Friday, July 20, 2012
Our Republican Insiders say last year's fight over collective bargaining rights could hurt the party's chances at winning Ohio's electoral votes in this November's presidential election.
Will the Republican-led effort to limit collective bargaining rights for government workers in Ohio hurt the GOP's chances in this year's presidential election? More than half of the Republican insiders surveyed by Patch say it's too soon to tell or that they didn't know. But 14 out of 50 of those surveyed think the Senate Bill 5 / Issue 2 effort, led by Republican Gov. John Kasich, will hurt the GOP's chances in Ohio. Only four of 50 responders believe the fight will help the Republicans. Issue 2's effect is also seen in what Ohioans our Republican insiders would like to see as a running mate to Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Only one said they wanted Kasich, perhaps the politician most damaged by the Issue 2 ballot defeat, to be vice …
Sunday, January 1, 2012
What do you think was the top story from all 17 of Ohio's Patch sites in 2011? Vote now!
If you aren't seeing all 17 sides, try opening the story in another browser. Patch is aware of the problem of only a few slides showing up. From the tech department: "This issue occurs with older browsers and when users are not logged in. We have determined that this also occurs with Chrome as well."
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Opponents of Senate Bill 5 outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message.
In retrospect, Issue 2 never stood a chance. Opponents outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message. It's no surprise they had more votes, too. On Tuesday, about 60 percent of Ohio voters rejected Issue 2, Gov. John Kasich's plan to severely restrict bargaining rights for Ohio's unionized government workers. And the resounding defeat wasn't delieved with scant turnout during a boring off-year election. Turnout was 46 percent, the highest for an off-year race since 1991. The union-backed opponents were too strong, and cared too much. They viewed the fight to end Senate Bill 5 as a back-against-the-wall fight, and they campaigned that way. Opponents trotted out teachers and firemen and said the law would ruin important government …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Public workers celebrate Issue 2 victory at Cleveland rally.
Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 2 on Tuesday, delivering a haymaker to Republican-led efforts to restrict bargaining rights for government workers and damaging the fortunes of Gov. John Kasich. The lead was so great that We Are Ohio claimed victory just after 9 p.m. Tuesday with only a fraction of the state's precincts reporting. Kasich conceded the race shortly afterward. About 61 percent of voters, or nearly 2.2 million, rejected the law known as Senate Bill 5, according to unofficial results. About 39 percent, or about 1.4 million, voted for the law. Results show Issue 2 lost in 82 of Ohio's 88 counties. At a victory party in Cleveland, public workers cheered loudly and chanted "We won!" as union leaders, including American …
Voters flocked to the polls in greater numbers than in other off-year elections
Updated at 9:45 p.m. Northeast Ohio elections officials say the unofficial, final voter turnout is higher than expected. With 100 percent of the vote counted in Lake County, for example, the voter turnout totaled 52 percent, according to final, unofficial results. Earlier in the day, Lake County Board of Elections Director Janet F. Clair said voter turnout was very steady and expected a voter turnout of 35 percent. Traditionally, in an odd year election, voter turnout is about 18 percent to 24 percent. Nevertheless, Scott E. Daisher, deputy director of the Lake County Board of Elections, would not call it a record high voter turnout but said it is a "larger than usual off year election." "It's been a very large (turnout) and I know a …
Join us at noon on Election Day for live updates and live chat on Issue 2, the hotly contested measure that if approved would dramatically curtail the power of public employees' unions in Ohio.
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Monday, November 7, 2011
Police personnel, firefighters face same wage changes
Beachwood City Council passed the last two of its five union contracts on the eve of the Issue 2 vote at Monday’s regular meeting. Both the patrol officers and the sergeants and lieutenants branches of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 86 ratified contracts that matched the wage changes in the firefighers’ union’s contract. Under the three-year contract, effective Nov. 1, members of both unions receive a 1.5 percent annual wage increase. Under the previous contract, the officers, sergeants and lieutenants received a 3 percent wage increase annually. The contracts also require that the city increase the annual wage increase to 3 percent Dec. 1, 2013 if Ohio provides an alternative to make up the roughly $2 million the city will lose next …
Election Day is tomorrow: will you cast your ballot?
Voter turnout is never 100 percent, especially during years when we are not electing a president. Why? Is voting important to you? If not, why not? Let's take a poll! (Voting about voting: see what I did there?) If you are voting tomorrow, you will want to check out 5 Ways You Can Use Beachwood Patch to Prepare for Election Day.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Gov. John Kasich visited Independence to tout the benefits of Issue 2 while opponents chanted and protested outside. Ohio voters will decide on Issue 2 on Nov. 8.
Gov. John Kasich came to the Cleveland area Thursday to rally a crowd of supporters days away from a crucial vote on Issue 2. Kasich is on a tour around the state to rally support for Issue 2, the ballot name for Senate Bill 5, the law that would restrict collective bargaining for public sector unions. Ohio voters will decide the fate of Issue 2 on Nov. 8. Speaking at a Building a Better Ohio event in Independence, Kasich linked the reforms in Issue 2 with the his larger goal of making Ohio more business friendly by removing unnecessary regulations and keeping taxes low. Kasich argued that Issue 2 will help local governments "get their act together" because it gives local officials "the tools they need" to control costs. "You need to tell …
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Firefighters' annual raises drop; city no longer paying all health premiums
The City of Beachwood passed three union contracts at a special meeting Monday, just days before the Nov. 8 vote over Issue 2. International Association of Firefighters Local 2388 President Matt Domonkos said that the pending vote has influenced their contract, which includes smaller wage increases and requires firefighters to pay into their health care. “I think it’s definitely a factor, and it’s a factor in us getting a contract in place before the vote,” he said. Under the three-year contract, effective Dec. 1, firefighters receive a 1.5 percent annual wage increase and must begin paying for 15 percent of their health insurance premiums. Under the current contract, firefighters received a 3 percent wage increase annually and did not …
Adam C. Miller
9:35 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
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