Letter from Rep. Dodd to the Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Council Regarding a ‘Very Troubling Matter’

COLUMBUS – The following letter was sent from State Rep. Dan Dodd (D-Hebron) to State Sen. Steve Buehrer, chair of the Workers’ Compensation Council.

The letter calls for the council to meet immediately to address the questionable circumstances regarding the abrupt termination of all three staff members by Executive Director Virginia McInerney. It also raises questions regarding the statements and interactions between the former chair of the council and the executive director.

Rep. Dodd is the Chair of the Ohio House Insurance Committee and the letter states that he has started gathering information and will utilize all available options to investigate this matter fully.

Below is the full text of the letter:

March 4, 2010

Ohio Sen. Steve Buehrer
Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Council
Ohio Senate Building
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Dear Sen. Buehrer:

A very troubling matter has developed at the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Council. Since you are the current chair of this council, I write to you to express my concern over both the circumstances of the firings, as well as some questionable developments that were highlighted in news reports about the matter relating to the former chair of the council, House Minority Leader Bill Batchelder.

As a council member, I am very concerned about the potential legal consequences of these questionable firings. I would urge you to convene the Workers’ Compensation Council as soon as possible to discuss the allegations of the staff members and the circumstances of the firings.

In addition to the circumstances of the firings, I am concerned about the interaction of the WCC executive director with House Minority Leader William Batchelder, a non-member of the council. I’m also troubled by the inconsistencies regarding when the minority leader was notified of the firings and why the executive director would be editing staff’s analyses of BWC-related legislation.

In news reports published today, Minority Leader Batchelder acknowledged that Ms. McInerney contacted him on Friday to inform him of the firings. Given that Mr. Batchelder no longer serves as chair of the council and has no formal role on the council, I find it questionable that the executive director would contact the Minority Leader before members of the council were notified.

Also in today’s news reports, Mr. Batchelder acknowledged that Ms. McInerney contacted his office on Friday to inform him of the firings. However, in the Monday Hannah Report, Rep. Batchelder’s office claimed to have no knowledge of the firings: “…Rep. Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) hasn’t received any information on the terminations so he is not in the position to comment on the issue.”

Lastly, given the interaction and inconsistency we know about, I am very concerned about potential for undue influence on the legislative analyses produced by the staff. According to a letter sent from staff attorney Shadya Yazback, the executive director felt that the primary source of the problem that led to her firing was Ms. Yazback’s inability to recognize Ms. McInerney’s “divine gift for editing”.

In addition to urging you to convene the council, I am also writing to notify you that, as chairman of the House Insurance Committee, I have started gathering information on this matter and plan to utilize all available options to investigate this matter fully.

As you know, many individuals have worked very hard to reform the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and to clean up the corrupt activity that occurred there in the previous decade. The new staff continues to make great strides in professionalizing the operations, making sound decisions based on the best interest of Ohio’s employers and injured workers, and ridding the system of political influence.

The Workers’ Compensation Council was created with the purpose of analyzing potential legislation that would impact the BWC in order to provide sound decision-support for lawmakers. It would be deeply troubling if there was even the slightest bit of interference or influence on these analyses by those seeking to advance a partisan political agenda.

Respectfully,

State Rep. Dan Dodd
Chair, Oho House Insurance Committee

‘

You can read the complaints against Jennings and Simpson HERE.

And here are some other Dann clips:

A copy of the judge’s decision can be found HERE

And HERE’S one other interesting filing in the case.

Here’s Brunner unveiling legislation she is proposing to counter the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on corporate and labor union election campaigns:

And here’s the official release:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing corporations to spend money to voice their opinions in candidate campaigns, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner proposed state legislation Wednesday intended to ensure transparency and accountability to prepare Ohio for the decision’s impact on state and local elections this year.
 
 “While it’s clear that most Americans are in strong disagreement with the high court’s decision,” Secretary Brunner said, ”Ohio, like many other affected states cannot change the Supreme Court’s unprecedented actions. The best we can do is to minimize the decision’s negative impact and damage to voter confidence and participation,” continued Secretary Brunner.
 
“This proposal is our best effort to protect Ohio voters from subterfuge and to give them tools to investigate the deluge and the authenticity of political advertising,” she said. 
 
The proposal applies new responsibilities in line with the newly provided corporate speech in the making of independent expenditures by advertising for and against particular candidates.  The proposed legislation recognizes that independent expenditures for or against a candidate (made without coordination or cooperation with the benefited campaign) would now be permitted to be made by:
 
1. corporations (for profit and nonprofit),
2. labor organizations,
3. political action committees (even those connected to a corporation or labor organization),
4. legislative caucuses,
5. political parties.
To ensure transparency and accountability the legislation would apply to all entities making independent expenditures. “Independent expenditures” include both direct payments for advertising and contributing to any one or more of the above entities for the purpose of their making of one or more independent expenditures.
 
Here are the proposed requirements for entities that would make independent expenditures:
 
·         Each corporation (for profit or nonprofit), labor organization, PAC, legislative caucus or political party that makes independent expenditures (without coordination or cooperation from the benefited candidate campaign) for any “partisan political purpose” (affecting the outcome of a partisan candidate campaign, directly or indirectly) would be required to publicly report to the Secretary of State the making of those independent expenditures (direct and indirect[1] independent expenditures). This disclosure would be similar to disclosures corporations already make in connection with ballot issue campaigns and would be required to be made within five (5) days of the making of any independent expenditure.
·         If a corporation (for profit or nonprofit), labor organization, PAC, legislative caucus or political party that makes one or more independent expenditures, receives any contribution(s) for that purpose, those funds received must be segregated from other funds of the receiving entity. Those contributions must be reported to the state, identifying all sources for the purpose of making independent expenditures on the schedule followed by statewide candidates in their election years.
·         If a foreign corporation owns at least 20 percent of a for-profit domestic corporation, that company cannot make any independent expenditures for any partisan political purpose.
·         If a corporation receives any state funds or federal funds issued by the State of Ohio, it cannot make any independent expenditures for any partisan political purpose.
·         Advertisements funded by one or more direct and/or indirect independent expenditures must contain within the advertisement clearly visible identifying information (“disclaimer”) that includes the name, treasurer’s name, address, and Web site of the entity that has directly paid for the advertising that is an independent expenditure.
·          Any broadcast media advertisement that is paid for by one or more direct and/or indirect independent expenditures must be registered with the Secretary of State on or before the date it airs. A digital copy of the advertisement and the disclaimer, along with a copy of the schedule when it is to air, and any subsequent schedule changes, must be submitted to the Secretary of State on or before the date it airs, all of which is to be immediately posted to the Secretary of State’s Web site. This requirement gives the public the opportunity to learn about the origins and genesis of the advertisement and to attempt to discern the interests and intentions of the entity that directly pays for an advertisement that is paid for by an independent expenditure.
Secretary Brunner will speak to legislative leaders about the importance of this proposal and seek its prompt passage in time for the 2010 general election season.
 
 
 
[1]   An example of an indirect independent expenditure is a contribution by a corporation to a nonprofit corporation that in turn makes the direct independent expenditure for advertising. The first corporation would have made an indirect independent expenditure by giving its funds to the “out front” nonprofit corporation.  This proposed law would prevent the first corporation from hiding behind the identity of the second corporation.

Also, here’s Kasich’s response to the question “Are you a cheerleader for failure?”

Here, again, is Gov. Ted Strickland’s earlier response to critics of passenger rail:

On a related note, HERE is the link to the PDF of a public records request released today by Republican Sen. Tim Grendell on inmates at the mansion:

Harris to Gov

Here are a couple of clips of Harris answering reporters’ questions about the letter, and other issues:

And here, again, is Strickland’s earlier response to critics of the plan:

Here’s the press release:

COLUMBUS – Today, joined by family and supporters at a press conference in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium, Attorney General Richard Cordray announced his candidacy for re-election. Cordray was introduced by Summit County Prosecutor and current President of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Sherri Bevan Walsh.
“I am proud to be announcing today my candidacy for re-election,” said Cordray. “In my time as Ohio’s Attorney General, we have restored integrity to the office, kept criminals behind bars, and fought public corruption. We have also worked hard to protect Ohio citizens from greed in its many forms – we have recovered billions so far in major cases against nefarious Wall Street banks, increased our consumer protection efforts, and set new records for taxpayers by cleaning up fraud and abuse in Ohio’s Medicaid program. I look forward to presenting my record to the voters and continuing to fight for the hardworking people of Ohio.”
Richard Cordray was elected Ohio Attorney General in November 2008. Cordray is the top Democratic vote-getter in the history of Ohio elections, winning 2.87 million votes in 2008 – more than any Democratic statewide constitutional candidate in history – and outperforming President Obama in 84 of 88 counties. Cordray has even won Republican bastions like Medina, Licking, Fairfield, Madison, Pickaway and Richland counties.
Cordray previously served as Ohio Treasurer of State, Franklin County Treasurer, State Representative, and as Ohio’s first Solicitor General. His career has been guided by the spirit of community service and the belief that government should strive to make a positive difference in the daily lives of its citizens. As state representative, he sponsored the Ohio Community Service Education Act. An accomplished lawyer, Cordray has argued seven cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and taught constitutional law for 13 years at The Ohio State University’s law school. In 2003, he earned the Presidential Service Award from the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation for his work supporting legal services for the poor, and in 2000 the Human Rights Campaign named him “Humanitarian of the Year” for his efforts to promote tolerance and understanding in Ohio communities.
As Ohio Treasurer, Richard Cordray managed the state’s investment portfolio of about $18 billion. His commitment to cutting costs, enhancing economic development, and promoting financial security among Ohioans earned national recognition in 2008, including the Excellence in Government Leadership Award from the Association of Government Accountants and NeighborWorks America’s Government Service Award as the foremost national leader in state government for his work on foreclosure prevention.
Cordray earned a master’s degree with first-class honors from Oxford University in England and graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was the editor of the Law Review. He lives near Grove City with his wife, Peggy, and their young twins. His earliest claim to fame was as an undefeated five-time champion on the Jeopardy TV show.

And here’s Republican challenger Mike DeWine’s response:

CEDARVILLE, OH – Republican Attorney General candidate Mike DeWine issued the following statement today regarding Attorney General Richard Cordray’s re-election announcement:
“Richard Cordray hasn’t earned the trust of Ohioans.  As Attorney General, he has continued many of the policies and practices of disgraced former Attorney General Marc Dann.  Whether it’s raising campaign money from people who do business with the state or suing small businesses in an attempt to gain publicity, Richard Cordray has far too much in common with Marc Dann.  I will campaign aggressively for this position and tell Ohioans how I will fight for their interests as their next Attorney General.”