ORP Chairman Update

Greetings!

Our Party lost a great friend last week when State Central Committee Member Jim Woods passed away. Jim was a dedicated member of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Medina County Republican Party's Executive Committee and the founder of Medina County Friends and Neighbors, a grassroots conservative organization.

He was a tireless fighter for conservative issues on every front. He will be greatly missed. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

Primary Election on May 6

Tuesday May 6 is Election Day and you can cast your ballot anytime between 6:30am - 7:30pm at your designated polling place. Our great Republican candidates across the state need your vote to continue to fight for our needs and to strengthen our Party. You can find your official Ohio Republican Party 2014 Slate Card here.

RNC technical visits

Both Ohio cities still in contention to host the 2016 Republican Convention - Cincinnati and Cleveland - welcomed a delegation from the Republican National Committee this week. The visits were focused on exploring the facilities available in each city and evaluating them for their technical viability for the event. On April 29 I traveled to Cincinnati to welcome the delegation and the next day welcomed them to Cleveland. Each visit went well and either city would be a fantastic choice for the Convention. I sincerely hope that the RNC will see what we have to offer and realize that the road to the White House is through Ohio.

Central State University opens College Republican Chapter

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus attended the official launch of a new Central State University College Republican Chapter on April 30. The event at the Historically Black College is an important step to reaching young Republicans that will make a huge impact on our party, their communities, and our country. Chairman Priebus toured the CSU campus with Provost Dr. Charles Ford, Jr. and addressed students during a lunchtime question and answer session.

"Today is a great day for the Republican Party and for Central State University. No matter which side of the political aisle students find themselves, the addition of a College Republicans chapter ensures more vibrant political discourse on campus and that's always a good thing," Priebus said.

Asian Pacific American Advisory Council launched

As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month begins, the Ohio Republican Party is launching its Asian Pacific American Advisory Council to continue efforts to strengthen relationships and engagement with Ohio communities. The advisory council will grow Asian Pacific American voter participation in the Republican Party through developing relationships based on shared values such as economic opportunity, personal responsibility, the importance of education, and traditional family values. Volunteers will develop relationships with community organizations, attend ethnic festivals and events, and work with federal, state, and local candidates to engage them with the Asian Pacific American community. You can read more about the new council here.

Ed FitzGerald refuses to disclose his whereabouts

Democrat Ed FitzGerald has refused the request from reporters to disclose his key card activity that would show how often he has been in Cuyahoga County buildings. The information is being requested to see how FitzGerald is splitting his time between his tax-payer funded job as Cuyahoga County Executive and his run for governor. The Democrat has made transparency a major issue in his campaign, yet he is refusing to release his own comings and goings, information that would show how active he has been as the highest governing agent in Cuyahoga County. This is information that even Jimmy Dimora who is currently sitting in a federal penitentiary disclosed.

Former Sheriff, Democrat Bob Reid, believes that FitzGerald would release the information if he had nothing to hide. Good government groups and other Democrats are also calling for FitzGerald to release the records. This morning the Plain Dealer editorial board wrote, "By not turning over these public records, the giant sucking sound you hear is FitzGerald's credibility going south."

JobsOhio partners with Global Cleveland

Global Cleveland is joining forces with JobsOhio to attract new immigrants with diverse cultural backgrounds to the area to spur economic growth and drive job creation. JobsOhio is giving $750,000 to Global Cleveland and will use the venture as an outreach model that could be used in other parts of the state. The goal is to get 60,000 people moving into the Greater Cleveland area annually by 2020. Governor John Kasich, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, and JobsOhio President John Minor were on hand Thursday night to celebrate the partnership of the two organizations.

Ed FitzGerald turned down the event that honored economic investment through cultural integration because of an unknown campaign event. It is more likely that FitzGerald just didn't want to share the stage or the room with Governor Kasich.

Ohio company opens new production facility

Lt. Governor Mary Taylor joined White Castle CEO Bill Ingram for the ribbon cutting of the company's new frozen food processing plant in Vandalia. The Ohio company invested $19.4 million into the new facility that measures nearly 80,000 square-feet and was built to the "LEED gold" environmental standard. The plant officially opened in December and is projected to employ more than 120 workers by 2017.

Senator Portman seeks restitution for child porn victims

Senator Rob Portman wrote an op-ed this week calling for a Congressional fix to ensure full restitution for victims of child pornography. People that victimize innocent children should be the ones who pay for the counseling and any other costs that result from the atrocious crime. The law should demand that everything is paid in full.

"In the coming weeks, I will work with my colleagues to make it unmistakably clear that those who create or possess child pornography cannot hide from their victims by blaming others for the harm they have done," Senator Portman said.

Read Senator Portman's full statements on the issue here.

Speaker Boehner takes additional steps to investigate Benghazi

Speaker of the House John Boehner announced on Friday that he will create a special committee to investigate Benghazi, the 2012 terrorist attack on the American Consulate in Libya that left four people dead. The committee will be in charge of investigating the incident and also looking into whether the Obama administration deliberately withheld any information during previous congressional investigations. Boehner's announcement comes on the heels of a White House email that insinuates the administration knew more at the time than they were telling.

"The administration's withholding of documents - emails showing greater White House involvement in misleading the American people - is a flagrant violation of trust and undermines the basic principles of oversight upon which our system of government is built," Speaker Boehner said.

Summit on drug epidemic held

Worthington Kilbourne High School hosted the High Quality Education Heroin Summit on April 29. Attorney General Mike DeWine was on hand along with Governor John Kasich, State School Superintendent Richard Ross, and school officials from 60 school districts in Ohio to engage in an open discussion on the growing drug epidemic in Ohio. The goal of the summit was to encourage educators to get more involved in the fight against drugs and get vital information about their negative impact to influential youth.

"It could be anybody's family, anyplace in Ohio. Any social group and racial group," General DeWine said at the event.

The universality of the problem is the main reason why teachers can be important catalysts to preventing addiction. Being proactive and engaging students, parents, and teachers in an open conversation can prevent addiction and ultimately save lives.

Ohio is a great place to do business

This week, Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that his new online business filings system reached over 13,000 filings in just six months. Since the launch of the new online feature, nearly 1/5 of the new business filings have been submitted through the site. Thanks to Secretary Husted, it is easy to start a business in Ohio and our economy is growing. The massive success of this online program is proof of how minimizing barriers and reducing unnecessary regulations can stimulate our economy.

Treasurer Mandel stresses financial literacy during school visits

April marked financial literacy month and to help its conclusion Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel visited with students in Ashland, New Philadelphia, and Wooster. During the visits, Treasurer Mandel spoke with students about the importance of financial literacy and witnessed their education in action.

"The goal of our financial literacy programs is to help kids graduate with the tools in their tool belts to make good financial decisions and stay out of financial trouble," Treasurer Mandel told the students. "In my mind, the three priorities are how do you manage college debt, how do you manage your mortgage and how do you manage credit cards."

National Day of Prayer

State Auditor Dave Yost attended the National Day of Prayer ceremony outside of the Statehouse on Thursday with his wife, Darlene. During the ceremony, Yost offered a prayer for government, using the windy weather as the inspiration behind his words.

"Father, thank you for this wind today," he prayed with about 100 other public officials, clergy members, and fellow Christians. "It reminds us that even though we cannot measure love, it is real. Even though we cannot see trust, it is real. Even though we cannot taste loyalty or virtue or courage, all these things are real, and it is the unseen things that have power to move us."

Sincerely,
Matt Borges
Chairman, Ohio Republican Party

Chairman, Ohio Republican Party