Though it was a short run (January 2007 - May 2008), there were moments that everyone enjoyed.
My personal favorite is the time he swore at reporters in Youngstown when he was questioned about his daughter working for the Secretary of State's office. There are no wrong answers here and there are many options to choose from. It appears the Sunshine Express is about to make it's final, somber voyage. The famous SUV should go on Ebay or something, all proceeds going to the State of Ohio of course. It can be earmarked for Jennifer Brunner to travel to collect awards for making Ohio's voting system "more secure."
You can also use this thread to speculate on who Ted Strickland will appoint as the replacement. I also will use this space to say that I felt the Democrats were scheming to keep Dann around for awhile to avoid a special election. I was wrong. They did the right thing. That Ted Strickland is VP material!
Updates: On the left, Pho and Writes Like She Talks liveblogged the press conference. On the right, Nix Guy and WMD hear that Mike DeWine is gearing up to run for the AG slot. Last week, Right Runner speculated it would be Cordray against Portman.
On the front page of today's ABJ is an AP article detailing Governor Strickland's $1.57 billion stimulus plan to get Ohio's economy back on track. Here are the highlights of the plan:
>$400 million for infrastructure such as roads and bridges. >$250 million to create more internships and co-ops with Ohio businesses for students >$200 million to clean up brownfields >$200 million to preserve farmland and greenspace >$150 million for advanced energy such as solar and wind >$100 million for biomedical industry >$100 million for business that distribute products from Ohio
When I look at this economic stimulus package, I see the top needs of our state being addressed. The largest piece of the pie goes to infrastructure, which is a huge economic investment because it creates jobs. Also, Ohio's roads are critical to commerce. Who would have thought that the second largest piece would be going to create co-ops and internship? That is great news? It is long been a frustration of mine to see long time friends earn impressive degrees from quality schools in Ohio and then immediately leave upon graduation. This kind of program will help keep them here. Horray! The environmental investment in brownfield clean up will benefit Ohio's cities where industry has left vast tracks of land that cannot be used. Akron in particular will benefit from a piece of these extra funds. Just drive a couple blocks south or east of the City of Akron and you will see plenty of brownfield lots that if cleaned up could be used for new business. The City of Akron has done a great job with brownfields, but they need some more money.
Preserving farmland, protecting green space, and investing in alternative energy will all help to improve the economy and quality of life in our state. Finally, the $100 million investment in the biomedical industry is GREAT news for Akron. With the biomedical corridor coming to our downtown, we are poised to benefit from this substantial investment by the state. Overall, I am very excited about this stimulus package and the potential it has to get our state back on track. What a difference an election makes.
The news came out yesterday that former U.S. Representative John Kasich is laying the groundwork to run for Ohio Governor in 2010. The news was not entirely unexpected. Kyle and I each have a take on a possible Strickland - Kasich showdown in 2010. Ben: Kasich said Ohio is in an economic "death spiral." It is. Bob Taft left a mess for Ted Strickland to clean up, but Strickland hasn't done anything except make things worse. He is also making things worse for himself by so closely aligning himself with Hillary Clinton. The Ohio economy is still in shambles - 5th worst tax burden and 2nd worst state business climate. The "education governor" hasn't come up with his plan yet. He wants to install Keno machines against the will of the state's voters. But again, he did move the location of the governors desk - one of his major achievements so far.
In the article, Kasich is quoted as saying: "Frankly, I believe the (state) income tax has to be phased out." Obviously if he wants to do that, he better have another good way of bringing in money, since the income tax currently accounts for 34% of Ohio's operating budget. Florida and Tennessee also have no income tax and are doing just fine. It is this kind of thinking that Ohio needs. Otherwise we are going to end up just raising taxes and we might as well just merge with Michigan.
The only problem with this is that it leaves Rob Portman out, unless there is a primary, which we don't need. I think Portman wants to be governor, and not a senator, so we shall see how this shakes out. We will still need a strong candidate to take on Sherrod Brown in 2012. Things can change, but as of right now Kasich and Portman would be the best two Republican candidates statewide. Brown gaining senority scares me - he could end up like Howard Metzenbaum.
Mike DeWine is also going to take a hard look at this race. Keep looking, Mike. Everyone else will be looking to the Republican nominee to get us out of the bigger hole Ted Strickland put us in. John Kasich would be a very formidable candidate - and Ted Strickland, Roger Strickland, and Ohio Democrats know it.
Ohio righty blog Nix Guy also weighs in. Kyle: John Kasich's name comes up every time there is a major statewide race where the Republicans need to field a candidate and every time he sits on the sidelines while another race is lost. He will be a formidable opponent if he decides to run and will be able to use his Fox News star power to raise the profile of his candidacy. It was probably smart for him to sit out in 2006 because it would have been near impossible to overcome the damage done to the Republican Party by the Taft Administration. I do think Strickland is going to pay a political price in 2010 for his excessive support of Senator Clinton in 2008. It would be a political consultants dream to go through the hours of footage of Governor Strickland and Senator Clinton to cut 30 second spots. However, as a one term incumbent, Strickland will be able to go to the people with his list of accomplishments and ask for a second term. I know he will have a compelling case to make. I also hope that President Obama will come to Ohio and campaign vigorously for Governor Strickland's re-election.
From the AP: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is giving a food bank $10,000 in campaign cash he got from former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer…
He gave Strickland the contribution for the Ohio governor's 2006 campaign. It was the biggest of the out-of-state political contributions Spitzer had handed out to Democratic candidates and causes across the country since 2004.
Strickland donated the money to the Tri-County Food Pantry in southeast Ohio.
This is a savvy move by Governor Strickland and his political team to preempt criticism from Ohio Republicans. I suspect that contributions from Spitzer that have been given across the country are donated given to charity.
UPDATE: Sorry, Kyle, I have to interject here. This is Ben… I don't mean to intrude on your posts, but…
Governor Strickland only donated the money after the Ohio GOP called on him to do it. I think the record needs to be corrected there. Also, I’m not sure that hanging onto the contribution and hoping no one would notice is particularly savvy.
Meanwhile, as I mentioned on my own site this week, Attorney General Marc Dann did not report and cannot find the contribution he once bragged about framing. He now claims that there never actually was a contribution from Spitzer. So he either lied to the New York Times or didn’t report a contribution.
Dispatch:Faced with a damaging political showdown over a planned rapid-fire Keno game, the Strickland administration is postponing plans to buy $18 million worth of equipment to put the game in hundreds of bars and restaurants this year. Ohio Lottery officials said yesterday that they will temporarily shelve their request to the state Controlling Board - a bipartisan panel of lawmakers that approves major spending requests - to OK the purchase of 2,000 Keno monitors and related equipment. The delay jeopardizes the lottery's plan to start Keno on July 1.
I covered this Keno plan in February here. No one has credibly explained to me why Keno would be any different than slot machines? You simply pick numbers off the screen and see if they are also chosen by the computer "randomly" to find out if you are a winner. Just like slots, they are totally random and there is zero skill involved, even though some people swear there is. Ohio is / was slated to buy the machines from a company in Rhode Island through a no-bid contract. I thought Democrats were against no-bid contracts. Nor do I have any idea how the decision would be made on where to put the machines. I am not sure some places would even want them, because it would cut into their alcohol revenue.
The State Controlling Board (currently 4-3 GOP) is not ready to approve the whole thing, and rather than risk defeat, Strickland has decided to pull the plug on the idea for now, but I have a feeling it isn't going to happen at all. Three times since 1990, including in 2006, Ohio voters have said they don't want this type of lottery games here. The vote has never even been close. The current projections say Ohio would stand to gain $73 million a year from the games. According to the document submitted to the state board, Ohio and its keno contractor (GTECH) would be skimming about 30% of the money before it ever gets back to prizes for those doing the gambling (I think I can call it that). Everyone knows Ohio is having money problems, but there has to be a better way to come up with the money (cough, privatize the Ohio Turnpike).
And fresh off a disaster of a trip in Las Vegas, I really don't want to even see any kind of gambling machine in Ohio for a long time, because I know I will probably sit in front of them and lose all my money I have left. Studies have shown the people who can least afford to lose money playing these machines are the ones who end up losing the most. And since I always hear that only Republicans are rich, I don't know why Governor Ted would want to hurt his own voters. Maybe so they can become more dependent on his programs and they will remember him come 2010. That is if he decides to run again. The GOP is digging in to fight on this one, and it is a political winner along with being a sensible stand. There are places and issues on which to pick your fights, and if I may give some unsolicited advice to our leader, this is not the right one. But what do I know, I am just a stupid Blackwell voter who is still wondering exactly how things got so bad for Ohio Republicans for voters to elect a do nothing congressman to the state's top post.
Coshocton Tribune: Gov. Ted Strickland is sticking to his timetable to present proposed reforms to Ohio's school funding system in 2009. "He wants to get it right. It's going to take some time," said Keith Dailey, a spokesman for the governor.
Four papers, including the Coshocton Tribune, ran an editorial on Sunday asking Strickland to come to Zanesville to present his solution for fixing Ohio school funding. The column points out that in Muskingum County, one district spends $2,400 more per student than another also in the county. It is a problem. Some parents willingly make sacrifices, move their children, and pay higher property taxes in higher rated districts, but not everyone has that luxury.
If I was a cynic, I would say that Strickland is waiting until 2009 so whatever plan he comes up with is fresh in the minds of voters headed into his reelection campaign of 2010.
Let me be clear: I don't blame Strickland for the school funding problems. It was an issue long before he was elected in 2006. Republicans were never able or willing to get anything done on this. It has been a failure all around. However, education reform was Strickland's main platform and he himself has said that he will be a failure if he is not able to get something done about the problem. This is not something he will be able to blame on the Bush Administration - he is going to have to actually do something. This is a tough issue to tackle, and if he comes up with a great solution that works, I would be pleased to give him all the credit possible.
Related:In yesterday's ABJ, Bob Dyer ran a great column on an Akron area school district that is experiencing a rash of students who are coming up with creative ways to live in the district. This is not an isolated incident, and it needs to be addressed. I knew a few people that went to my high school who pulled the same scam. I think if a school district finds out about this, they have every right to tell the kids they have to leave.
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My personal favorite is the time he swore at reporters in Youngstown when he was questioned about his daughter working for the Secretary of State's office. There are no wrong answers here and there are many options to choose from. It appears the Sunshine Express is about to make it's final, somber voyage. The famous SUV should go on Ebay or something, all proceeds going to the State of Ohio of course. It can be earmarked for Jennifer Brunner to travel to collect awards for making Ohio's voting system "more secure."
On the 
