Citizenship – Legislative Report         

 12/29/2011

Last Month’s Election

     The Cuyahoga-Medina CAP Council endorsements did quite well in the November election. Overall, 63% of the candidates we supported won their respected races. In the cities of Berea, Brook Park, and Parma, every one of our candidates succeeded.

      The Council endorsed a “NO” vote on State Issues 1, 2, and 3. Only Issue 3 passed. The main focus was placed on Issue 2…a law which would have limited collective bargaining for public employees. Known as Senate Bill 5, it was an initiative rammed through the General Assembly without 1 Democratic vote. A key element often overlooked in the bill, is that it would have eliminated binding arbitration to settle disputes. In other words, management would have the final say. This contentious issue was soundly defeated as 82 of 88 counties turned it down.

What’s next? Who knows…perhaps back to the bargaining table. If so, the governor and his allies must seek fair and common ground. This is something they should have learned from the voters.

Redistricting and SB 319

     The party in power in the state of Ohio just can’t seem to get it right. Statehouse Republicans are unable (or is it unwilling) to construct a reasonable congressional redistricting bill. Due to a decline in population, Ohio has been reduced to 16 congressional districts. The initial Republican led district proposal creates a 12-4 commanding edge over Democrats. The Dems have responded with Substitute House Bill 319 which would place this issue on the ballot for the voters to decide. We’ll see what happens. As of this writing, it’s possible that Ohio could have 2 primaries. One would be on March 6, for all primary candidates, except for President and the U.S. House which would be on June 12. By the way, that would be a cool $7.5 million expense for each election…so much for fiscal responsibility.

The Occupy Movement

     This endeavor is gaining momentum and won’t go away. In short, people are frustrated, angry, fed-up, disenfranchised…heck, take your choice. Demonstrations are taking place worldwide and have spread to the U.S. in hundreds of our cities. Downtown Cleveland is no exception.  We hear people talking about the wealth gap and the 99% who are being left behind.  I visited Public Square several weeks ago to discover firsthand what the concerns were of the demonstrators. Those I spoke with were out of a job. They’ve submitted resumes, but very few companies are hiring. They spoke passionately about friends and family members who have exhausted their savings and moved in with relatives. Their hope for the future is grim.

     I wonder how long this economic situation will last…1 year, 5 years, 10 years?

     Let us be thankful for what we have and aid those who are less fortunate than us.

Peace, health, and happiness to all in the New Year!