The wealthy lakefront property owners were not getting the results they wanted with the GOP controlled Ohio Governor and Legislature, so they pressured their great white leader with this letter signed by 4000. You could say they were a little clumsy.
Proudly, from their very own website:
http://www.ohiolakefrontgroup.com/documents/LettertoPresidentBush.docApril 27, 2004
BUSH-CHENEY '04, Inc.
P.O. Box 10648
Arlington, VA 22210
Dear President Bush,
I’ve received several requests from your campaign for donations. I’d like to take this opportunity to explain to you why I’m withholding a donation and why the Ohio Lakefront Group is actively encouraging all owners of the 15,000 parcels of land along Lake Erie to do the same.
I’m from Ohio and am disgusted with Governor Bob Taft and the Ohio Senate. I’m disgusted with the Ohio Republican Governor and a Republican controlled Senate.
Why? Ohio House Bill 218.
I’m the president of the Ohio Lakefront Group, a grassroots non-profit organization of residential property owners along the shore of Lake Erie. (
http://www.ohiolakefrontgroup.com)
Our organization represents several thousand property owners. (I’ll leave it to you to guess whether there are more Republicans or Democrats that live in homes along the lake.)
We’ve been in a 4-year battle with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The issue? Property rights. The State says that it owns our beach, and our deeds state we own the land. Our title policies state we own the land. We pay (high) taxes on the land.
But the State says they own it, and is forcing us into signing Submerged Land Leases. We are actually being forced to lease back our own property.
We were able to get House Bill 218 introduced, passed out of Committee, and eventually out of the House with a vote of 77 – 20. But, we’re stuck in the Senate Committee.
What’s our Governor’s position on this? First, he’s concerned with federal funding. He wants to ensure that Ohio continues to get funding for its Coastal Management Program from NOAA. Frankly, from a purely financial perspective, and since Ohio has significant budget problems, I can understand his concern regarding funding. But is it right that the federal government encourages the States to “take” private property to enable the States to qualify for federal funding?
Being a true “Republican,” I doubt you think that is right.
Now the Governor and Senators want us to compromise and give up five feet of our property in exchange for the elimination of the leases. They want the five feet so the public can walk across our deeded property. Note that the Governor wants to do this as a Regulatory Takings—there is no proposal to use Eminent Domain and pay for the property that the State wishes to seize. There is no doubt in my mind that if we concede the five feet, it will only get worse over time. Presumably, the ultra-environmentalists have gotten to Taft.
Does this sound right to you? Can you believe that property rights can be violated in a State that has a Republican Governor as well as a Republican controlled Senate and House?
I think it behooves you to get your office involved in this issue. Our members are livid over this issue and we’re not giving up. Please note that we are asking our members (and other similarly situated lakefront property owners) to divert any donations from your campaign to our group until this issue is satisfactorily resolved.
Thus, I urge you to call Governor Taft. You must realize that Governor Taft’s actions are placing my property, and your re-election, at risk.
I look forward to hearing from your representative soon.
Sincerely,
Anthony J. Yankel
President
cc: Governor Robert Taft
Mr. Robert T Bennett, Chairman Ohio Republican Party
Senator Doug White
Senator Robert Spada
Representative Timothy J. Grendell
edit:typo