ORP Update
By Matt Borges
June 11, 2014

Greetings!

On Friday, the Ohio Republican Party hosted State Central Committee members for our reorganization meeting following the primary election. Eleven new members were sworn in including Steve Austria, Bill Delaney, Dan Drockton, Doris Durica, Crystal Faulkner, Stephanie Garrett, James Horton, John Mancini, Mary O'Toole, Greg Simpson, and Denise Verdi. This reorganization meeting established committee appointments and offered updates on the day-to-day work of the party and across our statewide teams. Our county parties across the state are having similar reorganizational meetings and are uniting behind our strong slate of candidates led by Governor Kasich. Justice Judi French also stopped by to talk with the committee and brief them on her tireless campaign. With the primaries behind us, we now move forward together to defeat the Democrats in November and keep Ohio's comeback going.

Yesterday, was a day of action for Ohio Republican grassroots activists as the Kasich-Taylor for Ohio team, the Ohio Republican Party, and other statewide and local campaigns went door to door identifying and talking to voters. I was also thrilled to join Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy and State Senator Shannon Jones addressing the Warren County Young Republicans. Justice Kennedy and Senator Jones are tremendous leaders for our Party.

Cleveland 2016

Members of the site selection committee for the 2016 Republican National Convention were in Cleveland June 2-4 to scout the city as a potential host city for the 2016 Convention. Cleveland put together many events, presentations, and even a special visit from some Cleveland Browns, showcasing what Cleveland and all of Ohio have to offer to the RNC Convention.

I can tell you without hesitation that the selection committee came away impressed by the city and Ohio's potential as a host. The story of Ohio's comeback under Republican leadership would be a powerful message for the Party to share to the nation. Ohio and Governor Kasich are showing what conservative leadership can do: balance budgets, the largest tax cut in the nation, education reform, and job growth.

FitzGerald's publicity stunt backfires

Ed FitzGerald put on a media stunt in Cuyahoga County on Thursday that showed what an unserious candidate he truly is. FitzGerald unilaterally proposed a plan that would distribute revenue generated from a recently passed Cuyahoga County tax based on Cleveland's major league sports teams' performances.

Even his hometown newspaper editorial board agreed that FitzGerald's tax idea was a bad one for Cleveland and looked to simply be FitzGerald trying to steal the limelight for his gubernatorial bid at the county's expense. His hometown paper called it a "laughably bad idea" and like some out of a "Saturday Night Live Skit".

Grand Opening and Groundbreaking

What a contrast between Governor Kasich and Ed FitzGerald. As FitzGerald was grandstanding, Governor Kasich was delivering jobs for Ohio. Governor John Kasich was on hand to kickoff two great new facilities this week in Celina and Tipp City. Meijer announced that they would be investing in a new dairy facility in the Miami Valley. The investment will add another 100 jobs to their 750 workers already employed in the Dayton area.

"In Miami County, we've seen a significant drop in the unemployment which is really fantastic so this is a big win," Kasich said at the company's groundbreaking ceremony.

Later that day, the Governor attended the grand opening of Ferguson Enterprises' new distribution center located in Celina. The new facility is a large economic investment for the local community and will bring 70 jobs to Mercer County.

"We are very excited that our new Celina distribution center is now up and running," said Ferguson CEO Frank Roach. "Mercer County has welcomed us with open arms and we are proud to add 70 community members to the Ferguson family."

Statehouse Holocaust Memorial dedicated

On Monday June 2, Governor Kasich along with Lt. Governor Mary Taylor and other government leaders joined together to dedicate the new Holocaust memorial located on Statehouse grounds. Nearly 2,000 people attended the dedication that solemnly remembered those who suffered and died during the horrendous time. The dedication also celebrated the liberators who brought an end to the evil.

Many Ohioans who are Holocaust survivors, were Holocaust liberators, or are family members of survivors or liberators were in attendance at the event. It is our duty to them to never forget.

Governor Kasich spoke of the memorial's importance by emphasizing the need for future generations to never forget the dark time in world history.

"When we lost the notion that man is created in the image of God, then we treat people as objects," Kasich said. "Our young people need to know about injustice and how it happened and what we can do so it doesn't happen again."

Obama releases five terrorists endangering national security

On Thursday, June 5, 2014, U.S. Senator Rob Portman appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to discuss his concern over the Obama Administration's decision to release five high-level terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. In the interview, Portman voiced his hesitation over President Obama's decision to proceed with a trade plan without briefing the Senate or weighing the national security threat.

"There has to be justification, a detailed explanation," Portman said of the release. "We have to know what the conditions of [the terrorists'] releases are going to be to ensure that they're not going to return to the battlefield and have more American blood on their hands."

Senator Portman also commemorated the 70th anniversary of D-Day with the passage of his legislation that will establish a plaque or inscription with Franklin D. Roosevelt's prayer to the nation from June 6, 1944 at the WWII memorial in Washington DC.

Booster clubs need oversight

This week, NBC's The Today Show did a special report on the increase of parents scamming booster clubs across the county. Attorney General Mike DeWine was featured during the segment to offer some tips on making sure the funds get to the students who need the money.

"Booster clubs are susceptible to crooks for several reasons. Number one, they're dealing in cash. Number two, they rarely have any internal checks that a business would normally have," DeWine said. "They're all volunteers. And people trust them."

In Ohio, DeWine has pushed for increased booster club oversight to make sure the money intended to help student organizations like band, theater, and athletics makes it to them.

Also make sure you add the Annual DeWine Ice Cream Social on June 22nd from 1-5pm to your calendar. You don't want to miss the homemade pies, ice cream, live entertainment, and games!

Ohio Business Profile turns three

Three years ago, the Ohio Business Profile program was started to help highlight some of the many businesses that call Ohio home. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has featured more than 236 businesses that employ nearly 25,000 of our friends and family. Take a moment to view the Ohio Business Profile and explore the vast diversity of our business sector.

Secretary Husted also certified the official results for the 2014 May Primary Election, commending the hard work of Ohio's election's officials and roughly 40,000 poll workers in running a smooth election.

Auditor Yost assists local governments

Over 100 local government leaders attended a panel with Ohio Auditor Dave Yost on Thursday in Dayton. The event focused on arising worries behind coming changes to the way financial reports are required to record public employee pensions. Some leaders feared that the new reportings would cause their Moody credit rating to fall and make it harder for them to borrow money. Auditor Yost told the audience that he was working closely with credit agencies and state officials to make the changes as easy to implement as possible.

Common sense reforms praised by Mandel

This week, Treasurer Josh Mandel applauded the passage of SB 287 which made common sense reforms to secure, modernize and diversify state and local investments. This bill, which was passed unanimously by the legislature and signed into law on Thursday by Governor Kasich, made changes in order to modernize existing law to better secure and diversify state and local investments. Treasurer Mandel supported this piece of legislation and the Treasurer's office provided testimony as the bill made its way through the legislature.

After the bills passage, Treasurer Mandel said, "I applaud Senator Hughes and Representative Sprague for their hard work on this important issue, and Governor Kasich for his signature. SB 287 gives the state better flexibility to adapt to market events and ensure safe investment practices in various market conditions, while bringing Ohio's investment standards into the 21st Century."

Ohio House and Senate approve tax cuts, leaving more money for all Ohioans

This week, state lawmakers voted to cut taxes for Ohioans and expand a tax deduction available to small businesses. The tax changes were first brought to the assembly by Governor John Kasich as part of his mid-biennium budget review. Once signed, the legislation will put more money into Ohioans' pockets and support local services that will strengthen Ohio's communities. Approval from the legislature reaffirms their commitment to laying a foundation for the state's future as a whole and for the families and small businesses within Ohio's borders.

Ohio Senate stands up for rape victims

The Ohio Senate approved Senate Bill 207, jointly sponsored by State Senators Tom Patton and Gayle Manning, which would modify Ohio law to allow victims of rape to terminate parental privileges of the person convicted of rape. Current Ohio law does not prevent a convicted rapist from gaining custody of a child that was conceived by rape. The law also allows convicted rapists to be awarded parenting time with the child conceived by rape. This legislation would increase protections for victims of rape and keep innocent children away from convicted rapists.

Sincerely,

Matt Borges

Chairman, Ohio Republican Party