News Digest from the Bedford/Walton Hills Democratic Party for Friday, August 19, 2011
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here are today’s items of interest. This is a compendium of some of this week’s most important news.
Any questions, or should you have an item of interest, please let me know.
-Democratic Leader Andrew Mizsak
REMINDERS OF EVENTS: Geauga County Democratic Party Booth at THE GREAT GEAUGA COUNTY FAIR, Thursday, September 1, 2011 – Monday, September 5, 2011. Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton. To volunteer, email Chairwoman Janet Carson at janet@insurancediversified.com BWHDP (and allied groups) marching unit in the AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade (we are marching with the NEOEA). Saturday, September 3, 2011. The parade is in PARMA HEIGHTS and steps off at 10:00 AM. To participate, please email the BWHDP general e-mail: bwhdems@att.net
BWHDP Outreach Booth at the Bedford Oktoberfest. Friday, September 9, 2011 – Sunday, September 11, 2011; Bedford Commons. BEDFORD/WALTON HILLS DEMOCRATIC PARTY "WE ARE ONE" PARADE MARCHING AND VEHICLE UNIT FOR THE BEDFORD OKTOBERFEST PARADE. Parade line up at 10:30 AM at Bedford City Hall, 165 Center Road, Bedford; Parade steps off at 11:00 proceeding Southeast on Center Road to Broadway Avenue, where it will proceed South on Broadway Avenue to the Bedford Commons. At the Bedford Commons, we will have refreshments for parade participants. THIS IS AN OPEN INVITATION FOR ALL MEMBERS OF ORGANIZED LABOR, DEMOCRATIC, PROGRESSIVE, AND ALLIED GROUPS. SPECIAL ATTENTION:
TODAY’S ATTACHED DOCUMENTS:
SPECIAL RECOGNITION!! From Councilwoman Paula Mizsak…Thank you to all who attended the fundraiser on Tuesday. Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated. Your friendship means the world to me. Congratulations to Geauga County Democratic Chair Janet Carson, and her husband Terry, on the birth of their granddaughter Parker. Welcome to the Democratic Family, Baby Parker!
TODAY’S LEAD STORY: THEY WANT TO COMPROMISE
YOU MUST BE KIDDING. NOW?
On Wednesday, Governor John Kasich, flanked by Senate President Thomas Niehaus and Speaker of the House William G. Batchelder, announced their intentions to try to resolve the impasse between the two sides of the Senate Bill 5 fight. They even wanted to finally talk out the differences…
You know what the old saying is…"Too little, too late."
What they want, and what we said. Here are some of the highlights…Enjoy!
From We Are Ohio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
We Are Ohio Tells Extreme Politicians they passed SB 5, they should repeal it
Columbus
We‘re glad that Governor Kasich and the other politicians who passed SB 5 are finally admitting this is a flawed bill,‖said Melissa Fazekas, spokeswoman for We Are Ohio.
Just like the bill was flawed this approach to a compromise is flawed as well. Our message is clear. These same politicians who passed this law could repeal it and not thwart the will of the people. They should either repeal the entire bill or support our efforts and encourage a no vote on Issue 2.‖
We Are Ohio is a citizen-driven, community-based, bipartisan coalition that has come together to repeal SB 5, the unfair attack on employee rights and worker safety. We Are Ohio includes public and private sector workers and employees, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, pastors, small business owners, Republicans and Democrats, local elected officials and business leaders, students, Moms, Dads, family members, and your neighbors.
Below is a link to a story in Today's Plain Dealer.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/08/ohio_governor_aks_union_leader.html
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| From Tim Burga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO: I wanted you to be the first to read our official response to Governor Kasich‘s press conference yesterday: Statement of Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga in Response to Kasich Press Conference Contrary to the erroneous report in today‘s Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio AFL-CIO has never entered into any series of meetings or negotiations on Senate Bill 5. Yesterday, Governor Kasich, along with House Speaker Batchelder and Senate President Niehaus called a press conference to invite Ohio labor leaders to a meeting to negotiate a compromise with regard to SB 5. The Ohio AFL-CIO attempted dialogue during the legislative process and was denied that opportunity. Since the bill passed and was signed into law, The Ohio AFL-CIO has been clear that if SB 5 is repealed in its entirety we would be willing to address any concerns that the Governor and the legislature have with the collective bargaining law. This is our position and will remain our position throughout this campaign. The Ohio AFL-CIO stands firmly with the We Are Ohio Coalition and the nearly 1.3 million Ohioans who have signed a petition to repeal the bill in its entirety. ### We will restore basic rights for all Ohio workers. We will repeal SB 5. Thank you for keeping up the fight. In solidarity, Tim Burga President, Ohio AFL-CIO |
| From Liz Brown, Political Director, Ohio Democratic Party: Are you kidding me??? Where was the compromise when Kasich said, "If you're not on the bus, we'll run over you with the bus"? Where was the compromise when they locked the Statehouse and shut out thousands of Ohioans who simply wanted to have their voice heard? Where was the compromise when they played politics with their own Republican members and punished them for voting NO on SB 5? The time for compromise was in February or March or April when tens of thousands of Ohioans showed up to the Statehouse to oppose SB 5. But they weren’t interested in compromise until they realized that we have history (and Ohioans!) on our side and Senate Bill 5 will be repealed in November. 1.3 million Ohioans signed the petition to repeal SB 5. They wanted a vote on this horrible legislation, and they deserve a vote. That’s why our Democratic leaders and allies are standing firm. Enough is enough. Did you hear what John Kasich and Columbus Republican politicians tried to do yesterday? After thwarting the will of the people and ramming Senate Bill 5 down the throats of middle class Ohioans, they are now saying they want to compromise. Will you join us today in telling John Kasich that we won’t accept his so- called compromise by making a donation of $5, $10, or even $25 today? It is obvious that we have Kasich on the run. He knows that the people of Ohio don’t support SB 5. But we can’t stop now – we have to continue to call out John Kasich’s dirty tricks and we have to continue to get the word out about SB 5 until Ohioans have the chance to repeal it in November – which they will. Join us today by making a contribution and make your voice be heard. Sincerely, Liz Brown Political Director, Ohio Democratic Party |
From We Are Ohio:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Contact: Melissa Fazekas
Phone: (614) 203-2616
Email: mfazekas@weareohio.com
We Are Ohio Sends Response to Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House
Columbus
―While we thank the Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House for reaching out and recognizing that the bill is flawed, we are asking for a fresh start,‖ said Melissa Fazekas, spokeswoman for We Are Ohio. ―
That fresh start must begin with a full repeal of Senate Bill 5. A complete repeal of Senate Bill 5 would go a long way toward creating an environment for compromise, restoring trust in government by the electorate and setting the table for meaningful negotiations about creating jobs, rebuilding Ohio‘s economy and moving the state forward. Due to the complexity of the bill and our responsibility to the 1.3 million Ohioans who want to repeal it, We Are Ohio strongly believes a full repeal of Senate Bill 5 must occur prior to any meeting. Upon repeal of Senate Bill 5, we look forward to coming together as Ohioans to make our state a better place to live,work and raise a family, just like our public employees – firefighters, nurses, teachers and police officers -- do every day in their jobs.‖
We Are Ohio is a citizen-driven, community-based, bipartisan coalition that has come together to repeal SB 5, the unfair attack on employee rights and worker safety. We Are Ohio includes public and private sector workers and employees, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, pastors, small business owners, Republicans and Democrats, local elected officials and business leaders, students, Moms, Dads, family members, and your neighbors.
To view the letters, please visit the following links:
Letter to Governor Kasich: http://www.weareohio.com/Downloads/Kasich.pdf
Letter to Speaker of the House Batchelder: http://www.weareohio.com/Downloads/Batchelder.pdf
Letter to Senate President Niehaus: http://www.weareohio.com/Downloads/Niehaus.pdf
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Contact Us: Press@weareohio.com (614) 300-0105
From Misha Barnes:
If you missed Ted on MSNBC last night talking about defeating SB5 here is the link:
http://video.tvguide.com/msnbc+tv/msnbc+tv+The+agony+of+retreat/7467310?autoplay=true&partnerid=OVG 8
Misha Barnes
From We Are Ohio:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 19, 2011
Contact: Melissa Fazekas
Phone: (614) 203-2616
Email: mfazekas@weareohio.com
Workers Representing We Are Ohio Call on Governor to Repeal Senate Bill 5
Columbus-
· Removing legislative members from committees; Today workers representing We Are Ohio and our 1.3 million supporters continued their call on Governor Kasich, Senate President Niehaus and Speaker Batchelder to repeal all of Senate Bill 5, the unfair and unsafe bill that hurts us all. We Are Ohio called on these leaders to first repeal all of Senate Bill 5 to ensure a fresh start to the process. A total repeal prior to future discussions is needed due to the lack of trust resulting from the numerous political tricks these leaders played to pass Senate Bill 5 including: · Locking Ohioans out of the Ohio Statehouse; (click here for photos)
· Denying Ohioans their right to testify on the bill,
· Trying to split the referendum into pieces on the ballot;
· Trying to confuse voters by ignoring the constitution on the question of whether it should be a yes or no vote.
Glenn Szatala a firefighter in Sandusky said, "The message of wanting to talk doesn't mean anything without the repeal. We had a chance in the legislative process and now that's over. Unless there is repeal, we're not interested."
"When we wanted to sit down and have conversation, there was no interest by the Governor,‖ said Brad Strong a teacher from Mansfield. ―Then it was railroaded through the legislature with backroom deals and political games. Now he sees Ohio doesn't want SB5 so he wants to sit down, which makes me feel I can't treat this idea as a serious conversation."
Mike Bammann a retired police officer from Mansfield added, ―The opportunity to sit down at the table was given to the Governor in January. We have long past that time and he made it law. Anything short of repeal would be ignoring the voice of the public of Ohio.‖
―I'm happy that the Governor realizes that Senate Bill 5 was fundamentally flawed, but thousands of middle class Ohioans were at the State House and literally begging for a compromise in February, said Jeana Campolo, a Direct Care Worker at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center. ―When we were there pleading with Governor Kasich to negotiate he told us to, ‗Get on the bus, or he'll run us over with it.‘ How am I supposed to trust him to sit down and negotiate in good faith when he has shown such little respect for us in the past?‖
We Are Ohio is a citizen-driven, community-based, bipartisan coalition that has come together to repeal SB 5, the unfair attack on employee rights and worker safety. We Are Ohio includes public and private sector workers and employees, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, pastors, small business owners, Republicans and Democrats, local elected officials and business leaders, students, Moms, Dads, family members, and your neighbors.
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Contact Us: Press@weareohio.com (614) 300-0105 10
From the Office of State Senator Nina Turner:
Unfortunately, the Talks with Turner event with Senator Nina Turner scheduled for August 22 has been cancelled due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances. Please stay tuned in the days to come for a rescheduled date.
As always, should you have any questions or concerns, or if we may ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the office at 614.466.4583 or senatorturner@maild.sen.state.oh.us.
All the best,
Adam Warren │ Administrative Aide State Senator Nina Turner, 25
P: 614.466.4583 │ F: 614.466.4120
| From the Ohio Education Association: Wisconsin recall sends message: Attacks on working people have consequences Yesterday, two members of the Wisconsin State Senate—legislators who voted to hurt the middle class and silence the voices of public employees just like us—were defeated in recall elections. This historic election sends a clear message that attacks on working people will result in irresponsible politicians losing their jobs. The tide is turning, and the focus of the nation is turning to Ohio next. Wisconsin‘s elections also showed the extent to which outside special interests will go to protect elected officials who do their bidding. Despite the fact that all of the elections occurred in districts where the incumbents had been elected with over 55 percent of the vote, two members lost and one more barely squeaked by with 52 percent of the vote.
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| From the Brave New Foundation: Don't Let the Koch Brothers Resegregate These Children |
| Watch the Video Our latest video connects the dots and reveals how the Koch brothers fight against public education in every possible way. Their efforts began in North Carolina where they funded an effort to resegregate schools in an award winning school district. Using the same language as Gov. George Wallace in the 60s, Koch-supported school board members attempted to make "segregation always" a policy for tens of thousands of families. While David and Charles Koch drink down the high life, they are causing tens of thousands of families in North Carolina to lose their opportunity at enjoying educational equality and a free and fair shot at success. It’s part and parcel of the Kochs’ ideology to dismantle public service generally. Watch the video, then take action. Call David Koch at his Manhattan office at 212-319-1100 and tell him to "stop funding school resegregation now." We can’t let the Koch brothers ruin an equal opportunity for all. We've partnered with the Advancement Project, People for the American Way, Center for Social Inclusion and African American Ministers in Action to take action and spread this important investigation around. You can forward our video to a friend by clicking here. Yours, Robert Greenwald and the Brave New Foundation team P.S. I invite you to join our Koch Brothers Exposed page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. |
From the Young Democrats of America:
When I was elected YDA Vice President last month in Louisville, I came to the job with a background in the labor movement and a deep commitment to young workers across the country.
One of my top priorities in YDA is to continue building upon the relationship between unions and the next generation of Democratic Party leaders. In 2010, I had the opportunity to attend the first annual AFL-CIO Young Workers Summit. I spent four days with union members of my own age, and I realized that we have a strong future, and in fact, a strong present group of leaders who are ready to take on any challenge. The second annual "Next Up" Young Workers Summit will take place on September 29 – October 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The AFL-CIO has extended the invitation for YDA members to participate in the conference, and I hope many of you will plan to join me next month.
Young people are making a difference all across the globe, mobilizing for social and economic justice from Egypt to Wisconsin. You can lend your skills and talents to this growing movement by joining the AFL-CIO and hundreds of young workers, activists and leaders in Minneapolis. The registration and hotel deadline is September 1, and the conference fee is $35. More information can be found on the Next Up website.
Once you have registered, please send an email to labor@yda.org so we can keep track of how many YDA members are planning to attend. I look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis!
In Solidarity,
Mike Corbett
Vice President Young Democrats of America
From Chris Redfern, Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party:
| They're coming for us. Now that the recall elections in Wisconsin are finished, the special interests like the Koch Brothers and Karl Rove's so-called Americans for Prosperity are turning their focus to Ohio. And they're ready to throw the kitchen sink at Ohio's middle class. Over the next three months, you will see misleading ad after misleading ad flooding the airwaves in an attempt pit Ohioans against one another. That's the reality we face, and despite what the polls say, it won't be easy to defeat Issue 2 in November. Will you help us stand up to the special interest attacks by making a contribution of $10, $25 or $50 today? Our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin made history, and although they fell short of their goal of taking back the Wisconsin State Senate, they did nab two Republican seats in the recall elections. We are encouraged by these results, but the lesson is clear: we can take NOTHING for granted between now and November 8. That's why the Ohio Democratic Party and our allies are working every day, with activists going door-to-door and talking to their friends and neighbors about the need to repeal Senate Bill 5. We are mounting a statewide, grassroots effort - the largest ever in an off-year election - so that we can compete against the Koch Brothers' and Karl Rove's money. Please help us in this effort. Your contribution of $10, $25, $50 or whatever you can give will go a long way in helping us fight back against the millions of dollars of special interest attacks on Ohio's police, firefighters, teachers, nurses and all public employees who proudly serve our communities. Senate Bill 5 is an attack on the middle class. But Ohioans will repeal it if we band together, get the word out and defeat Issue 2 in November. We must remain vigilant in this effort and not take anything for granted. Sincerely, Chris Redfern Chairman, Ohio Democratic Party P.S. Make no mistake, my friend. There is nothing more important to the national special interests than keeping Senate Bill 5. And there is nothing more important to the Ohio's middle class than repealing it. Will you make a financial contribution of $10 or more to help us win in November? |
From the Ohio Education Association:
| OEA member campaign training to focus on how to enlist friends, family and neighbors to defeat SB 5 What will it take to repeal Senate Bill 5 on November 8? How will Ohioans respond to this unfair, unsafe attack on the middle class? To win, we must recruit our friends, family and neighbors! To explain how to do that, member training is coming to locations near you, and OEA staff will provide you with tools to start campaigning right away. Thousands of OEA members became trained circulators for the petition drive. Now we need thousands to become active volunteers in the referendum campaign, and that will take a massive training effort. For a current list of training locations near you, please go to the SB 5 Action Center on the OEA website at http://www.ohea.org/sb5-central. Because this training is for OEA members only, you must log in to the OEA website in order to view or download the training schedule. Use the LOGIN menu at the top of the page. If you have not logged into the OEA website before, here are directions on how to create your account before you log in. And watch for more training opportunities in messages from your local association president and from your OEA labor relations consultant. Nearly 1.3 million people signed petitions to put Issue 2 on the ballot. Repealing SB 5 at the ballot box will take a full commitment by all union members. But it will also necessitate a significant outreach to all Ohio voters, and we will start with our friends, family and neighbors. To find out more and attend campaign training, find a session scheduled near you at http://www.ohea.org/sb5-central. Again, log in to the OEA website in order to view the training schedule. We Are Ohio responds to Governor Kasich on offer of negotiations on SB 5 referendum Yesterday, the We Are Ohio campaign released this statement in response to a news conference and letter by Gov. John Kasich: We Are Ohio Tells Extreme Politicians they passed SB 5, they should repeal it
COLUMBUS - Today We Are Ohio once again stood firmly with the 1.3 million Ohioans who signed petitions to repeal SB 5 by telling the extreme politicians who passed it, to repeal it. Following a press conference held by Governor Kasich, |
posted by Bedford/Walton Hills Democrats at 10:16 PM
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