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 …
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 …
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Gov. John Kasich is expected to attend the Nov. 3 rally being organized by the Southeast Republican Club.
Gov. John Kasich is expected to attend a Nov. 3 rally in Independence to support Issue 2, the governor's plan to reform collective bargaining for public workers. The rally, organized by Pro-Issue 2 group Building a Better Ohio, is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Independence Civic Center. Issue 2 is by far the biggest issue facing Ohio voters on Nov. 8. Debate over the collective-bargaining law also known as Senate Bill 5 has engulfed Kasich's first year in office and received national attention. In the run-up to the vote, Kasich has been attending rallies to talk about Issue 2. Supporters of the bill argue that it will help governments better control costs, therefore saving jobs and keeping taxes down. But opponents believe Senate Bill 5 is…
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Check out our coverage on the topic and then tell us where you stand in our poll.
Where do you stand? Do you think Issue 2 is necessary to keep costs in check? Or do you think it would take away important rights from workers? There has been plenty of conversation on Patch about Issue 2, from the comments to a few blogs: one with reasons for it and one with some thoughts from a former public employee. And Patch has followed the issue closely, from the start of the campaign to the most recent polls. For a look at all of the Issue 2 coverage, check out our topics page. Here’s a quick overview of the big points in Senate bill 5, the bill that will either be repealed or go into effect after Nov. 8. So, we want to know – if the election was today, how would you vote on Issue 2? Cast your ballot in our unscientific poll. And …
Friday, September 23, 2011
The levy is crucial to maintain the level of programming in the schools now, Wilcox said
In order to maintain the level of programming available in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district, Councilman Dennis Wilcox asks residents to consider passing Issue 6. Issue 6 is a 6.9-mill operations levy that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $211 per year. "As a member of the Lay Finance Committee, I have seen that the schools have demonstrated a need," Wilcox said. "They've made $6 million in cuts in the last four years and they made a levy that was supposed to last three years last four." He added that the teachers and staff agreed to a two-year pay freeze, and this is the lowest millage the district has asked for in years. "This levy is necessary to continue the quality education the schools are …
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Arguments in Ohio echo those made earlier in other states where public employee collective bargaining has been restricted
While debate intensifies in Columbus and throughout Ohio regarding November’s vote on Issue 2 – which would restrict collective bargaining rights by public employees - the debate is one familiar in other states. The Ohio version, signed into law earlier this year by Gov. John Kasich, followed measures championed in recent years by Republican governors in Wisconsin and New Jersey. In Wisconsin, passage of such measures sparked hard-fought campaigns to recall legislators who supported them, and in New Jersey, some proposals ran into stiff opposition in a statehouse controlled by Democrats. In Ohio, union groups gathered enough signatures to force a November referendum on whether to overturn Kasich's work. “It was part of a trend, many of …
william
10:02 am on Monday, November 14, 2011
Adam, The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, was enacted Oct. 3 2008. George Bush was president. Adam GET A CLUE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT more ›