Fitzgerlad and Turner are two excellent candidates who are going to need all the help they can get to defeat vulnerable Governor John Kasich (R. OH). Fitzgerald's been out meeting with voters and getting his name out across the state:Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, finished a two-day Northeast Ohio swing Tuesday by joining forces here with gubernatorial hopeful Ed FitzGerald and secretary of state aspirant Nina Turner."Ed is one of the rising stars of the party," Wasserman Schultz said of FitzGerald, the Cuyahoga County executive, former Lakewood mayor, former assistant county prosecutor and former FBI agent. "He has been successful everywhere he's been."Of Turner, a frequent guest on MSNBC, Wasserman Schultz added: "Anyone who knows Nina Turner knows this is someone deeply committed to fairness and justice."The morning media event, held inside the new Global Center for Health Innovation's atrium, followed a Youngstown-area event Monday evening. Wasserman Schultz headlined a Democratic fundraiser there at the home of fireworks magnate Bruce Zoldan.
Wasserman Schultz referred to last week's poll from Public Policy Polling, which showed the race between FitzGerald and Republican Gov. John Kasich had tightened, with FitzGerald slightly ahead of the governor but within the margin of error.
"It shows his support has cratered," Wasserman Schultz said of Kasich. "Understandably so." - Northeast Ohio Media Group, 8/27/13
http://www.thevwindependent.com/...
And Turner recently co-sponsored a good piece of legislation in the State Senate:Democrat candidate for governor Ed FitzGerald, who spoke to a small group of area residents and media in Fountain Park on Sunday, knows he’s in for a fight in taking on incumbent Governor John Kasich, but added that he’s used to being the underdog.“Chances are I’m going to be outspent by my opponent,” FitzGerald told the crowd Sunday in Fountain Park. “Every race I’ve ever gotten into in my life … I was always the first candidate in, because I knew I was going to be outspent and I have to make up for that by working hard.”
FitzGerald, a former FBI agent who fought organized crime in Chicago, is now the first county executive for Cuyahoga County. He was a former assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor, who also served as the mayor of the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, as well as being a member of Lakewood’s city council.
The 45-year-old Democrat has already been in 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties, noting that, because this is his first run for state office, he wants people to get to know him and what he stands for.
“I think I’m somebody who is fiscally responsible, that I’m somebody with a background in making government work for average people,” FitzGerald said, noting that, although he is a Democrat, he feels those qualities are ones that residents in conservative areas such as Van Wert County can appreciate.
“I’m somebody whose roots are in the middle class,” added the Democrat, who is the seventh of eight children. “My wife and I are raising four kids; we know what it’s like to struggle in this economy.”
FitzGerald also said his background as a prosecutor and former FBI agent also means he puts a priority on law enforcement, while being a former mayor and a current county administrator shows he knows about the problems faced by Ohio communities.
FitzGerald also blasted his opponent on several fronts, especially his state budget efforts that the Democrat said has resulted in the loss of $5 million to governments and schools in Van Wert County alone.
“I think it’s reckless the way he’s taken money out of local schools and out of local governments and sent it down to Columbus,” the Democratic challenger said.
FitzGerald also criticized Kasich’s JobsOhio organization, noting that, in his opinion, it’s wrong to use public money to fund a private economic development organization and stating that JobsOhio would be much more open if he was governor. “It wouldn’t be secretive … we have a big job creation program (in Cuyahoga County) and it’s all transparent,” he said. “Nothing good comes out of spending public money in a secretive way.” - The Van Wert Independent, 8/26/13
http://www.akronlegalnews.com/...
With current Secretary of State Jon Husted (R. OH) has been doing Kasich's bidding and a history of suppressing the vote, we need Turner now more than ever. I like how Fitzgerald is framing himself as a man with a history of cracking down on corruption. That's a good angle to go with because Kasich is a pretty corrupt guy:Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Canfield, is pushing for the passage of a resolution that would urge the U.S. Department of the Treasury to allow the use of up to 25 percent of the funds in the Ohio Hardest Hit Fund for demolition of vacant property.Senate Concurrent Resolution 18 states that as a result of the housing market collapse in 2008, there are thousands of vacant properties throughout Ohio that are posing a risk to public safety and have a negative impact on the property values of other parcels.
“Demolition of these vacant properties is essential to restoring public safety, reducing neighborhood blight and improving property value,” the resolution states.
Available to help homeowners in 18 states, the Obama administration created the Hardest Hit Fund in 2010.
The program allocates funds to states, including Ohio, for the development of locally-tailored programs to assist struggling homeowners in their communities.
SCR 18 has gained bipartisan support from Sens. Capri Cafaro, D-Warren; Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati; Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati; and Nina Turner, D-Cleveland.
The resolution is awaiting a committee assignment. - Akron Legal News, 8/27/13
If you would like to donate and get involved with Fitzgerald and Turner's campaigns, you can do so here:The Ohio Ethics Commission, a state board responsible for navigating political conflicts of interest, has a potential blind spot of its own.Three of the panel's five members, or their spouses, have contributed to Gov. John Kasich's campaigns over the years, an analysis has found. Kasich, a Republican, appointed or reappointed all three to their current terms.
A fourth member, appointed by former Gov. Ted Strickland, was a high-profile supporter of the Democrat's 2006 campaign and donated to his unsuccessful re-election bid. In recent years the board included other Strickland appointees who donated to Democrats.
"It is worrisome how politically connected those folks are who were appointed to this commission," said Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio, a good-government group.
Political relationships between the public's watchdogs and the officeholders whose behavior they may be asked to evaluate are to be expected, observers say. State law requires half of the board's members to be Democrats, half Republicans. And in Columbus, a company town where the Statehouse is the factory, governors and others with appointing authority typically limit their searches to the connected and familiar.
"Partisanship has never really been an issue for us," said Paul Nick, a longtime board employee who serves as executive director. "It's results that matter. Not conjecture."
But Democrats see new relevance in these ties as they call for an ethics investigation of Kasich. The board this month rejected a request – made by Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Kasich's likely challenger in 2014 – to explore the governor's involvement with Worthington Industries, a company that received state tax credits.
The hundreds of thousands of dollars in incentives came as Kasich collected deferred compensation from Worthington, where he was a director before becoming governor. The deal is one of several FitzGerald and Democrats have highlighted as they raise questions about JobsOhio, the state economic development agency that Kasich privatized. - Northeast Ohio Media Group, 8/24/13
