not crazy about the font appearance of the poll, but I'll figure out how to tweak that for future polls.

UPDATE: Well, it appears my plan to have the poll be to gauge how the regular readers of this blog would vote today has changed a bit. I welcome the new readers who stopped by upon the recommendation of the Lucas County GOP and thank you for complimenting my blog. I am guessing this poll will now be an indicator of who has the best internet/marketing support. So, I hope all of the campaigns have some fun with this.

:-)

Interesting Tele-marking call from the Blade

I just received a tele-marketing call from Lawrence, who wanted to offer me a great deal on a subscription to the Blade. I told him no thank you, that I wasn't interested, he tried a bit harder and I told him even if I was interested I would not consider a subscription while the lockout was going on. Lawrence then asked me something interesting, he asked me if I had stopped my cable tv as well.

Unfortunately for Lawrence that wasn't a good counter point, since I don't have cable tv.

:-)

Toledo alley garbage pick up and tomorrow's hearing

According to the Toledo Blade on September 2:

A proposal to switch from alley to curbside trash collection is set for a public hearing 3 p.m. Thursday in Toledo City Council chambers.

In the meantime, people whose trash has been collected in the alley should continue to place their trash there, said Bill Franklin, the city’s director of public service.

Mr. Franklin said no date has been set yet for the switch from alley to street garbage collection. He said the plan, when implemented, will improve the appearance of alleys and reduce the need for alley cleaning.

I can't attend the hearing since it is so close to the time my daughter gets out of school, however I've gone on record as being not overly fond of the idea of trying to get our garbage to the street. Taking the garbage up one set of stairs on the deck and across the deck then down the stairs to the front yard isn't going to be fun. I understand the hope that people will be more careful about how the garbage looks in the front. I also have to wonder about parking issues in areas like mine. For those of us who don't have driveways it's going to make it harder for the garbage collectors to get to cans and bags and it's not like there are many options of other places to park. However, it was kind of bothersome to read that even before the public hearing that our Mayor already has his mind made up.

Today, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner announced his decision to put the plan into action -- no matter what.

It's bad enough that most people who work during the day or have children that they have to be here for can't attend the public hearing, however couldn't we at least pretend like having the public hearing meant that there was some interest in what people had to say on the issue first?

Today's Blogorama continues, Blog it Toledo and...

Blog it Toledo is up with a day late Happy Birthday to Scott over at Republispin.

This week's Toledo Free Press cover story written by Michael Miller was a hard one for me to read. It brought back painful memories for me of events in my own life. I know from personal experience how hard it is to lose children. I can only imagine the added grief and pain a family goes thru when that child has been murdered.

Then Michael turns to focusing on his pirate days. I remember turning 40...arghhh

My favorite sports blogger, Matt Sussman isn't quite ready to rumble and there is of course many more fanastic articles awaiting you in this week's Toledo Free Press so don't forget to visit on line and pick up your copy this week.

:-)

I should also add I inadvertently did not mention Matt as being also responsible for some of the great posts over on The Infinite Dia(b)louge. I apologize for making him feel left out.

Lourdes Santiago Press Conference on "green" initiatives

WSPD is reporting that Toledo City Council candidate Lourdes Santiago had a press conference today:

Toledo Councilwoman Lourdes Santiago is urging the city's number crunchers to consider "green" initiatives when drafting next year's budget. She laid out a proposal Wednesday hoping to cut energy and fuel costs while retaining and creating new jobs. Santiago says the city could trim its current $14 million fuel costs for vehicles by working with the new biodiesel plant slated to open next spring. She also wants the Barney Quilter Environmental Services Building on Erie Street to serve as a model site by using solar panels, green roofs and rain gardens to promote the "green" concept.

Frank Szollosi Media Release 'Buy Local, Fly Local'

Received from Frank this morning:

Jobs & Investment At Stake In Airport Fight Port study documents $82 million economic hit to community

Seeking to turn around the 16% decline in air travel at Toledo Express this year, as well as recover tens of millions of dollars for local development, City Councilman Frank Szollosi will hold a media availability this afternoon at 3:00pm, first floor, One Government Center to discuss his plans to ask City Council and the Mayor to do more to support our local airport, including requiring official City air travel to utilize Toledo Express.

Szollosi serves as Vice Chair of Council's Economic Development Committee.

He also was kind enough to send the pdf report done for the Port Authority entitled, "Economic Impact of Passenger Traffic Loss".

If you'd like a copy, email me at glasscityjungle@gmail.com and I'll be happy to forward it to you. It makes some very interesting points.

Trying to draw the lines between loyalty and basic principles of democracy

Each of us seem to have our own stance on where we draw the line between partianship/loyalty and the overall principles of a democracy. No where has this become more apparent than in the collection of signatures by candidates to get on the ballot. I realize my position on this at times isn't popular because I support the right of third party candidates to be on our ballots as well. Many view third party candidates as "spoilers", I've gone on record several times, especially on my other blog that is more personal in nature on this topic believing that these other candidates can bring issues to the forefront that might not be discussed if it was not for their presence.

Locally in our Toledo City Council race we are experiencing what is not considered the traditional Endorsed Republican (Dave Schulz) up against the Endorsed Democrat (Lourdes Santiago) for one open seat. We have two Democratic candidates (Joe McNamara & Bob Vasquez) who are running against the Endorsed Democrat and the Endorsed Repubican. The two Democrats have not exactly been embraced with open arms by some, because to be blunt, party politics isn't as much about presenting a choice it's about beating the opposing party. Even during the recent primaries we have seen a push to get candidates of both parties to drop out so that only one candidate runs unopposed with a clear shot at a primary victory and more money to be able to go on to a general election to face "the other guys", especially on a State level.

For those of you who are not political junkies some of what happens can seem "mountain out of molehillish" at times, yet there is a larger question that some of this raises. As Liberal Dem wrote about on Politics in Mudville back in June, two popular Democratic Candidates, Ben Konop and Anita Lopez were asked and refused to sign Bob Vasquez's signature petition that was necessary for him get on the ballot. It was stated that Anita later signed one at a different event but it caused a stir and some discussion. Monday at the Labor Day Parade, Teresa Fedor was asked and refused to sign Dave Schulz's petition when asked first by Dave then from my understanding again later from one of Dave's supporters who was also gathering signatures.

Signing one of these petitions doesn't mean you are endorsing or even suggesting that you are going to vote for a candidate. I personally know Joe McNamara signed Dave Schulz's petition, and have been told other candidates/elected officials/campaign volunteers have signed Dave's and other candidate petitions as well regardless of the R or the D or the endorsement or the lack of endorsement. It's obvious the June episode did not prevent Bob from getting more than enough signatures and from what I know both Joe and Dave will have more than enough signatures to get on the ballot as well.

So why blog about it? I read the letter that Dave wrote to Teresa Fedor and I was told Fred LeFebvre read it this morning to WSPD listners. I'll post the letter in full as a comment as I also will if there is a response. I have two problems with what happened, one is personal one is more philosophical.

On a philosophical point, I advocate for voter choice and most of all informed voters. It's one of the reasons why I try very hard to set aside my personal preferences here to provide as much information as I can. I'm not always successful at that but that is the goal that I try to strive for. Candidates who provide me with press release information naturally get more blog space but I still try to cover those that don't. I think people who want to run for office should be given the opportunity to do so. Anyone who has actually followed what these candidates go thru even on a local basis knows it's hard work and many hours of personal committment to run for office. Signing a petition is a gesture that you believe in our political process even if it is a candidate that you may never vote for. It's saying "You have the right under our Constitution to run for office". Ted Strickland demonstrated this belief when he stated he didn't have a problem with the Young Republicans who came holding signs at his appearance at UT.

Now for the personal. Dave Schulz and I became friends back during my blogging on Liberal Common Sense before Glass City Jungle was created and have remained friends. My youngest daughter Aubrey was at that parade too and at one point in time we were with Dave. She understands the whole signature process, and while even at 12 she knows politics is not nice and has had some first hand experience with how deep partisanship can be I know firsthand the first question out of her mouth had she been there to witness the refusual would have been "why?" I've taught her to respect the process even though at times people don't always act respectful of it. I've taught her that it is possible for her to be Governor one day, that it is her right regardless of her sex, her race, her financial or family background to have that as a dream goal and that with hard work it is possible. That with hard work almost anything is possible. Most of all I have taught her that the system works best when all of us make it be what it is supposed to be that despite what happens during the course of some campaigns in the end it's about working together for the common good. While we may disagree on what we think needs to be done, we all share a deep love of our country. So, it is only a few signatures but it's also more than that...

Nookular Option has the low down on Ben Konop Hybrid Car Initiative and more...

The Toledo Blade has coverage of this event but I highly recommend visiting Nookular Option for the full press release and Don was there in person so he has additional information as well as pictures.

Brad Bethel, who is quoted in the Blade article is also going to be a future guest on one of my favorite radio Talk shows, The Nookular Option which is now on WXUT live and via stream every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.

(Tomorrow Toledo City Council Candidate Dave Schulz will be on air around 7 a.m.)

Don't forget if you aren't able to listen to the show live, the Nookular Option is always available via podcast!

:-)

I'd also point out others are taking the lead in purchasing hybrids, Yale, Houston and a few others such as North Hampstead, NY.

Ohio DJFS trying once again to make things "easier"

Back in May of 2006 this was the Press Release from ODJFS:

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is nearing completion of the conversion to an electronic child support payment system, as required by a new law.

"As this conversion continues, more and more Ohio parents are receiving their support payments quickly, securely and conveniently," said Joe Pilat, deputy director, ODJFS Office of Child Support. "The new system also benefits taxpayers with an estimated savings of over $2 million a year through reduced postage and administration costs."

Direct Deposit has been available to Ohio parents for several years. In 2004, ODJFS introduced the e-QuickPay Debit MasterCard program. The electronic disbursement of payments either through Direct Deposit or e-QuickPay, was made mandatory in 2005 within legislation that enacted the state budget. The first counties to convert were Clermont, Fairfield, Franklin, Greene, Holmes and Richland, in December.

I've been using the debit card system for over a year now, since that time customer service issues such as the system not working and issues related to accessing the EPPIC Client portal to obtain information have increased. Today when I logged in I discovered that the previous ability to search transactions has been limited. You no longer have the option of creating your own date range to do a transaction search, as an example if you need to provide verification of what you have received in Child Support for a specific time period that's no longer possible. You are only allowed to access data for one month at a time. Granted it was painfully slow trying to get transaction data most times even with a high speed connection, time outs happened frequently and if you do not have the internet, you of course have no easy access to any paper trail for child support payments deposited or for transactions.

I also discovered that Unemployment payments will now also be done by a debit card system if you do not opt for electronic deposit into a bank account as of last month, except in limited situations:

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services today announced a new, convenient method for Unemployment Compensation recipients to receive their benefits. Starting this week, new claimants who have not designated an account for direct deposit will receive benefits via a debit card.

"With electronic payment distribution, we can now provide payments to claimants quicker and more securely while reducing postage and administrative costs by more than $650,000 per year," said ODJFS Director Barbara Riley.

Except for limited circumstances, checks will not be issued for new claims. Claimants now receiving a check by mail will be given the option to switch to a debit card and receive benefits sooner than waiting for a check to arrive by mail. Currently, checks are mailed to about half of the claimants.

At first I thought it might be the same system - but Unemployment is using a Visa system called "Reliacard". Which is actually a better deal than what we get thru the Child Support System Debit Card, there is a 75 cent transaction fee for every ATM transaction plus any additional charges that ATM might charge thru the Child Support Mastercard debit while those who use this Visa card will not have that first automatic 75 cent transaction fee.

There are advantages to the electronic system, however it's not without problems. My problem is with the mandatory aspect of this, offering it to people that want electronic deposit or the debit card is one thing, forcing them to do so, especially when in the case of Child Support it will subject them to additional fees is what I take issue with. Child support already charges a 2% fee called "poundage" that is supposed to offset some of the costs related to collection and distribution of child support payments. At times I can't help longing for the days when the actual collection and disbursement of funds all happened right here within Lucas County. Each step that is made by the State to make things "easier" actually has made the system harder to navigate and has increased the number of people and places that are involved in the Child Support process.

It probably is less expensive, since I'm sure the call center employees are paid much less than State employees but sometimes I wonder in our rush to do things cheaper how much of our security we give away.

Labor Day Parade In Toledo...

We often hear Toledo is a pro-union town but I don't think you get the full impact of that feeling until you attend the Labor Day Parade. The number of unions and their members who participated today while huge was only a percentage of the people in this area that work and support Unions.

I started out not far from the start of the parade route across the street from Fort Industry Square, the first politician we ran into was Toledo City Councilperson Frank Szollosi and he agreed to pose for a picture with Aubrey. Next was candidate for City Council Joe McNamara as he was doing meet and greet with the crowds. Aubrey was wearing her Joe McNamara for City Council shirt and she was going to be doing her first official campaign activity today but more on that later. Jim Nusbaum, candidate for Judge of Lucas County Common Pleas Court was our next "Hi and Hug" moment. There is a new picture up at Jim's website of him and Ted Strickland. Then I met Bob Vasquez who is also a candidate for Toledo City Council formally for the first time. We later ventured down to where he and his supporters were just a bit farther down on Summit so I could take a picture of Bob and a few of his supporters. Before that Anita Lopez came our way as she was doing meeting and greeting. Bob had quite a few supporters with him and as you can see, they are waving HI! to you:



Right after that we ran into our third Toledo City Council candidate, Dave Schulz, who was out meeting people with a few of his supporters. He posed with Aubrey and then she took one of the two of us. After chatting for a brief bit and exchanging some hugs, Dave went on to do so more greeting and then to later attend a Mud Hen's game. I didn't see our other Toledo City Council candidate Lourdes Santiago, Aubrey told me later that she did, but there were quite a few Santiago signs among the various Unions that were there today. I know Mark Dansack was there as was Ben Konop and I'm sure there were many other politicians/candidates in attendance. I saw some Sarantou supporters and I spotted Judicial candidate Linda Jennings doing some meet and greeting when I moved over to near the end of the parade route.

I took lots of pictures - they are at the title link, and here, I'd suggest using the slideshow as that is the easiest and quickest way for the photos to be seen. I know I'm not as creative as Miguel is however I did my best so I hope you enjoy the pictures.

The overwhelming support for the Blade Unions was made very clear in today's parade, not just the signs or the t-shirts but even vocally. I didn't even realize that Ted Strickland was at the front of the parade with our Mayor and other local politicians including Teresa Fedor and Peter Ujvagi and Marcy Kaptur until I got home and uploaded the pictures and said "That looks like Ted Strickland", that got me a "Well duh" look from Aubrey who has become pretty good at recognizing local and state candidates.

The bands were great, the people were fantastic and in Toledo, even the Dogs are Union Supporters...



Most of you have visited before know my youngest daughter, Aubrey, accompanies me on quite a bit of the things I do around town. She has become more and more interested in politics in the past few months as well as getting to know some of our local politicians and candidates. She is a confirmed fan of Joe McNamara, a few people have given me flack over this or wrongly assumed that this was something I pushed. When she asked Joe if she could have one of his t-shirts weeks ago at the Democratic Unity picnic, he first asked me if it was okay with me, then told her that if she wanted one she'd have to earn it by helping at some of the campaign events like today. I appreciate the way Joe is handling this and I know this is important to her as well as a very good life lesson in how our political system works. So, she stood with Christine on the corner of Erie and Monroe for an hour holding up signs. When she was done, Joe asked her how she liked it and she said she loved doing that and loved politics. I think all of us were surprised that the thrill didn't wear off even though she was thirsty.



If you haven't stopped by Politics in Mudville, there is an excellent post on Labor Day and Auto-Lite that I highly recommend reading. I don't think we should ever forget what some of our great-grandparents and grandparents went thru to get what some of us now take for granted and what some are struggling to hold on to.

So, to the workers of Toledo, union and non-union alike...I thank you...

Pack the Park, Riverfest and Joe McNamara

As stated below - today was a busy day as far as things to do here in Toledo. Miguel, Aubrey and I started our afternoon by going over to Swan Creek Metropark for the Metroparks of the Toledo Area Pack the Parks event. Thanks to the Andersons $1.00 picnic lunches were served (which included my favorite Loft's cookies) and the parks that were participating each had a different genre of music. We picked Swan Creek because it is the closest park to us and were entertained by Hepcat Revival. After taking the blue walking trail for a little over a mile jaunt thru the park we headed home.

Then a few hours later we headed down to Riverfest, which was organized by Citifest for the Disco by the River. Whoever said Disco was Dead was very wrong, as Disco Inferno demonstrated many Toledo area residents (yeah me too) could still shake their booty. For a second night in a row we ran into Toledo City Council Candidate Joe McNamara who was down at the Riverfest doing some meeting and greeting. It's obvious Joe is putting a lot of hours into getting out there to meet people and that we have the same taste in events to attend. Yes, Aubrey was happy.

Then after some refreshments, me being a fan of Daryl's Ice Cream and Aubrey a Dipping Dots fan, Miguel the handcut french fries, more musical enjoyment, and a very awesome fireworks display by Pandemonium VII Fireworks. The crowd seemed to enjoy both the music and the fireworks. When we were walking to our car, having decided to try to drive down rather than take the bus this time, I heard many people commenting on how it was the best firework display they had ever seen.

Parking was a bit tricky at first with both a game and Riverfest but we managed to find a nice lot that was only charging $3.00 to park. Personally though TARTA seems to be even easier. We actually would have walked a shorter distance to take the bus than we did tonight driving the car.

Miguel took pictures of today but I haven't uploaded them yet, when I do I'll update with a link.

Tomorrow morning Aubrey and I will be at the Labor Day Parade so I will update with a post and photos after we get back home.

Conklin & Company - Pete Gerkin and Dave Schulz and...

It's been a busy day but...I did watch Conklin & Company this morning because I knew Dave was going to be on.

First up was Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerkin, he was on talking about the Arena project. He appears to be very supportive of the idea of the Mud Hen organization handling aspects of this plan. Pete said "Smart people go to smarter people - The Mudhens are working quitetly to get a team and the best thing is we don't have to pay them." They want to replicate the Mudhens two times over. However he did admit Barry Soskin does not appear to support the non-profit angle.

I guess what I found overly simplistic was the way he explains away the cost of the arena - he seems to feel that since almost 42 million can be raised by the increase in the hotel/motel tax that, "We just have another 40 million dollar project". Pete also quoted some survey that I didn't catch that I believe was asked of people who were leaving Mudhens games that led him to believe it wouldn't necessarily matter to Toledo if it ended up being the Storm or not, saying "half can't tell you who won". He feels it's about "creating the place and the experience". On the issue of the 14 million dollars for naming rights he stated that was not out of line but he thought that 14 million also included suite costs and other fees not just direct naming rights. Pete also stated, "some people are not blinking at that (14 million) number."

Then on to the reason why I tuned in, to watch Toledo City Council Candidate Dave Schulz. Dave did an excellent job in pointing out that he is a fiscally responsible Republican and has the goal of smaller government. That's something he has demonstrated in wanting to reduce the size of our current City Council. Dave pointed out that larger Cities, such as Columbus have less City Council members.

He talked about some of his ideas that would reduce fees and taxes for local businesses and when Lee asked how these cuts could be paid for Dave stated that he believes City Council could "find 4 million dollars in budget cuts going line by line". Earlier he came up with well over a million dollars in suggested cuts by combining some departments. Dave would also like to focus on increasing home ownership in the City of Toledo.

Dave also stressed that his work on the term limits proposal that will be up before the voters this November demonstrates that he can work with both Republicans and Democrats and that his focus on this issue for the last 18 months is something that he feels sets him apart from his opponents. That if he was able to accomplish this as a citizen and as a candidate "imagine what he could do if elected".

Then it was time for Sandy Isenberg and Jim Tankersley, they talked with Lee about Frank Szollosi's recent statements concerning the Mayor not flying from Toledo Express but selecting to fly from Detroit. Sandy felt that while it was nicer to fly from Toledo Express that given the lay overs and at times the cost difference that it was understandable that the Mayor and others would fly from Detroit at times. One statement by Jim Tankersley that seems to sum up how he felt about it, "If he (Frank) could find a way to criticize where Carty bought his breakfast he would".

That about sums up what I took down from my notes while I was watching.

:-)

Arti Gras in Downtown Toledo

Well we got a much later start than I had planned to but despite the weather decided to head downtown to see what was going on. Most of the Arti Gras was over but the rain contributed to changing some of the artwork...





Melodies for the Mission was still going strong though, and we ran into Joe McNamara which made my daughter very happy since she is a 100% fan of Joe. Listened to some music for a bit, talked to a friend and then headed home. The layout seemed very well done and hopefully the next three Saturdays will have a bit better weather.

:-)

Blackwell bringing jobs to Lima could cost Toledo jobs

Thursday's Columbus Dispatch reported as linked in the title:

Republican gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell is calling for the reopening of the Lima Correctional Institution, which was closed two years ago in a budget-cutting move.

The Taft administration still thinks the state can't afford the estimated cost of $70 million to $90 million to reopen and operate the facility, but Blackwell is confident he can find the money in the state budget, spokesman Carlo LoParo said.

“It's necessary for the economic vitality of Lima and Allen County and to house our prison population,” LoParo said.

Interestingly enough, back on August 9th, the Toledo Blade reported:

LIMA, Ohio — City Council voted 8-0 Monday night to send a resolution to the state asking the new director, Terry Collins, to restart basic utility services to the closed prison to “reduce any damages that would result from the lack of such heat and maintenance,” to have the overall facility reviewed to determine the cost of reopening it, and to reopen LCI to help alleviate Ohio’s crowded prisons.

And...you won't read this as a part of the Dispatch article but Toledo's WUPW adds:

Democratic candidate Ted Strickland says he was opposed to the decision to close the prison.

The Akron Beacon Journal wrote this in June:

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio's prison population increased 6 percent in the past year, adding to concerns among some public officials about overcrowded conditions and tensions between inmates and guards.

In June, there were 46,356 inmates in 32 prisons that were built to house 35,730, according to state records. The Lorain Correctional Institution in northeast Ohio was the most overcrowded prison with 1,983 inmates. It was designed to hold 756.

However the State is not at it's highest number:

The Ohio prisons system reached its highest point in 1998, when it had more than 49,000 inmates.

The Toledo angle:

To alleviate crowding, Collins said he is looking to add nearly 1,300 more beds in six prisons - Pickaway, Ross, Warren, Toledo, Mansfield and Marion - by opening cellblocks that were closed several years ago or were built but never used.

I wasn't aware we had cellblocks in Toledo that were closed or that were built but never used, I was able to determine from this pdf that Toledo Correctional Institute has a capacity of 1,000 prisoners and an additional 186 at the minimum security camp that is on the same grounds. It's stated there are currently 807 prisoners as of last week at TCI. Which means it doesn't appear this facility is over-croweded. Nor was it at the time of the pdf report that was done in 2005, there were 801 prisoners there at that time. In October of 2005 it was stated there were 44,783 prisoners thru out Ohio's prison facilities. In further reading of the 2005 pdf it states C block which can hold 288 prisoners is empty.

That means in October of 2005 the Ohio Prison system using the maximum number of 35,730 was 9,053 over and in June of 2006 was 10,626 over. Lorian is listed above as being Ohio's most over crowded prison with 1,983 inmates. In 2005 it had 1,768. Which makes one wonder why Toledo has been under utilized when compared to Lorain.

If C block at Toledo Correctional Institute is opened it will create more jobs at that facility. Lorain is closer to Toledo than Lima so transportation costs would be less. Opening C block will not relieve all of the overcrowding issues that has been faced by the Ohio Prison system for many years prior but it would be a start, I'd like to see research on which would be more cost effective - opening the blocks that are currently not use in prisons that are currently open or re-opening Lima Correctional Institute.

Strickland visits are more than just about the money...

Even though I've learned alot about the whole political process and I realize that money is an important factor in most successful campaigns, I think voters should have as many opportunties to meet with candidates without having to pay to do so as possible.

Take yesterday's UT visit, that was not a fundraising event and it gave people the opportunity to hear Ted Strickland in person. Unless you have access to a video tape of the entire speech or it's put online as a transcript being there in person is the only way you will discover what a candidate has to say. Sure, if you attend enough of these events you can hear what is a standard stump type speech but most times candidates focus on different parts of their plan rather than repeat the same one over and over.

One statement Ted Strickland made yesterday that I think should be stressed:

I was talking with Mr. Dan Slane, not too long ago, Dan at that time was the President of Ohio State University Board of Trustees and he said to me in that meeting, "Congressman" he said, "We are getting to the point in Ohio where class matters in the ability to get a College Education". That is intolerable, and unacceptable and it must be changed.

While I don't want this to appear that I am picking on Ted Strickland because this does apply to many other candidates and both political parties reading this from the Toledo Blade article made me think:

Organizers said they were shooting for $20,000 per fund-raiser, which they called a rough minimum figure for getting Mr. Strickland to appear in person.

The article then continues down just a bit:

Still, the money raised was well below the $165,000 that Republican Ken Blackwell received last week during a single South Toledo event.

Are we getting to the point in Ohio were class matters in the ability to personally hear or meet candidates? I can't help thinking of the millions and millions of dollars that will be spent in Ohio alone for this upcoming election. The majority of the money raised will go directly into the pockets of the Media. Rates have almost tripled since the primary especially when it comes to television advertising rates from what I have heard from local candidates. Why has media advertising become so important? That I guess can go directly to us. The majority of us don't go out there and seek information or try to meet these candidates to hear what they have to say. We sit there in front of the television and let our decision on who we are going to vote for be influenced by campaign commercials. Given that, campaigns must concentrate on raising funds to be able to reach voters, which creates the whole series of fundraising events like Ted Strickland attended here yesterday that the Blade article focused on.

When people wonder what blogs bring to the process, I think our greatest contribution is the ability to share with you what we hear directly from these candidates. Being involved in conference calls, getting press releases, going to events and reporting what we saw, what we heard. Money has very little bearing on how we cover candidates, especially for the smaller individual blogs that don't solicit advertising dollars from candidates or political causes.

Back to the Toledo Blade article, I have to disagree with:

Fred Cooper, 21, a political science major and president of the university’s college Republicans, said it was a “typical” speech. “It was full of rhetoric and little on facts,” he said.

He chided the candidate for directing reporters to his Web site for answers to some of their questions.

Ted gave out quite a few facts during his speech, while of course rhetoric is a part of all speeches, even Ken Blackwell's, I wouldn't award yesterday's speech the most rhetorical one I've heard or even close. I also didn't have a problem with the use of Ted's suggestions that the reporters get the information from his website. He had limited time and if that information was there? Makes sense to direct people there so that he could take more questions. Nor do I think anyone would be surprised that the President of the University of Toledo's Young Republican club doesn't appear to be complimentary towards Ted Strickland. If he was? That would be extremely newsworthy. That said I applaud him for clearly identifying himself and for the Blade in making that clear, in other parts of the State people who have commented in articles turned out to have a bit of a more personal bias/connection to a candidate that was later discovered.

I hope there are more events like the one at UT from all of our State candidates, I also wish they would schedule some of the future events at times when a greater number of our residents could attend. However, there will continue to be those of us who blog about it.

:-)

And the winner of the Press Release Extravaganza is...

Bob Vasquez!

Though the Toledo Blade did write an article yesterday about Bob's press conference, it appears from my non-scientific evaluation of column size that Bob got the least amount of space. Next up was Dave Schulz who also had his press release on his latest campaign proposals written about. Joe McNamara got the most coverage today with a front page picture featuring him and Ted Strickland as well as an article about his plan to combat brain drain.

Being a blogger of my word, let's talk about Bob.

Bob Vasquez ran for Toledo City Council in 2005, he missed winning a seat on Toledo City Council by a little more than 900 votes under Mark Sobczak. When Bob McCloskey stepped down, many of us (this blogger included) assumed that Bob would be a logical selection to be appointed to finish McCloskey's term. That of course did not end up happening, Lourdes Santiago was the choice of the Lucas County Democratic Party and City Council approved Lourdes being appointed. However, Bob decided he was going to run despite the lack of the endorsement of the Lucas County Democratic Party. Yesterday as his press conference and the Toledo Blade article stated he turned in his signatures as required and will be on the November ballot facing Lourdes Santiago who is the endorsed Democrat; Joe McNamara, who also appeared before the Screening Committee and made the decision to run as an unendorsed Democrat and Dave Schulz who is the endorsed Republican.

Some bio information:

Bob is the grandson of hard working immigrant farm workers. His father is a WW II veteran who was widowed as a young man, raising four men of public service. Bob's three brothers are Toledo Police officers. Bob grew up in East Toledo, graduating from Waite High School. He earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in public administration from The University of Toledo where he is a part time instructor. Bob serves on the Community Block Grant Citizens Review Committee, Northwest Ohio Criminal Justice Advisory Board, and Hispanic Affairs Commission, City of Toledo. Bob is Director of Special Projects at The Twelve Inc., a statewide nonprofit child welfare agency for children and families.

What the Toledo Blade article on Bob's press conference yesterday did not mention was that according to the formal press release; Toledo City Council members Michael Ashford and Mike Craig were going to be there with the Vasquez supporters when the signatures were turned in to the Board of Elections.

While I haven't met Bob in person, he is a reader of blogs, including this one. Maybe depending on how busy his day is he might even stop by to add some additional points, or to say "hi".



:-)

James Nusbaum for Judge campaign website announced

James Nusbaum, a candidate for Judge of Lucas County Court of Common Pleas has announced the creation of an informational website for his campaign. Jim is the endorsed Democratic Candidate for this term.

www.jimnusbaum.com

It is also now listed on the sidebar with the rest of the Candidates from Northwestern Ohio.

The site contains information voters will be interested in as far as Jim's experience as well as additional details about him. He also has an email address created for those who have questions or would like to volunteer for his campaign.

Glass City Jungle had the opportunity to sit down with James Nusbaum back on June 13th, if you have not read this interview it can be found here

So, head on over and check his new website out.

:-)

Tom Noe co-stars in this cartoon

I know not everyone will like it but, it reminded me a bit of some of the cartoons I've watched on JibJab.

Click here to watch

:-)

Curtsy goes to The Ohio Twenty-First for my seeing it.