OH AG Petro (R candiate for Gov) seeks to undermine RON Initiatives

[mod mom]

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro (a Republican candidate for governor) is seeking to have Reform Ohio Now (RON) voter initiatives (fairness in re-districting, campaign finance and non-partisan over sight of elections for a quick summary) thrown out due to using out of state signature gatherers. When asked why he failed to challenge out of state signature gatherers used for last fall's issue 1 (gay marriage amendment used to bring out religious right), he says it wasn't brought to his attention.

This partisan AG has played a big role in the Ohio GOP "Pay to Play" culture of corruption, as noted in the Toledo Blade article below. We need to get letters to the editors out exposing this abuse of power. Ohioans need to be able to vote for these initiatives on the November ballot as a step toward election reform and creating fairness in the system.
Here are some newspapers (please add more to the list) to contact to express your opinion on the matter:

Toledo [e-mail]
Columbus [e-mail]
Cleveland Plain Dealer- [e-mail]


Petro Defends Legal Requirement That Petition Circulators Must Be Residents
Files Amicus Brief In Case Challenging Validity Of Proposed Constitutional Changes

August 30, 2005
COLUMBUS - Attorney General Jim Petro filed a brief in the Franklin County Court of Appeals arguing that Ohio law requires initiative petition circulators to be Ohio residents, and that the law is constitutional and should be enforced. He filed the amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in a case involving initiative petitions filed by Reform Ohio Now, Inc.

“Ohio law clearly says the right to petition our state government in this manner belongs solely to the citizens of Ohio, and in fact the law was changed in 1995 to expressly say so,” Petro said. “Arguing that there are no limitations on circulators’ qualifications -- that a circulator could be a 12-year-old illegal alien, for example -- is illogical and could not possibly be the intent of the Ohio Constitution or the legislature.”

Petro filed his argument and supporting case law as part of a court case, State ex rel. Finan v. Blackwell, pending in the court of appeals. In the case, the citizens group Ohio First is seeking to invalidate petitions that Reform Ohio Now circulated in an attempt to place proposed constitutional changes on the ballot this November. Ohio First argues the petitions are invalid under state law because they were circulated by out-of-state residents.

In his brief, Petro says the General Assembly amended Section 3503.06 of the Ohio Revised Code in 1995 (HB 99) to specifically include a residency requirement for circulators of nominating, initiative, referendum, and recall petitions.

http://www.ag.state.oh.us/press_releases/2005/pr20050830.htm

BWC SCANDAL
'Special counsel' contracts bring Petro criticism
Democrats say contributors pay to get state-funded work

By CHRISTOPHER D. KIRKPATRICK
BLADE STAFF WRITER


COLUMBUS — Democratic officials brought pay-to-play charges to the state controlling board yesterday and aimed them squarely at Republican Attorney General Jim Petro.
Two Democratic members of the board questioned awarding $19 million in outside legal work to firms that had contributed $803,000 to Mr. Petro since 1998.
Much of the legal work, which is approved by Mr. Petro, is for routine collections on behalf of state agencies. But money for other contracts also was approved yesterday to pay the legal fees caused by fallout from an investment scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
Called “special counsel” work, the contracts awarded yesterday and each fiscal year by Mr. Petro have been attacked by Democrats as part of a pay-to-play system highlighted this year by the bureau’s recent investment scandal, which began with problems over a $50 million investment in rare coins with former Toledo-area coin dealer Tom Noe, who was a major Republican fund-raiser.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/SRRARECOINS/308300001

[Botany]

1. he knows ..... fair elections and the repugs are gone ......

they only retained power by total corruption & selling b.s. to the fundies
and kissing rich ass.

[MadeinOhio]

2. Petro and Ohio First are going down!

It's time to reform Ohio's system once and for all, and the war is just getting started!!!

[Bill Bored]

3. We are counting on the good people of Ohio!

After this, think about getting rid of Ballot Order Rotation at least in General Elections. It's an open invitation to fraud!

Never Give Up!