Darke County Elections Central

by Mike Stegall

A couple of months ago I was invited to attend a seminar in Daytonon how to be a successful politician.  They were going to tell me how to best get my message across, how to present myself, how to say something without saying anything, and a host of other “suggestions” to make each candidate successful.  I chose not to go.

Not because I think I am some super politician or anything like that, but it just seemed to hit me wrong.  Maybe I am all wet here, but I believe that seminars like this are what are wrong with politics.  I am sure that they can make you a better politician, but is that what we all want?  I don’t.  Politicians are what we are getting now, and that isn’t working out too well now is it?

I want to see our elected officials as they are, not polished and primped and elevated into something they are not.  I think people deserve to see us, faults and all, as we truly are.  If we can’t get our message out by ourselves, then how can we possibly hope to govern?

If I can’t tell you how I am going to vote in simple language, how will you know who I am? If you meet me on the street or call me on the phone with a question, you don’t want a stock political answer, you want my answer. I want you to see me not as a slick politician,(I really hate that word!) but as an elected officialwho is just like you.  I may not be as polished as some like, nor does my personality fit with everyone.  That’s okay.  This is me, and that is what you are going to get.

If all politicians would just be themselves, we would all be better off.  It seems now that you have to be “packaged” in order to get elected.  Packaged is what we have been getting for too long now.  We really don’t know these people, do we? The farther up the political ladder we go, the more our “people” think we need to change in order to be elected.  That’s a real problem for me.  I want to know who I am voting for, not some made up hack that is nothing like he is portrayed.

Example?   I give you John Edwards!  This guy was nothing like he was portrayed by his people and the media. He was a shyster who his “people” knew was a shyster, but they allowed him to go on, encouraged him actually to fool everyone because they wanted that powerhe would get as President.   If John Edwards would have been himself, he would never have been elected to anything, and yet his “packaging” got him within a whisker of the presidency!  That’s just scary and wrong.

I write these papers so hopefully, you will get to know me better. The punctuation may be wrong, and some words may be misspelled, but I am letting you in on what I believe. I am trying to let all of Darke Countysee who I am and what I believe.  This is what I am.  The things I write are what I believe. You may like it, you may not, and that’s fine with me.  I am just trying to give you a better look at me and let you have an insight as to how I will be as commissioner.  You deserve that.  You deserve to see me as I am, faults and all.

by Mike Stegall

The Great Darke County Fair is now over for 2010.  This is the first fair that I have ever spent this much time attending.  Normally, my wife, Rose, and I will go the fair once or twice and that’s it.  This year, I spent an awful lot of time in the Republican tent meeting people from all over Darke County, and all over the country, really.  I must admit that the fair has never been a huge part of summer for me, but this year, meeting all the people really made it enjoyable.

When ever you meet a divergent group of people, you always get a divergent group of ideas.  Different views and ideas are a good thing and, believe me, I heard it all!

Through all the discussion and airing of ideas, however, one theme seemed to run through every conversation: People are fed up with government. You may think that I only got the “Republican” view, but let me assure you, it was from all corners of the political spectrum.  Republican, Democrat, Independent, Tea Party member, or Libertarian, it did not matter.  There are a lot of angry people out there.

I can’t blame them.  I can’t blame them for their anger, but I do blame all of us for letting it get to this point.  We, the voters, have ignored our government for way too long. Our founders envisioned a minimalist form of government and in the past 65 years (since the end of World War II) the federal government, state governments and yes, local governments have grown enormously.  With that growth comes an insatiable appetite for money to feed itself.  It is unsustainable.  Thomas Jefferson, probably the smartest of all the founding fathers said, “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”

The American people are now awake to that fact.  They are angry at all the government intrusion in their lives. All the government mandates, programs, rules, and plain gobbled gook that comes out of Washington, state and local governments.  They have a right to be angry, not only at government, but at themselves for letting it happen.  Now, nationwide, we see this anger being portrayed everywhere by everyone.  The people seem to be clamoring for a simpler way to do business.  They want their representatives to be responsible, and responsive to their needs.  No more ignoring the electorate or you will be voted out, as well the Senators, and representatives and others should be.

This November’s election will probably be historic in the turnover in Washington.  The question is: Will this anger last, or will it be over after the election? Will there be a sense of accomplishment and now things are going to be o.k.?  I hope not.  I want people involved. I want people staying involved.  I want an electorate that is informed and stays informed.  We, as elected officials, need to have the public watching us constantly.  If we don’t, we will end up just as we are now: broke, disconnected and angry.  Let’s not get angry again.  Let’s get involved and stay there!

“A government big enough to give you every thing you want, is strong enough to take everything you have”

-Thomas Jefferson

WEST CHESTER – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) has earned the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association.

“In a time when there is a lot of focus on helping small business, some leaders just talk about it and others work to find ways to deliver on it. Congressman Boehner is one of those leaders working to deliver results for our nation’s job creators,” said Lisa Goeas, NFIB’s vice president for political operations.

In fact, to help small businesses create new jobs, Boehner has presented President Obama with a “no cost” jobs plan and several options for cutting government spending – the best way to boost the economy according to 100 economists. Boehner also backs straightforward proposals for repealing the president’s government takeover of health care and replacing it with common-sense reforms that will lower costs, and has aggressively fought the “cap and trade” national energy tax that would devastate Ohio employers and famers.

“Having run a small business, I’m honored by NFIB’s endorsement and proud to have their support,” said Boehner. “The Democrats running Washington don’t understand what it takes to meet a payroll, grow a business, or hire new workers. For more than 18 months they’ve focused more on growing government than growing the economy, and our private sector employers have paid the price. That’s why I’m committed to helping small businesses create new jobs by cutting government spending, stopping the president’s small business tax hike, and scrapping laws like ObamaCare that raise costs and create uncertainty for families and employers.”

Boehner represents Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County. He also serves as Republican Leader in the United States House of Representatives.

by Mike Stegall (R)

Turn on any newscast or radio broadcast, read any paper, get on the world wide web, or go to any social gathering and all you hear about are the problems we are having.  It is widespread.  Social Security will be broke in a few years. Medicare and Medicaid are already insolvent. More money is needed to bail out this.  Not enough money went to fix that. The economy is tanking, and no new jobs are being created.  It is a never ending deluge of bad news and unsolvable problems.  Most of our problems are problems that have been around, or brewing, for decades.  How did we get in this mess?  The answer is really quite simple. This mess wasn’t fixed when it should have been!

The real bottom line in all of this is nobody in the last 50 years or more has wanted to tackle these problems.  They were not that big a deal back then.  The prevailing attitude was “Well, I got elected to this nice job, and if I vote to fix Social Security for good, I might lose votes and lose my job.”  And therein lies the problem.

My biggest pet peeve with government is the complete lack of fortitude to do what is right.  Every elected official knows what needs to be done. Ask him/her privately and he/she will tell you how to fix almost all of our problems.  Not the standard, “We are studying the problem and are working on a comprehensive program to alleviate the pain people will suffer,” blah, blah, blah. Every politician actually has ideas for permanent fixes. He/she just doesn’t have the will, or the stomach, to do what needs to be done.  If our problems, at all levels of government were attacked when they were small problems, we would not be in this mess now.  That’s the problem with problems: Nobody wants to fix them when they are small; it is easier to pass it on to the next group and let it deal with them.

As a small business man, I know that if something small goes wrong with one of my trucks, I better fix it because by letting it go, it is going to cost me more in the long run.  I’ll give you an example.  Let’s say one of my trucks gets a leak in a radiator hose; a small leak, no big deal. I let that leak go and decide it isn’t bad enough to replace yet.  A couple of days later while cruising down the road, the hose lets go, and all the radiator fluid is drained in a matter of seconds.  Before I can shut down the truck, it has gotten so hot that I have hurt the engine.  Instead of fixing that $20 radiator hose, now I am looking at several thousand dollars of repairs!  Not very smart, was it?  Yet this scenario is played out every day in Washington, Columbus, and in counties all over the country.
Most elected officials (certainly not all) know that some of their fixes might cause some people some loss of income, some government service, or some entitlement program that they know we can’t afford, but they are to unwilling to do anything about it for fear of not getting re-elected!  THIS IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS!

I believe we are elected to fix what needs fixing, the best way we know how.  Some of our fixes are going to be painful in the short term, but for the long term are the correct answers.  I truly believe that if we fix the small problems before they become big problems, everyone wins.  The public wins, the elected official wins, and the county, city, or country wins.  Yes, elected officials are going to hear complaints about how some people are being hurt, but we have to look at the overall picture, not just one little section of it.  The thing most officials should realize by now is no matter what we do, somebody isn’t going to like it!  So be it!

You elect us to solve problems, not keep getting elected on broken promises, and grand schemes to help everyone that never work.  We need to do what needs to be done, and let the chips fall where they may.  I believe if you honestly govern this way, people will respect you more, and you can continue to serve them.  But, it is easier to just pass the problem on, so someone else has to deal with a bigger problem later.  That’s the problem with problems.

CINCINNATI (AP) – Republican Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman has fractured his right collar bone while mountain biking and needs surgery.

Campaign spokeswoman Jessica Towhey (TOO’-ee) describes Tuesday’s scheduled surgery as minor and declines to say where it will be done. She acknowledges that the former congressman returned to his Cincinnati area home Monday from Jackson Hole, Wyo., where he fell while biking with his 18-year-old son on Sunday. Portman was in Wyoming for a weekend fundraiser.

Towhey says the 54-year-old former congressman told her Monday night he’s feeling fine. He expects to return to campaigning later this week.

Portman is running against Democratic Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for the Senate seat now held by Republican George Voinovich, who’s retiring.

Well…once again, we must ask…Where do you start with John Boehner since he finds it impossible to open his mouth without uttering nonsense or offending millions of Americans? In recent days he has defended BP, derided unemployed workers while denying them essential benefits and this week he tells seniors to strap on their work boots for an extra five years of labor before they can retire at 70 years of age. Maybe he can hire a few of our senior citizens as caddies for himself and his lobbyist friends— thereby assuring them of at least 119 days of work annually at luxurious locations in exotic locales and best of all it’s on the corporate tab.

As West Point graduate Justin Coussoule, the dynamic Democrat actually running against John Boehner remarked—“Once again the rational leadership of the region, state and nation has rebuked John Boehner for his mindless commentary, but they must have marveled at his tin-ear and callous heart. They should be reminded that this is a public figure who is walled-in, living in a cocoon of privilege and clueless as to the economic hardship that the financial powers he tirelessly protects have done to this nation. Unfortunately for his constituents he is a perfected reflection of a gated golf club mentality.”

This week Boehner blithely suggested that the massive Bush economic meltdown brought on by malfeasance and fraud that decimated our nation and threatened the world economy –should be handled gently, —suggesting that banking reform legislation which passed the House of Representatives this week was tantamount to attacking “an ant with a nuclear weapon.”  He could not possibly be more wrong.

Once again rational opponents of Boehner are not surprised given his long record of protecting corporate wrongdoers of every stripe—standing in from of the American Bankers Society and telling them his has their back and will block any legislation that would restore order or legitimacy to the to not let “those punk little (Congressional) staffers” to “push them around.” Justin Coussoule commented on this attitude and its great social costs, saying, “Mr. Boehner seems to forget that his blind obstruction has consequences and his policy positions and absolutist practices that put his party and his own future over the needs and aspirations of the American people.”

Paid for by Friends of Justin Coussoule

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and former GOP congressman Rob Portman are still neck and neck in their Ohio U.S. Senate race, according to the latest poll.

A Quinnipiac (KWIN’-uh-pee-ak) University survey of Ohio voters released Wednesday has Fisher with 42 percent and Portman with 40 percent. Seventeen percent are undecided.

The pollsters say the results are statistically unchanged from their similar polls taken in April and March.

Majorities say they don’t know enough about each candidate to form an opinion. Fisher and Portman are vying to replace Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who’s retiring.

The survey of 1,107 Ohio voters was conducted June 22-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

by Darke County Commissioner Candidate, Mike Stegall (R)

Every politician this time of year starts telling us what they are going to do for us (or to us in some cases) if elected.  It is part and parcel to the election process.  It is always the same, too.  Lower taxes, cut in government spending, more this, more that, and last but not least, jobs.  All politicians know that jobs are what drive our economy, and without them, they cannot give some of our money back to us.  They realize that jobs create tax money, and tax money allows them to spend it the way they think we want.  Not necessarily spent wisely, but spent none the less. Every politician has a plan for government to create jobs as they constantly tell us daily.  “We need to do this, we need to do that” and blah, blah, blah.  I am by definition now a politician, although I prefer the term “elected official”. (Politicians tell you what you want to hear; elected officials tell you what they think.)  I am, however, no different than politicians in that I, too, have a plan for jobs in Darke County.

First, let me start by telling you a “dirty little secret” politicians don’t like people to know:  Government cannot create jobs!  The only jobs it can create are government jobs.  If you think about it, we get no goods or services from government that adds to our economy.  Government produces no products or services; it spends the money we give it to give us the services it provides back to us!  So, what can government do to help the job market?  The answer is simple but difficult for most politicians to do: Get out of the way and make it easier for businesses to operate.  I have no illusions about the job situation in Darke County.  It is bad, bouncing around 10 and 11 percent unemployment.  I do believe, though, at the local level there are things we can do to help.  I am proud to say that I see some progress in Darke County.  We now have an economic development Director, Mark Saluk, who should be the focal point for businesses in the County.  I believe that Mark should speak for all of Darke County when he talks to businesses already here and new business looking to settle here.  The Darke County Chamber of Commerce, headed by Sharon Deshambeau, is a key part of this plan, as is the Versailles Chamber and all the Community Improvement Corporations (C. I. C’s).  Although the Chambers, C. I. C.’s and the Economic Development Director do have different jobs to perform, they should work as a team to enhance the business climate in the county.

I have talked to these people, and do believe we are on the right track.  The best part is these people do care.  I believe that if a company comes to Darke County and, after looking around, decides it wants to do business in Ansonia,  then we should do everything possible to put it there!  That may mean that other communities might have to swallow hard and help Ansonia, or whatever community, get the business.  Don’t undermine each other.  All the behind-the-scene and backroom deals only allow the company to get a better deal for it, not all of us. If one town or village or city wins, we all win.  Let’s do everything possible to help Darke County, not the individual company.

I also believe we can surely streamline some of our processes for businesses.  Believe it or not, red tape can be cut; we just have to be willing to do it.  Permit applications/acceptance, inspections, and other government requirements can be reduced without loss of protection or revenue for our County.  I also believe that we do not want every company out there to come here.  We want good employers, ones who realize that they also have a stake in the future of the County. I do not want a company that will only come here if we “sell the farm” to get it here. That kind of company will only leave after it has gotten all it can from the County.  We don’t want or need companies like that.  During the primary, one of my opponents said he wanted to be a “friend” of business.  That is fine, but I prefer to be a “partner” with business.  Sometimes when we are “friends” we may overlook what our “friend” is doing, and that may not be in the best interests of all.  If we are “partners”, we both now have a shared interest in the success of the business, and the County.

Darke County has many assets, as I have stated before: plentiful resources, land, business parks, and a willing and able workforce.  We, in government, just need to help it along, reduce the red tape, and let the people now in place do their job.

By Commissioner Candidate Mike Stegall

For 27 years I refereed High School football games.  I had a great crew, all from Greenville, and we stayed together without much change that whole time.  We were pretty good, not by just my account, but also according to our assigning agents.  We worked hard, studied, prepared and always were where we were supposed to be.  In all those years, I did a lot of things right, and pretty well.  Now, thinking back on those years, I realize I did one thing perfect every time, and never missed anything.  The best thing I did, and most officials do, is pack their bag.

I had a routine that might sound strange to most, but I bet there are things that we all do that may seem paranoid or weird to others.  I would get my equipment bag ready on Monday for a Friday game.  I would take my clean shirt, pants, socks, hat, belt, and all my flags and pencils, books and  what-have-you, and put each one in the bag individually, then close the bag.  I would then check the bag on Tuesday, unloading everything,  then reloading, just to be sure.  I would do the same on Thursday, and before I left on Friday night, just making sure I had everything I needed to do the job I was assigned to do that evening.  In 27 years, I never forgot anything.  Even before the game started, I would do at least 2 more checks to make sure I had everything I needed before I went out on the field.  To some of you, this may sound a little paranoid.  Maybe it was, but it made me secure in the fact that I was ready to officiate the game that night.

In my political life, I think this pattern has served me well.  Now, before I make any decision that affects other people, and their money and livelihoods, I “pack my bag.”  I go over and over what I am about to do.  Am I doing the right thing?  Is this the direction we need to take?  Do we really need to spend this amount or can we get it done less expensively?  Is this the best we can get?  What is best for all concerned, not just a few?  On any major decision as a Township Trustee, I have packed and re-packed my bag at least a dozen or more times.  This ensures me that I am making the right decision based on what I know, and what I can expect.  When it comes time to make that big decision, or step out on the field if you prefer, I know I am ready to make the call.
This “packing your bag” attitude allows me to be able to tell others when I am asked why I did what I did.  I can tell them with confidence that I did this because I prepared myself with all the information I could and came to the conclusion I did because of “packing and re-packing” my bag.  They may not agree with me, but at least I can feel prepared for their questions, and maybe help them understand my decision.  Sometimes even after “packing my bag” I might learn something new from others, and that’s  o.k.  Nobody has the corner on perfection, but “packing my bag” eliminates a lot of problems.

After watching some of the shenanigans going on in Columbus and Washington, I wish more elected officials would “pack their bag” before they act.  If elected officials take more time and not rush to make decisions just because “something must be done now!”  The solutions will be more sound and last longer.  Unfortunately, all too many politicians pass legislation and bills just to tell their voters “See, Look what I have done!”  I disagree with that “something must be done now” attitude.  We, as elected officials, should be prepared for most emergencies, and be able to make sound decisions based on what we know and what we can expect.  It would make the public feel more secure, and the trust factor would increase in their government if they knew that before we came to them with our decisions we “Packed our Bag!”

Published in The Daily Advocate on June 17, 2010.

Christina Chalmers,  Editor

GREENVILLE – On Tuesday, the Greenville City Schools Board of Education approved the elimination of school fees for the upcoming school year if the 2.89 Mill bond issue ($24.7 million) for a new 5-8 grade school passes during the August 3 Special Election.

The decision to eliminate workbook, lab and flat fees for curricular purposes for all students K-12 was based on the projected $300,000 a year savings a new school building will bring the district due to building consolidations and efficiencies.

“The Board realizes that people are still having a hard time and it’s the last chance we have at receiving the $8.8 million,” said Greenville School District Board Member Bill Funderberg, who approached the board with the idea.

“I think we are going to save a lot of money,” said Funderburg of the new building. “It’s a good deal.”

Former board member Eileen Litchfield agreed stating that it was the “best deal for the community.”

According to district Treasurer Carla Surber, $7 million in improvements have been made on the school buildings within the district over the past decade. A new building, because of efficiencies in utilities, transportation, resources and administration, they say, will save the district from making further improvements to their two oldest buildings – South Middle School and the Greenville Junior High.

“It’s our money (state taxes), we are just getting some of it back,” said Funderberg. “We are saving the taxpayers money by having a new school built.”

The August Special Election is the last time the district will be able to utilize Federal Stimulus monies ($8.8 million), and special building qualifications according to the State’s special needs program. The district was placed in the State program after some of the facade fell from the junior high building in 2008 and due to the age of the 99-year-old building. South Middle School was included in the program under a special House Bill later that year due to its age and building condition.

The State program has approved a special plan for the district to consolidate the two buildings into one, but the bond must pass on August 3 before the plan expires and the Federal Stimulus money will be released to another school district.

After that, according to Surber and Superintendent Susie Riegle, the only other option for having a new school building built within the district in the future would be for district taxpayers to foot the entire cost to build or through the regular State program that would require all buildings except for the high school (it would be renovated) to be replaced due to their age, but at double the cost to the district taxpayers.

In addition to the school fees being waived, the board also approved to dedicate approximately 5,000 square feet of the new school building to the community and senior population. The muti-use room would not be any additional cost to the district, but would be utilizing existing space already drawn into the building plans, said Riegle.

“The idea of the community room is to provide seniors more of an opportunity to see the kids,” said Riegle.

Funderberg, Litchfield, and Honorary chairman Jim Buchy are heading up the August Bond campaign as part of the Citizens for Quality Greenville Schools. Funderberg stated that no school district money would be used in the campaign.

District parents should expect to receive mailings with information about the board resolution approval in the next few weeks, said Riegle.

Submitted from candidate for Congress Justin Coussoule

For two decades 8th Congressional District absentee Congressman John Boehner has maintained the coziest of relationships with all things pertaining to oil marketing and exploration. His opponent Justin Coussoule thinks that is “a chief reason he should be removed from the Congress.”

Boehner is historically a leading recipient of campaign funds from big oil interests; he recently invested his own money in British Petroleum; and he has opposed raising caps on damages caused by careless oil exploration like  the horrible catastrophe we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition, Boehner’s powerful position was purchased for him by oil industry and other lobbyists & contributors and they continue to fund his high-rolling personal lifestyle–thereby assuring that he will block any legislation on alternative energy or genuine environmental protection. He clearly believes in big oil for his financial future when he invests his millions in fossil fuels* and when he takes their generous campaign contributions and pays them back by casting votes favorable to big oil the in Congress.
At a recent press conference Boehner joined the head of the national Chamber of Commerce, Donahue, by saying: “I think the people responsible in the oil spill — BP and the federal government — should take full responsibility for what’s happening there.”  Coussoule retorts, saying, “just try to explain that to the taxpayers and the ‘small people’ * of the 8th District—at least those who do not live in a gated golf course community as Mr. Boehner does. They just might not understand and will begin to question just who it is that Boehner is representing in their name.”

As Boehner’s Democratic opponent Justin Coussoule has clearly stated, “Boehner is tucked so tight into big oils pocket that he cannot even muster genuine anger, sympathy for the victims or call for increased accountability—because he can apparently find no fault with his oily benefactors who have brought us the worst environmental catastrophe in American history.”

Yesterday when BP CEO Tony Hayward testified before Congress we all anticipated his lawyerly apology for the disaster his company has caused. Instead, GOP Congressman and Boehner confidant, Joe Barton (R. Texas) (who received $1,447,880 from oil interests) was the one saying he was sorry — to BP. Barton called the initial payment a “tragedy in the first proportion”. Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan agreed with Boehner’s team saying Barton had shown immense “political courage”. Other conservatives called the escrow account a “fleecing” of BP and the dependable Rush inconceivably called it a “bailout”.  And then the House Republican Study Committee, with its 114 members controlled by Boehner, called the BP payment a “shakedown.”
The question inevitably arises—Whose side are they on?

These statements underline the good reasons why BP has given a full 70% of it’s political contributions to Republicans and why Boehner’s friends at the Heritage Foundation—largely funded by big oil and related corporations– called the hearings a “public lynching” and called the initial down payment on damages “a shakedown of godfather-like proportions.”

Justin Coussoule, the young businessman, attorney and West Point graduate who is aggressively challenging Boehner in Ohio’s 8th District believes that “given the sloppy performance of BP and the immense damages this still spewing devastation will have on our Southern Coast, this $20 billion is just a down-payment on what will be required to restore the region. Our American economic future; our agricultural resources and food supplies; our essential wildlife preserves; and the disruption of tourism in the region will compound the human costs and  a way of life that may never be the same. BP must be held strictly responsible for this debacle.”

Coussoule concluded by saying that Boehner’s comments this week “clearly show that he is devoid of shame and has lost all touch with the millions of Americans who are fighting to protect everything they have from this man-made calamity in the gulf, such callousness must not be rewarded with a leadership position that would have tragic consequences for our nation as well.”

*House Republican Leader John Boehner recently bought between $15,000 and $50,000 in stock in BP, the company responsible for the spill that has spurred an environmental disaster. According to the reports, Boehner sold a retirement plan worth between $1 million and $5 million. The next day, he bought a variety of blue chip stocks, including interests in seven other oil and gas companies such as Chevron, Conoco-Phillips, Exxon, Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Apache Corp. Altogether, Boehner now owns between $106,008 and $365,000 of stock in oil and gas companies. Source: Cincinnati Enquirer http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20100616/NEWS0108/6170365/

* BP executives referred to impacted citizens of the gulf region as “small people”

Darke County Commissioner candidate Mike Stegall with Elli Earwood, age 4, of Arcanum.

Darke County Commissioner candidate Mike Stegall was joined by 22 supporters who walked with him, greeting people and handing out stickers and balloons to kids during the Poultry Days parade in Versailles on June 12th.  His wife, Rosemary, drove a convertible through the parade, but Mike chose to walk and greet people directly. It was an excellent tournout and show of support for Stegall’s first parade as a candidate for Commissioner. All who participated had a great time!

Candidate Keith Smith was also in the parade, riding on one of the flatbeds from Keith’s Towing- and Dave Niley drove his truck through the parade with his wife and their dog.

By Mike Stegall, candidate for Darke County Commissioner

Everybody makes plans.  We plan for college. We plan for a new car. We plan for a new house. We plan for retirement. We even make plans for dinner.  We all make these plans hoping that they will come true.  Sometimes, however, we have to change our plans. Maybe the timing is wrong, or maybe that raise in salary we were planning on didn’t happen.  Possibly, someone became ill, or changed jobs and moved.  Whatever the reason, plans are made, and plans change.  No plan should be totally rigid without some wiggle room in case things change.

Everybody makes plans, including elected officials. Planning for the future of Darke County is essential for its growth and well-being.  The commissioners make budgets and growth plans based on what they know at the time and what they can predict by past trends.  Sometimes they work out; sometimes they don’t.
Take the courts building for example.  Four years ago, the plan was to build a new courts building behind the existing courthouse.  The money would come from a one-half percent sales tax increase and from the capital improvements fund.  This would be a new, three-story structure behind the old courthouse connected by a walkway.  Four years ago, this was a solid plan. Times change.  Due to some unexpected expenses and the economy turning slower than predicted, the revenue was not there for this project. So what did the commissioners do?  The same thing we all do: changed their plan!

Now the plan is to use what grant money is available from the federal and state governments and money from the capital improvements fund as it becomes available.  The commissioners realize that going into further debt for a project like this would be very foolish. They also realize that they cannot raise taxes either. The plan they have now does neither one.  The plan takes what is available and uses it.  The Commissioners were smart enough to allow for a change in plans, and they are to be applauded for that.

I have heard all kinds of stories from people about the new courts building ranging from, “They are going to put us further in debt,” to, “that darn building will cost us 15 million dollars!”  One of my favorites was, “This can’t be done!”

Allow me to address these three statements.  First, they are not going to put us further in debt. They realize that adding more debt would be damaging the future of the county.  If anyone tells you they are adding debt, have them call the commissioners and ask for themselves.  They will be shocked to find out that the commissioners try to run the county like their own households, on a budget and responsibly.  Second, the plan that I saw four years ago, and just recently, put the total cost between 6 and 9 million dollars.  A lot of money for sure, but nowhere near the numbers I have heard people repeat to me.  Last, but not least, IT CAN BE DONE!  If people can build a house a little at a time as they get the money, (my mother and grandfather did when my dad was in the service) why can’t the commissioners work on the courthouse and courts building a little at a time?

The plan now is to tear down the old buildings behind the courthouse, build a parking lot, and start refurbishing the old courthouse.  The money for this project is coming from the NSP (neighborhood stabilization program), which is a grant, and the rest from the capital improvements fund.  The best part about this plan is the NSP Grant.  The state is giving us back some of our money! We send money to Washington and Columbus all the time, and it is always nice to get some back. This plan is workable and addresses a need.  That need is for modernizing and making more room in our 136-year-old courthouse.

I like the plan. The only question that must be asked every day is, “Is this still what we need?”  If the answer is yes, then continue.  If the answer is no, in that we need something bigger, smaller, taller, shorter, not at all, etc., the commissioners will do what we all do: CHANGE OUR PLANS!!

The Darke County Young Republicans welcomed Commissioner Candidate Mike
Stegall and State Senator Candidate Bill Beagle at their May meeting.
The group had prepared a list of questions for Mr. Stegall and Mr.
Beagle.  Shown above is Mike Stegall, Andrew Dirksen , David Barger,
Micki Earwood, Leah Polling, and Bill Beagle.

The fledgling Young Republicans of Darke County are building a
politically aware group that welcomes interested young adults.  For
information contact David Barger  davidbarger@embarqmail.com or Micki
Earwood  mme425@yahoo.com .

Included in the above photo is Ashley Knowlton from Clark County, who spoke to the group about the Springfield Memorial Day Parade.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, apparently at a loss to praise his own record in office, has instead led off his reelection bid by lashing out at Republican candidate John Kasich in negative television ads.  The Republican Governors Association today responded with an ad, titled “Worried,” that features a disappointed father and daughter talking about Strickland’s record and his decision to go on the attack.  The ad can be seen on Facebook or YouTube.

“Ted Strickland has been a disappointment to Ohioans,” said Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for the Republican Governors Association.  “With scandal, mismanaged budgets and hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, he surely is left with no choice but to attack John Kasich.”

In the ad, a father and a daughter are sitting in a diner discussing Strickland’s recent attack ads.  During their conversation, they observe sadly that the governor has no choice but to go on the offensive since on his watch the administration has been bogged down in scandal, the budget has been a mess, and Ohio has lost more than 400,000 jobs.  “He didn’t get the jobs done,” the father concludes, seeming to be let down by Strickland.

“Ted Strickland rode into office four years ago full of great promises, but he just hasn’t delivered,” Murtaugh said.  “Ohio deserves better.”

Hi everyone,

Many of you probably know by now that in a close election my opponent, Mike Stegall, carried the day. I congratulate him and wish him well. The unofficial vote showed me coming within 185 votes, or about 3 percent, of the winning margin.

That this was such a close race is due solely to the efforts of all of you who supported, worked for and voted for me. To name everyone who worked hard on my behalf would probably take a book and all day, and I’d still miss someone. You know who you are, and I thank you.

There are just a few people – my core group – that I would like to specifically thank: Kay Seiler, my campaign chair, Al Greiner, my treasurer, Lyn Bliss, who kept me on the political high road, Dori Howdieshell, who served as my unofficial campaign headquarters at Tropical Isle, Kurt Fritsch, my webmaster and, especially, my wonderful wife, Susan, who had to live with my unbelievable schedule and single-minded purpose for the past year. Thank you all of you… I love you, guys.

As most of you know, yard signs now have to go away. Supporters and I will be out this weekend to pick up as many as possible. Please do your part and do the same.

Thanks again for a fantastic experience. I have made a lot of wonderful friends and I believe our message was heard. I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done and I am proud of what we accomplished.

Bob

Alice Butts, left, of Cleveland gives a hug to family friend Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, right, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Cleveland on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Fisher beat Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in a primary election for the Democratic nomination to fill the Senate seat of retiring Republican George Voinovich. (AP Photo/Jason Miller)

JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP Statehouse Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio Democrats on Tuesday selected a seasoned statewide officeholder with a gift for fundraising to try to win an open U.S. Senate seat this fall.

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a former state attorney general endorsed by the governor, soundly defeated Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the party’s nod. He now faces Republican Rob Portman, a former Bush budget director and trade rep, in the fall.

Brunner bucked the party establishment in her bid to become Ohio’s first woman senator. She pitched the move with voters as a mark of courage, but ultimately lacked the campaign cash and name ID to overcome Fisher’s party ties and fundraising prowess.

In her concession speech, she poked fun at her own persistent optimism throughout the underdog campaign.

“I think if we had had six more months on the bus, we would have won this,” she said, drawing laughs from the crowd.

With 62 percent of precincts reporting, Fisher held more than 55 percent of the vote.

Fisher and Portman face off in November to succeed longtime U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a former GOP mayor and governor who is retiring. It was the most highly visible of the state’s contests for seats on Capitol Hill.

In House races, Democrats Steve Driehaus and Mary Jo Kilroy will see rematches with their 2008 opponents after Tuesday’s results were decided.

Driehaus’ win set up a rematch with the veteran Republican congressman, Steve Chabot, he toppled in 2008. Chabot was a six-term incumbent of the Cincinnati-area 1st District before Driehaus’ upset. The win was attributed largely to high black turnout for then-candidate Barack Obama.

Kilroy again faces Republican Steve Stivers, a former state senator whom she so narrowly defeated in 2008 that both attended Congress’ freshman orientation awaiting recount results.

Other primaries were set to decide challengers to some vulnerable Ohio representatives, including Democrats John Boccieri and Zack Space.

Nationally, Republicans view Driehaus’ Republican-leaning district and Kilroy’s 50-50 Columbus district as among their best chances across the country to increase their votes against congressional Democrats.

Statewide, the Senate primary sparked consternation behind the scenes while it remained almost bland in public. Fisher kicked off his campaign with an endorsement from Gov. Ted Strickland, the titular head of the Ohio Democratic Party – then the party ultimately stopped short of endorsing in the race after protests by Brunner supporters.

Fisher and Brunner share similar political positions on many issues and both made fixing the state’s ailing economy a focus of their campaigns.

Polls showed the race remaining tight for much of the spring, with Fisher benefiting from a decades-long history as a party leader and Brunner capitalizing on her visible role as the state elections chief who succeeded controversial Republican Ken Blackwell. Brunner sought to make a campaign issue of Fisher’s decision to step down as state development director in the midst of a historic economic crisis, but her criticism gained little traction.

As predicted, a Quinnipiac University poll taken in the final stretch of the campaign showed Fisher pulling ahead of Brunner by 20 percentage points after his much wealthier campaign aired some upbeat TV advertising. Brunner’s campaign didn’t raise enough to match the ads, relying largely on e-mails, tweets and Internet postings.

However, the poll showed significant numbers of voters undecided or still open to changing their minds.

Another two dozen primaries were held to decide fall contenders for the U.S. House, with a host of incumbents winning swift victories. Among those were Republicans John Boehner and Steve Austria and Democrats Charlie Wilson and Tim Ryan. Jim Traficant, an ex-congressman recently released from prison, plans to challenge Ryan as an independent this fall in a three-way contest with Tuesday’s GOP nominee, Jim Graham.

DEANNA MARTIN
Associated Press Writers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – It turned out anger didn’t translate at the ballot box.

Voters in North Carolina and Ohio kept their incumbents while those in Indiana turned to an old Capitol Hill hand – Republican Dan Coats – in Tuesday’s primaries despite the nation’s bottom-of-the-barrel support for Congress and frustration with the Washington establishment.

Coats, who was recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, will face Democrat Brad Ellsworth, whose nomination is assured. The candidates are seeking the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

Coats, 66, retired from the Senate in 1998, has worked as a lobbyist and was U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush. He overcame spirited challenges from four opponents, including state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, a tea party favorite who was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, and former Rep. John Hostettler, who had the support of one-time presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Democrats quickly piled on, calling Coats a “deeply flawed candidate” and casting him as a Washington insider beholden to special interests.

Turnout was exceptionally light in Ohio and North Carolina, a possible indication that voter anger over economic woes, persistently high unemployment and Congress itself wasn’t influencing elections – and, perhaps, a reflection of the limited influence of the conservatives and libertarians who make up the fledgling tea party coalition.

“We rebuilt the pyramids and recarved the Grand Canyon in our spare time,” joked poll worker Dina Roberts, who saw only 147 voters in nearly 12 hours at her downtown Indianapolis polling site.

By the end of the day, however, the Republican turnout in the Indiana Senate primary was the highest this decade, including presidential election years.

In all three states, candidates backed by party leaders in Washington squared off against challengers drawing their support from elsewhere. While it’s difficult to draw concrete conclusions about the state of the country from just a few races, the results gave some idea of whether the national parties still can influence rank-and-file supporters.

At the very least, the outcome of Tuesday’s primaries – the first set of contests in the two months since Texas held its February primary – set the stage for November’s congressional matchups and provided early insights about voter attitudes ahead of this fall’s elections.

Among the notable House races in Indiana, 14-term Republican Rep. Dan Burton – Indiana’s longest-serving congressman – struggled but managed to fend off six challengers for his 5th Congressional District seat, and Rep. Mark Souder easily won the GOP nomination in the 3rd District after a nasty campaign.

In North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Howard Coble, who first won his seat in 1984, easily beat five opponents. And in the 8th District, first-term Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell survived a primary challenge from one of his former campaign volunteers.

The state’s first-term Republican Sen. Richard Burr, whose public approval numbers are lower than expected, easily won his party’s nomination. Democrats won’t decide his general election opponent until a June 22 runoff, as none of the six candidates achieved the 40 percent of the vote necessary to win outright.

The runoff will pit Secretary of State Elaine Marshall against Cal Cunningham, a former state senator who is the favored choice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a former state attorney general backed by Democrats in Washington, withstood a challenge from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The two sought the nomination to fill the Senate seat of retiring Republican George Voinovich. Fisher will face former Rep. Rob Portman, the budget director and trade representative under George W. Bush.

____

Sidoti reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Mike Baker in Raleigh, N.C., and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP Statehouse Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The fight for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat this fall pits a former state development director against a former federal budget and trade czar in a race all about the economy.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the governor’s one-time jobs guru, won his party’s nomination for the seat Tuesday over Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner with about 55 percent of the vote. He now faces Republican Rob Portman, a former congressman and trade representative for former President George W. Bush., in the race to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who’s retiring.

In his victory speech, Fisher laid Ohio’s abysmal economy at the feet of Bush administration policies.

“The governor and I can do all the right things, but if the federal government is giving tax breaks to businesses that ship jobs overseas, bailing out Wall Street while shortchanging small businesses who’ve never missed a payment in their life, then what happens is Ohio’s workers, Ohio’s families and Ohio’s small businesses get left behind,” Fisher said in Cleveland.

Portman said blame began with President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, painting the GOP as the Washington outsiders.

“The fundamental question that Ohioans will face in November is whether we will continue to watch our economic prosperity slip away or whether we will take on the status quo in Washington and chart a new direction that includes stopping the fiscal irresponsibility and job-killing proposals coming out of Washington,” he said in a statement.

Republicans are looking to capitalize on anti-Obama sentiment among voters to take back as many as five Ohio seats from the Democratic House majority.

Freshman Democratic U.S. Reps. Steve Driehaus, Mary Jo Kilroy and John Boccieri are among the most vulnerable after controversial votes in support of cap-and-trade legislation, health care reform or both.

Driehaus’ primary win Tuesday set up a rematch with the veteran Republican congressman he toppled in 2008, Steve Chabot.

Chabot was a six-term incumbent of the Cincinnati-area 1st District before Driehaus’ upset. The win was attributed largely to high black turnout for then-candidate Obama.

Kilroy again faces Republican Steve Stivers, a former state senator whom she so narrowly defeated in 2008 that both attended Congress’ freshman orientation awaiting recount results.

Democratic incumbent Zack Space, another GOP target, was uncertain of his fall opponent late on election night, as an eight-way GOP primary was still being decided. Boccieri, an Iraq war veteran, will face Republican businessman Jim Renacci in the fall.

With the distracting and unwanted Senate primary behind them, Ohio Democrats sought to unite their party Tuesday night – rallying again behind Brunner and against Portman and the GOP gubernatorial nominee, former U.S. Rep. John Kasich.

Gov. Ted Strickland, also a former congressman, said, “While my opponent supported the failed Washington-Wall Street policies that got us into this economic mess and then cashed out on those policies at Lehman Brothers, I have worked every day as governor to invest in people who work for a living and ensure that Ohio emerges from this global economic recession stronger than ever.”

Kasich snapped back: “The current (Strickland) administration had its chance but wasn’t up to the task, and because of their policies the recession is hurting Ohioans more than it should and more than people in neighboring states.”

Two dozen U.S. House primaries were held to decide fall contenders for the U.S. House, with a host of incumbents winning swift victories. Among those was Democrat Tim Ryan, who enters a three-way fall contest between Tuesday’s GOP nominee, Jim Graham, and Jim Traficant, an ex-congressman recently released from prison.

Traficant, who plans to run as an independent, was elected to nine terms in Congress as a Democrat from Youngstown before serving time for racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. He l eft federal prison in September.

Traficant has said he believes he can win in the Democratic stronghold despite the fact he has no money or campaign staff.

DARKE COUNTY — Nine of ten local issues passed at the primary election, with the Greenville School Bond failing.

Issue No. 3, a tax levy renewals for Ansonia L.S.D, passed with a vote of 296 for, and 130 against. The levy, estimated at $1 Million over five years, is earmarked for permanent improvements to the district, the first due in the calendar year 2011.

Issue No. 5, an income tax renewal for Newton L.S.D, overlapping with Miami County, passed with a vote of three for, and zero against. The renewal will continue a .75 percent tax over the next three years.

Issue No. 6, a tax levy replacement for Northmont C.S.D., overlapping Montgomery County, passed with a vote of one for, and zero against. The levy will help with operating costs, and create an estimated $9 Million over the next five years.

Issue No. 7, a renewal tax levy for New Madison, passed with a vote of 82 for, and 26 against.. The levy is for the general construction, re-surfacing and repair of various streets, roads and bridges, with the first projects being seen in 2011. The levy will raise about $2 Million over the next five years.

Issue No. 8, a renewal tax levy for Union City, was passed with a vote of 99 for, and 87 against. The levy is designated to help cover the city’s operating costs, and create $4.3 Million over the next five years.

Issue No. 9 & 10, were local options at Arcanum A, Precinct #34. Issue 9 was passed with a vote of 125 for, and 76 against, which allows Arcanum Lanes a liquor sale license. Issue 10 passed with a vote of 106 for and 94 against, allowing Arcanum lanes to have Sunday Sales.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Former Sen. Dan Coats, the Washington establishment’s favored Republican, opened up a comfortable early lead in the GOP primary in Indiana on Tuesday and voters in North Carolina and Ohio made their choices in House and Senate primaries.

With scattered votes from a third of Indiana’s counties, Coats inched ahead of state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, a tea party favorite, and former Rep. John Hostettler. Democrat Brad Ellsworth’s nomination is assured. The candidates are seeking retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh’s seat.

Turnout was exceptionally light in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina, a possible indication that the anger fueling voters across the country over economic woes and persistently high unemployment wasn’t translating into votes – and, perhaps, the limited influence of the conservatives and libertarians who make up the fledgling tea party coalition.

In all three states, candidates backed by Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington are squaring off against challengers drawing their support from elsewhere. While it’s difficult to draw concrete conclusions about the state of the country from just a few races, the results will give some idea of whether the national parties still can influence rank-and-file supporters.

At the very least, the outcome of Tuesday’s primaries – the first set of contests in the two months since Texas held its February primary – will set the stage for November’s congressional matchups and provide early insights about voter attitudes ahead of this fall’s elections.

Coats – recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee before Bayh decided to retire – is fighting for the GOP nomination against four others. Stutzman was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. Hostettler is a former congressman who has the support of former presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Coats, 66, retired from the Senate in 1998. He has worked as a lobbyist and was U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush.

In notable House races, 14-term Republican Rep. Dan Burton – Indiana’s longest-serving congressman – faces six challengers for his 5th Congressional District seat. And Rep. Mark Souder is fighting Bob Thomas, a well-funded auto dealer, in the 3rd District.

In North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Howard Coble, who first won his seat in 1984, is trying to fend off five opponents. And in the 8th District, first-term Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell is facing one challenger.

Also, six Democrats are competing in the Democratic primary for the chance to challenge first-term GOP Sen. Richard Burr, whose public approval numbers in North Carolina are lower than expected. Among the Democrats are Cal Cunningham, a former state senator who is the favored choice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. A candidate will need 40 percent of the vote to avoid a two-person June 22 runoff.

In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a former Ohio attorney general backed by Democrats in Washington, is facing Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The two are battling for the Democratic nomination to fill the Senate seat of retiring Republican George Voinovich. The winner will face former Rep. Rob Portman, the budget director and trade representative under George W. Bush.

____

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Voter frustration with Washington, Wall Street and the welfare line was to begin playing out Tuesday in a state primary heavy on tea party and economic themes.

Republicans and Democrats were to make their picks to run in the fall election in a U.S. Senate contest, two dozen congressional primaries, a handful of legislative races and two statewide offices. Anti-mainstream momentum has led to two third-party runoffs – for the Libertarian and Constitution nominations – in central Ohio congressional races.

Also Tuesday, Ohio voters were to decide two statewide issues: the renewal of the Third Frontier high-tech jobs initiative and the relocation of a Columbus casino approved last fall from the trendy downtown Arena District to a struggling West Side neighborhood. Both issues have received broad bipartisan support in campaigns focused on their job-growing potential. Neither has any organized opposition.

In the Democratic Senate primary, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher have focused debate on creating jobs and improving the ailing economy in Ohio, where unemployment is at 11 percent.

Heading into election day, Fisher was ahead in the money race and in the polls, but a significant percentage of voters indicated in an end-stretch Quinnipiac University poll that they still could change their minds.

Gov. Ted Strickland endorsed Fisher for the seat, but the Ohio Democratic Party stopped short of choosing sides in the highly charged face-off.

The Republican candidate, former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, has amassed millions of dollars for the fall campaign for the seat, held by retiring GOP Sen. George Voinovich, as the Fisher-Brunner question waits to be decided.

The most contentious of the statewide primaries is between former Delaware County prosecutor David Yost and state Rep. Seth Morgan, both seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor. Incumbent Auditor Mary Taylor, also a Republican, has decided not to seek re-election to become GOP gubernatorial contender John Kasich’s running mate.

Yost and Morgan attracted tea party support with their conservative track records when they were running for separate offices. But after the Ohio Republican Party recruited Yost out of the attorney general’s race and into the auditor’s race, which Morgan had entered after Taylor’s departure, it set off a clash.

The newly formed Ohio Tea Party PAC, among the most active groups of its kind in the country, made Morgan its first official political endorsement in a battle pitched with criticism of mainstream politics as usual. Yost continues to tout his conservative credentials and was slightly ahead in the money race heading into Tuesday’s primary.

A second Republican statewide primary, in the race for secretary of state, has taken on a similar tone, with 2006 treasurer candidate Sandra O’Brien criticizing state Sen. Jon Husted for lacking her more conservative credentials.

Husted, a former House speaker with more than a decade at the Statehouse, has appealed to tea party groups and Republican leaders with a laundry list of policy achievements and garnered some of the GOP’s most coveted endorsements, including the National Rifle Association and Ohio Right to Life, which lobbies against abortion and euthanasia. He was well ahead in the money race on the latest filings.

In My Opinion
By Bob Robinson

Shortly after I announced last May that I was running for commissioner, a voter said, “this will probably be the longest campaign in Darke County history.” If I recall correctly, that individual was not enthralled at my candidacy.
However, the comment was true enough.
I have spent the last year delving deep into the workings of the commissioners and the needs of the county. As Advocate editor, I had covered major events – such as the sales tax increase, budgetary challenges, the “disagreement” with Judge Jonathan Hein over indigent attorney pay, and the courthouse expansion that was announced two years ago – but had never really paid much attention to their day-to-day operations. It has been an education.
I have spent the last year going to council and township meetings, commissioners meetings, agricultural and business meetings, community events and more. And I have spent the last year talking to residents… introducing myself – no longer as editor of The Advocate – but as someone who wants to represent them in the Darke County Commissioner’s Office. My education continued.
I learned that people are angry. Sometimes unfairly so. Sometimes they blamed local public officials – commissioners included – for circumstances over which these officials had no control. Sometimes county officials were blamed for city concerns; sometimes the other way around. Sometimes, citizens had complaints over circumstances over which they were the only ones who had control. And sometimes their complaints were justified.
I’m not going to revisit what I’ve learned. I’ve done that numerous times already. Suffice it to say I’ve done my homework.
Probably the toughest part of the entire experience was trying to follow the rules of politics and keep my blunders to a minimum. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that I’m not a politician… I’m simply a retired editor who believes he can help build a better, more prosperous county while preserving the uniqueness that so many of us love.
Part of that process was keeping my mouth shut when the games and personal attacks started… which, of course, was almost immediately. Many times I had to remind myself that that’s “politics” and I knew what I was getting into before I started. No different than when I was a journalist expressing my opinions in The Advocate every week.
Despite the best efforts of my political “gurus” I still managed to embarrass myself on occasion… but my message has remained unscathed and will never be compromised.
It’s been a long year and I’ve worked hard. But it’s also been fun.
Community festivals and events. Parades. Sharing “war” stories with friends and supporters. Shaking hands and meeting people I didn’t know, but who often knew me. It has been a fascinating, enjoyable experience.
I took two Key Club sophomores to Kiwanis recently. The signs had just started popping up around town.
“Wow. So how does it feel having your name on all of these signs everywhere?”
I have to admit that when the signs arrived and I asked a supporter to do the honors putting up the first one, it was a strange feeling. I’ve seen – and often ignored – political signs for decades… I never thought I’d ever see my name on one.
“The first one was a kick,” I said, “but you get used to it. It’s just part of the game.”
Then she asked a question I won’t forget.
“Will you still be advisor for us if you get elected? Will they let you keep helping the Key Club?”
I told her yes they will… and yes I will.
“You are why I’m doing this,” I said. “You and your friends… and the young people after you. I want you to have what your parents and grandparents have had: a good livelihood and a beautiful place in which to live and raise a family.”
This has been a phenomenal experience, my friends. The pace has been brutal, especially recently. I often find the world of government service irrational and cumbersome. Sometimes I get frustrated and ask myself “what was I thinking?” Sometimes I get really frustrated and ask my leaders what were THEY thinking?
Their response is always the same: “Keep your eye on the prize. Your service isn’t over yet.”
I think I heard my “prize” two weeks ago… from a 15-year-old.
I believe it was appreciation. Appreciation for service.
I can’t work miracles. No mortal can. But I think I can help us move in the right direction. In order to do that, I need to get past the primary on Tuesday. I need your vote, and that of your friends and neighbors.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Democratic Candidate Justin Coussoule voting this morning near his home in Butler County

When the polling places across the 8th Congressional district close just before sundown this evening the primary election season will end with Justin Coussoule officially being proclaimed the Democratic Congressional candidate for the general election. He looks forward to the challenge of the campaign ahead and is determined to compete for every vote across the district because he knows that continued mindless obstruction is not the kind of honest representation and true progress that we deserve.

NDIANAPOLIS (AP) – It’s the establishment vs. the outsiders in a handful of House and Senate primaries in Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio.

Candidates backed by Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington are squaring off against challengers in those states on Tuesday. The outcome will set the stage for November’s congressional matchups and provide early insights about voter attitudes ahead of this fall’s elections.

While it’s difficult to draw concrete conclusions about the state of the country from just a few races, the results will give some idea of whether anger about the country’s direction translates into actual votes, whether the national parties still can influence rank-and-file supporters and, in some cases, whether the tea party coalition can have an impact at the ballot box.

Voter turnout was light several hours after polls opened in Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. Economic woes and the persistently high unemployment loomed large in all three states.

In Indiana’s Senate race, former Sen. Dan Coats – recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee before Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh decided to retire – is fighting for the GOP nomination against four others. They include Marlin Stutzman, a state senator who is a tea party favorite and was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, and John Hostettler, a former congressman who has the support of former presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Democrat Brad Ellsworth’s nomination is assured.

In notable House races, 14-term Republican Rep. Dan Burton – Indiana’s longest-serving congressman – faces six challengers for his 5th Congressional District seat. And Rep. Mark Souder is fighting Bob Thomas, a well-funded auto dealer, in the 3rd District.

In North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Howard Coble, who first won his seat in 1984, is trying to fend off five opponents. And in the 8th District, first-term Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell is facing one challenger.

Also, six Democrats are competing in the Democratic primary for the chance to challenge first-term GOP Sen. Richard Burr, whose public approval numbers in North Carolina are lower than expected. Among the Democrats are Cal Cunningham, a former state senator who is the favored choice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. A candidate will need 40 percent of the vote to avoid a two-person June 22 runoff.

In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a former Ohio attorney general backed by Democrats in Washington, is facing Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The two are battling for the Democratic nomination to fill the Senate seat of retiring Republican George Voinovich. The winner will face former Rep. Rob Portman, the budget director and trade representative under George W. Bush.

The same dynamic in races in those states is playing out in contests across the country.

In Kentucky, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed the GOP establishment’s candidate for the open Senate seat, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, over Rand Paul, a newcomer backed by the tea party movement and retiring Sen. Jim Bunning. Kentucky’s primary is May 18.

____

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COLUMBUS – In an appearance on WOSU’s “Columbus on the Record” over the weekend, Republican Secretary of State candidate Jon Husted’s consultant Bob Clegg said Husted is running television ads due to concern about his opponent, Tea Party-backed primary opponent Sandra O’Brien. Transcript:

MIKE THOMPSON: First, to Husted’s race. Why is this, why is he even – he has to be a little bit nervous – why he’s running those ads – but why is he running the ads against an opponent that has no money?

HUSTED CONSULTANT BOB CLEGG: Because four years ago, that same opponent ran against the incumbent Treasurer Jennette Bradley, who ran nothing on TV and ended up losing to Sandy O’Brien. So, I mean, I think Jon is smart. He saw what happened four years ago and he wasn’t going to make that same mistake. So, you know in politics, you gotta run scared all the time. You know, you can’t run any other way. [EMPHASIS ADDED]

But that’s the exact opposite of what Husted told the Cleveland Plain Dealer last month:

But Husted said the rollout of the TV ad has nothing to do with O’Brien. He said he’s just trying to introduce himself to as many Ohio voters as possible. The campaign would have run the ad even if he had no opponent in the primary, he said.

“We’re trying to get the message out about who I am and what I stand for,” Husted said. [EMPHASIS ADDED]

News Release by the Ohio Democratic Party

DARKE COUNTY – As the Primary Election nears, The Daily Advocate offers the following endorsements on contested races and issues which we believe directly affects our readers throughout Darke County. Local issues such as renewal levies were not considered in the endorsement process.

Darke County Commissioner

We believe that all three Republican candidates have the best interest of the county at heart. All three men are accomplished and we believe that any one of them will do their best to look out for Darke County. There is no perfect candidate for this year’s race. While the county is going through a time of change and needs to create jobs and stability for its residents, we believe it will take someone that will have a progressive outlook to help position the county against neighboring counties when it comes to technology and infrastructure.

All three candidates have similarities when it comes to their opinions on fiscal responsibility, county budgeting, tax management, attracting new business, job creation and how the county has done in years past managing growth.

The only county issue that brought a lot of discussion amongst the three men at a recent debate function was that of the courthouse expansion. Although we believe that it may be a mute point, as plans have already been put in place by the current commission board regardless of who becomes the next commissioner, it is noteworthy to state their opinions.

Huffman and Robinson are against the expansion. Huffman stated that he didn’t believe that there was a need for a new building and suggested the county utilize the property they already own on Wagner Avenue. Robinson agreed with Huffman about the need for a new building suggesting that if money was to be spent it should be used to refurbish the existing courthouse, the county’s other properties should be looked at as options, and he believed the county was already in debt high enough and they couldn’t afford it.

Stegall on the other hand, is in total support of a new building, stating that it would not cause taxpayers more money or the county additional debt due to grants and money already set aside in the capital improvement fund.

We believe the race will come down between Stegall and Robinson on election day. We think Robinson would bring a lot more transparency to the office because of his unique background in journalism. He is also a man of intense integrity and will push for what he believes in. He has put a lot of time and effort learning about what the commission board is doing by attending meetings regularly since announcing his run for office a year ago. He has attended numerous other meetings and aided in efforts to help Darke County along. Robinson is also the leading candidate with 41 percent of the votes in the advocate360 reader’s poll as of press time.

The commission board has received the title of the “slow boys” more often than not in past years because of the public perception that there is a lack of urgency on important county issues coming from the office. Stegall brings an aggressive approach to issues facing the county, and yet with conservative beliefs. His motto during the campaign has been “he’ll fix what needs fixing,” we plan to hold him to his word.

Stegall has the background and experience managing and balancing a local government budget as a Greenville Township trustee which he has done successfully for the past five years. Stegall is known for speaking his mind during fiery debates, and making tough decisions even when they may be unpopular. While he sometimes doesn’t do himself any favors because he may come across too bold, others may see him as a man not afraid to stand his ground.

Greenville Bond Issue

We continue to support the Greenville City Schools bond issue for a new 5-8 grade building as we did in the February Special Election. We believe the passing of this issue is a countywide concern because as economic development goes in the county seat, so goes economic development in the county.

Greenville needs to start investing into its own future and we believe the school is a great place to start. One of the pillars of the campaign has been the over $8 million that the state has agreed to invest in the project if it passes. If defeated, then the state will use that money to help build a school for another district.

This issue has received endorsements from all three commissioner candidates and Greenville locals such as Wayne Deschambeau, CEO of Wayne HealthCare, John Warner, CEO Brethren Retirement Community, Mayor Mike Bowers, City of Greenville, Marc Saluk, Darke County Economic Development Director and countless other local business owners, elected officials and residents.

Representative to Congress 8th District

The 8th Congressional District encompasses residents who live in the cities of Hamilton, Middletown, Huber Heights, Eaton, Greenville, Piqua, Troy, and parts of Dayton, Riverside, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Rep. John Boehner, the current House Minority Leader, has been representing the people in the 8th District for the past 20 years. Boehner currently has the most pull and experience over his Republican opponents Manfred Schreyer, and Thomas F. McMasters earning our endorsement.

Both Boehner and Schreyer agree that Ohio faces a challenge with job creation due to business taxes that tend to squelch the state’s business environment. They both also recognize the importance of agriculture in Ohio’s economy with Schreyer believing that Ohio is poised to be a national leader in the development of renewable energy resources and Boehner believing that Ohio’s legacy can be renewed and the economy rebuilt through smart policy and smaller government that encourages innovation, entrepreneurialism and free and fair markets.

Boehner is known for his strong reputation and conservative voting record and considers himself to be a key leader in the fight for a smaller, more accountable federal government. He has recently been highly publicized for his opposition of both the ‘cap and trade’ agreement and the recent passing of the the $938 billion health care bill. There are those that accuse him of being a political “rock star” and becoming somewhat disengaged from his constituents.

State Senator 5th District

The 5th District represents residents who live in Miami and portions of Montgomery and Darke counties.

Of the two contested candidates on the Republican ticket, Bill Beagle and Joe LeMaster – Beagle looks to have the most experience based on his service in local government. Beagle has served seven years on the Tipp City City Council and has been the president of the council for the past three years.

This is LeMaster’s second attempt to win a public office, the first time was in the 2008 Primary Election when he ran against Richard Adams, the current State Representative for the 79th District, losing by a near 16 percent margin. LeMaster has had no past experience in local or state government, however, he does boast about his capabilities due to a long Naval career.

Both candidates agree on the priorities of creating jobs and reducing government spending. One difference was voiced during a recent debate when LeMaster stated that he was not a proponent of State Issue 1 because it was already funded through 2012, the state does not have the money, and it circumvents the Constitution of Ohio. Beagle on the other hand does support the issue and said he viewed it to be a job creator and a way to keep jobs in the state.

State Issues:

Yes – Issue 1 – Proposed Constitutional Amendment – To extend the Ohio Third Frontier Program by authorizing the issuance of additional general obligation bonds to promote economic growth.

Issue 1 will not increase taxes and has had a positive history of attracting, promoting private technology investments and creating jobs and educational opportunities in the State of Ohio. Further supporting the program will allow for the promoting of investments to support technology areas that represent economic growth for Ohio, particularly in energy, biomedical, advanced materials, electronics and advanced propulsion.

Any proceeds from these bonds will fund research and development efforts by Ohio businesses, in cooperation with universities and research institutions, to create and bring to market new products and services.

Both the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Environmental Council, two powerhouses that sometimes are on opposites sides of public policy debates, recently urged voters to vote yes with the following statement:

“The issue proposes a $700 million renewal in state bonds for Ohio’s Third Frontier program, a public-private partnership that fosters innovation, invention and investment by Ohio-based high-tech industries. Since its start in 2005, the Third Frontier has helped develop more than 637 companies, expand existing companies, and create more than 55,000 new jobs.”

The alliance agreed that the issue is good for the both the economy and the environment. Two issues that residents in Darke County and throughout the state take seriously.

Yes – Issue 2 – Proposed Constitutional Amendment – To change the location of the Columbus Casino Facility authorized by previous statewide vote.

A “Yes” vote on Issue 2 authorizes only a location change for the Columbus casino to the site of an abandoned General Motors manufacturing plant. It ensures faster development, creating jobs and tax revenues as quickly as possible.

Issue 2 is simply a change in the location of the casino authorized in Columbus by voters in November of 2009. It has no effect on the casinos authorized in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo, or on any other aspect of gaming in Ohio.

Even though Issue 2 affects only the Columbus casino, a statewide vote is necessary to authorize the move.

Again both the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Environmental Council came together on this issue because it offers a more vibrant economy and a cleaner environment.

The groups tout that by passing Issue 2, Ohioans can assure the rapid clean up and reuse of the former factory site, a 123-acre brownfield that sits idle on the city’s struggling west side. They also suggest that redeveloping this vacant site sooner rather than later can help spur other clean up and development in the surrounding area, a heavily trafficked urban area.