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By Jessica Wehrman
| Friday, January 9, 2009, 05:34 PM
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner was named the top Republican on a key Armed Forces Committee subcommittee Friday, Jan. 9.
Turner will be ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, a stubcommittee which has jurisdiction over the nation’s nuclear arsenal, our military’s assets in outer space and missile defense systems. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over many aspects of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center which is at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Turner, R-Centerville, has been a member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee since beginning his service in the House in 2003. He is in his fourth term in Congress.
“I am honored to have Mike Turner as an integral part of the Republican leadership team for the House Armed Services Committee,” House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McHugh, R-N.Y. said. “His intellect, coupled with his ability to manage complex subject matters, make him a natural choice to lead the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.”
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By Jessica Wehrman
| Friday, January 9, 2009, 03:47 PM
The region’s newest lawmaker will be controlling the federal purse and helping dole out the Homeland Security dollars.
U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, will serve on the House Homeland Security and Budget Committees.
Homeland Security, created in 2002, authorizes dollars for the Department of Homeland Security. It has some overlap with the work done at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, which is working on emerging threats, cybersecurity and science and technology.
Continue reading "Austria named to Budget, Homeland Security Committees"...
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By Jessica Wehrman
| Friday, January 9, 2009, 11:07 AM
For months, there’s been speculation over whether or not Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, will run again in 2010.
In the past week alone, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Columbus Dispatch have run stories on it.
For his part, Voinovich has been mum. His spokesman, Chris Paulitz, sent out the following statement today:
“For over 40 years, Sen. Voinovich has demonstrated a passion for public service. He is thinking about the challenging situation in his beloved Buckeye State and the direction of the country as well as what is best for his family. If he changes his mind about running, he will share that decision quickly with the people of Ohio - people he considers his second family.”
Democrats, meanwhile, are already eyeing potential challengers for 2010. Among them: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles and Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. And among Republicans, former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, is viewed as a possible successor should Voinovich, now 72 and in his second term, decide to retire.
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By Laura Bischoff
| Thursday, January 8, 2009, 04:08 PM
Lobbyists, lawyers, elected officials and political leaders packed the Statehouse Atrium on Thursday for a double-header swearing in ceremony for Attorney General Richard Cordray and Treasurer Kevin Boyce.
The two Democrats began their new jobs officially on Tuesday. Cordray won election to the two years remaining on Marc Dann’s term; Gov. Ted Strickland appointed Boyce to fill out Cordray’s term as treasurer.
Boyce, a former Columbus City Councilman, promised to safeguard taxpayer money and said he knows the value of a dollar. He told a story about how as a teen he asked his grandmother to help him buy new sneakers and she agreed and promptly drove him to the grocery store to fill out a job application.
Cordray said justice would be his office’s one true objective and he pledged to treat employees and Ohioans with respect.
Although there was plenty of praise and accolades for current and past attorneys general, one name wasn’t mentioned at all during the hour-long ceremony: Marc Dann, who resigned in May.
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By William Hershey
| Thursday, January 8, 2009, 04:00 PM
Maybe it wasn’t surprising, coming from a man who wants $5 billion from the federal government, but Gov. Ted Strickland today, Jan. 8, applauded President-elect Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.
Obama announced the plan in a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., just outside Washington, D.C.
Here’s what Strickland had to say:
“I applaud President-elect Obama’s plan to kick start our economy and create millions of new jobs, and I strongly support his call to act quickly in this time of national crisis.
His proposal to spur an advanced energy industry while also investing in our critical infrastructure is exactly the kind of visionary strategy America needs right now. And I am thankful to President-elect Obama for his commitment to ensuring that states and communities have the resources needed to avoid cuts to essential services such as education, health care and public safety.
I am hopeful that the Congress will move forward with President-elect Obama’s blueprint to create millions of new jobs while ensuring that the states are able to provide vital services to our nation’s citizens .”
Strickland is seeking $5 billion in federal aid to help Ohio through its current budget crisis.
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By Jessica Wehrman
| Thursday, January 8, 2009, 01:16 PM
Alex Goepfert, the spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, is Beltway-bound.
Goepfert sent out an email to reporters Thursday, Jan. 9, announcing that he’ll be leaving Friday and moving to Washington, D.C. to serve as communications director for U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala.
Goepfert formerly served as the New Hampshire Communications Director for Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign in 2008.
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By William Hershey
| Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 06:07 PM
Two Dayton-area House members have been elected to offices by the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Rep. Roland Winburn, D-Harrison Twp., was elected OLBC parliamentarian and Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton, was chosen secretary of the OLBC Foundation, the caucus announced on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Rep. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland, was elected president of the OLBC.
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