Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The former Lakewood mayor officially announced his decision Wednesday afternoon, according to our partners at WEWS News Channel 5.
Ed FitzGerald was once the leader of Lakewood, now he hopes to be the leader of Ohio. FitzGerald made his gubenatorial candidacy official with an announcement on Wednesday, according to our partners at WEWS News Channel 5. He will likely square off against current governor and republican candidate John Kasich. FitzGerald, a democrat, is currently the Cuyahoga County Executive, a position he was elected to in 2010. He moved to Lakewood in 1989. After serving on a few city boards and committees while practicing law, he was appointed to Lakewood City Council in January 1999 and has been to more than 300 council meetings since. FitzGerald was elected the city's mayor in November 2007, and took office in January 2008. Would you vote for Ed …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
In his proposed budget Gov. John Kasich points to an increase in general revenue fund spending through fiscal year 2015.
Gov. John Kasich says that his proposed state budget, if passed, would increase the education funding above 2011 levels. In a bold statement, Kasich also noted that state funding for schools has gone up each year he’s been in office, according to a press release issued on Friday. However, that’s a claim that doesn't satisfy some Lakewood school officials. State budget and school officials told Patch that there would be no additional cuts moving forward, despite the loss of federal stimulus money. (See the attached press release at the right) “The governor was insistent that no district receive less dollars than they do today,” said Jim Lynch, the special advisor to the director of the office of budget and management. In a press release, …
Friday, February 1, 2013
The governor’s plan also includes funds for a special grant, designed to encourage schools to try new approaches to increasing achievement and decreasing cost.
Gov. John Kasich unveiled his school funding reform plan, “Achievement Everywhere,” which aims to distribute funds fairly to districts and give principals more autonomy. The plan will be part of the governor’s overall 2014-2015 budget proposal, which is expected to be released next week. Thursday’s proposal includes $1.2 billion in new money for schools during the next two years. Kasich told reporters on a conference call Thursday afternoon that the additional money is possible because the state has cut costs in other areas and brought in new jobs, which increases the state’s overall revenue. He said his plan would be fully funded from the start, rather than phased in over time. Ohio’s school funding formula, which is based on property …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Former Lakewood mayor tells the Plain Dealer that Ted Strickland's decision to sit out 2014 “accelerates” his own gubernatorial exploration. Would you vote for him?
Ed FitzGerald, the former Lakewood mayor and current county executive, is eyeing a run for governor in 2014. According to the Plain Dealer, former governor Ted Strickland's decision to stay out of the race “accelerates” FitzGerald’s own gubernatorial exploration. It would appear as if FitzGerald — a Lakewood resident — is gearing up to challenge Gov. John Kasich. "I don't have a date set for making a final decision," he told the Plain Dealer. During the past year, FitzGerald has hosted a couple political fundraisers in the area and he’s made several appearances around the state. He hasn’t been exactly shy about his political interests. "I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to run," Mayor Michael Summers recently told Lakewood Patch. It's…
Friday, July 20, 2012
Our Republican Insiders say last year's fight over collective bargaining rights could hurt the party's chances at winning Ohio's electoral votes in this November's presidential election.
Will the Republican-led effort to limit collective bargaining rights for government workers in Ohio hurt the GOP's chances in this year's presidential election? More than half of the Republican insiders surveyed by Patch say it's too soon to tell or that they didn't know. But 14 out of 50 of those surveyed think the Senate Bill 5 / Issue 2 effort, led by Republican Gov. John Kasich, will hurt the GOP's chances in Ohio. Only four of 50 responders believe the fight will help the Republicans. Issue 2's effect is also seen in what Ohioans our Republican insiders would like to see as a running mate to Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Only one said they wanted Kasich, perhaps the politician most damaged by the Issue 2 ballot defeat, to be vice …
Friday, February 24, 2012
Gov. John Kasich signed a law this week aimed at redefining vicious and dangerous dogs in the state. Lakewood’s going to take a second look at its 2008 ban.
Pit bulls are no longer “dangerous” animals in Ohio. Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 14 into law this week, aimed at redefining vicious and dangerous dogs in the state. Pit bulls are no longer automatically tossed into either category. It’s not yet clear what that means for Lakewood, with its own ban on pit bulls. The Lakewood ban, passed in 2008, required residents at that time who owned pit pulls and canary dogs to register the animals, carry special insurance and implant a microchip in the dogs. The measure also ruled that no new pit bulls could live in the city. Under the new state law, a dog will be labeled vicious only if it kills or causes serious harm to a person while unprovoked. Law director Kevin Butler said the city may not…
Monday, November 28, 2011
City council set to begin hearings that include balancing a $1.1 million shortfall.
With about a $1.1 million shortfall in the city’s annual budget, as many as 17 positions at Lakewood City Hall could be eliminated through attrition in 2012. That's according to the recently released proposal that lays out the city’s financial groundwork for the next two years. Lakewood City Council is set to meet — in the first of four meetings — tonight at 7 p.m. to discuss the 172-page proposed budget. Lakewood officials have had time to prepare the 2012 forecast since June when Gov. John Kasich signed the state’s two-year, $56 billion budget, which slashed the city’s local government fund to the tune of about $1.1 million and eliminated about $200,000 in commercial activity tax. Adding to the bad news, tax revenues are expected to …
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 …
DLSJR
10:33 am on Sunday, April 28, 2013
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