Archive for the ‘Secretaries of State’ Category
The Democrats Michigan Power Grab
Last Updated on Monday, 4 August 2008 03:00 Written by rslcpol Monday, 4 August 2008 02:28
Looks like Michigan state Democrats have had their own little Lafayette Park moment. Surely, somewhere in the Democrat play book there’s a paragraph about not putting things in print (or on disk) that you don’t want to read about on the front page. Must be some of that new kind of politics national, state, and local Democrats are trumpeting. New indeed. From the Wall Street Journal:
It’s still not certain whether an ambitious proposal to amend Michigan’s state constitution will find a spot on the Nov. 4 ballot. But new revelations leave little doubt that proponents are engaged in a blatantly partisan effort to change the state political system to favor Democrats.
The proposal, known as “Reform Michigan Government Now,” is billed by its backers as a relatively neutral measure that would make commonsensical changes to how the state is run. Among other things, it would streamline government by reducing the number of state legislators, slash salaries for state politicians by up to 25%, loosen restrictions on absentee voting and require lawmakers to disclose financial information.
But it turns out that these populist measures are included to disguise a deeply partisan agenda being pursued by Reform Michigan’s Democratic backers. That agenda was laid bare last week when the Mackinac Center, a Michigan think tank, discovered a PowerPoint presentation of the proposal posted on a United Auto Workers regional Web site.
The 35-page presentation’s blunt subtitle is “Changing the rules of politics in Michigan to help Democrats,” and it begins by lamenting that “Democrats have not controlled the entire State Legislature in 25 years.” To fix that, the strategy is to gain control of the redistricting process by which voting district lines are drawn every 10 years.
Disgraced Former Democrat AG Marc Dann: He’s Sticking Around
Last Updated on Friday, 1 August 2008 11:24 Written by rslcpol Friday, 1 August 2008 09:51
For Ohio Democrats, Marc Dann is like chewing gum, or worse, that gets stuck on the bottom of your shoe. With over $300k still in the bank, ol’ “Sticky” Dann won’t be going away anytime soon. As far the race to fill out the balance of Dann’s term, who do you think is grumpier over Sticky’s latest move – the Jeopardy champ Rich Cordray (that’s him in the middle), or the corruption busting former Federal prosecutor Mike Crites?
And for Sticky D – it’s not like his credibility is at stake in all of this – that’s already shot. We say keep the accounts open, raise money, and run for office in 2010 – you can rehab your image. Clearly Eliot Spitzer’s and Paul Morrison’s rehab strategies aren’t working for them yet – you’re smarter – you can make a comeback baby!
From the Columbus Dispatch:
Former Attorney General Marc Dann spent nearly the equivalent of a year’s salary in his unsuccessful bid to weather a sexual-harassment scandal, but don’t count him out of political life just yet.
The 46-year-old Democrat has filed paperwork with the secretary of state’s office to run again in 2010. While that doesn’t commit Dann to seeking a new term, it does allow him to continue raising and spending money from his campaign fund.
Campaign-finance reports filed yesterday show that Dann billed his campaign fund for trips even after stepping down May 14 when sexual-harassment allegations involving an aide mushroomed into a scandal and an impeachment threat.
After leaving office, Dann billed his campaign for a drive to Cincinnati, a meal in Chicago, a cab ride in New York and a meal in Philadelphia. In addition, he billed the campaign to attend a conference of state attorneys general in Rhode Island in June.
While the sexual-harassment scandal mostly dried up Dann’s fundraising, a few dollars trickled in during his final weeks in office. State Rep. Armond D. Budish, D-Beachwood, gave $5,000 on May 7, five days after Dann admitted an affair with his 28-year-old scheduler. Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, a former state legislator, chipped in $100 on June 7.
Posted under Attorney General News, Dems Behaving Badly, Secretaries of State | 2 Comments
VA: GOP Chair Calls for Statewide Voter Fraud Investigation
Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:34 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:34
From dailypress.com:
Republican Party Chairman Jeff Frederick said Monday that incidents in Hampton and Richmond led the party to fear “coordinated and widespread” statewide voter registration fraud.
Frederick called on Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Attorney General Bob McDonnell to launch a statewide investigation, citing last week’s arrest of three canvassers in Hampton as evidence that people who were not eligible to vote were being signed up by a national nonprofit organization, the Community Voters Project.
Spokesmen for Kaine, a Democrat, and McDonnell, a Republican, said the matter was appropriately in the hands of the Hampton’s commonwealth’s attorney.
Frederick said there had been 18 “incidents” of voter fraud in Richmond, although he provided specifics about just one case, in which a Richmond resident said she received a call from the city registrar asking if she had submitted a new voter registration card with a new address.
“We don’t know where else it’s happening,” Frederick said. “That’s why we need an investigation. We need to make sure the integrity of our process is maintained.”
Posted under Attorney General News, Secretaries of State | No Comments
Texas Has Its First Latina Secretary of State
Last Updated on Monday, 28 July 2008 02:44 Written by rslcpol Monday, 28 July 2008 02:44
From Chron.com:
AUSTIN — Texas’ new secretary of state, Esperanza “Hope” Andrade of San Antonio, said Wednesday she feels a particular responsibility to do “an exceptional job” because her appointment is a first for a Hispanic woman.
“I’m honored. I’m humbled. It’s been an emotional period for me because we made history today as the first Latina,” said Andrade, 58, and a longtime businesswoman and former Texas Transportation Commission member.
“With that comes a tremendous responsibility, because now it’s up to me to do an exceptional job so that the door remains open,” she said in an interview on the heels of her swearing-in by Gov. Rick Perry.
As secretary of state, Andrade’s responsibilities include being the state’s chief elections officer, the governor’s liaison on border and Mexico affairs and chief protocol officer for state and international matters.
The secretary of state’s office also serves as the formal repository for official and business records, and it has been involved in economic development efforts.
Overseeing the upcoming election in Texas, in which U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will face off for president, is foremost on her mind, she said, adding that she hopes for a large turnout.
She also spoke of her desire to help improve conditions in the border area, such as those in the poor developments known as colonias.
“I thought they needed a godmother,” said Andrade, “and I’m hoping that I can be that for them.”
Looking a bit further south, she said, “I’ve traveled to Mexico often, and I think there’s tremendous opportunity. I’m looking forward to nurturing existing relationships and building new ones.”
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Ohio GOP Blasts Secretary of State Brunner
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 July 2008 11:05 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 23 July 2008 11:05
From The Columbus Dispatch:
Republican legislative leaders say Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is defying a new state law requiring that all voters be mailed an absentee-ballot application, potentially affecting voters in rural counties.
But Brunner, a Democrat, says those lawmakers never bothered to consult her about the new law, passed in June as part of a major budget bill, and they didn’t pony up enough money to pay for it.
The dust-up is over a directive that Brunner issued this week in which she says counties have the option of mailing an absentee-ballot application to every voter with the return postage for sending it back.
The legislature wanted all voters to get an application with the required notice of the Nov. 4 election that must be sent to all voters Sept. 5. The legislature approved $3 million to reimburse counties, but Brunner said that’s not enough.
Her directive would allocate part of the $3 million to each county based on its percentage of registered voters in the state, and she is requiring that any state money be used first to reimburse the costs for return postage.
As a result, many counties likely will opt not to mail an application at all because they can’t afford to pay the difference, said Shannon Leininger, president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials.
Rep. Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican and chairman of the House Finance Committee, said Ohio’s three largest counties, Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton, are already mailing applications, so lawmakers approved the new mandate and new money “so smaller, poorer counties are afforded the same opportunities.”
Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, Secretaries of State, State Legislature News | No Comments
Texas Close to a New Secretary of State?
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 July 2008 10:44 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 23 July 2008 10:44
From Statesman.com:
I hear that Hope Andrade, a former member of the Texas Transportation Commission, is in Gov. Rick Perry’s sights as his choice to succeed the departed Phil Wilson as Texas secretary of state.
“It’s the worst-kept secret in town,” a Republican in the know said today.
That said, I couldn’t confirm the development this morning.
Andrade didn’t immediately return a call for comment. Perry’s office had no comment.
The state senator who would be consulted by Perry if Andrade is his pick insists he doesn’t know where she lives.
Boerne, near San Antonio, a Web search indicates.
Maybe state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, was joshing with me.
Andrade, an entrepreneur appointed to the commission by Perry in 2003, served as the in-the-crosshair’d panel’s chair from January until her departure April 30. Her position on the five-member body was filled by Deirdre Delisi, Perry’s former chief of staff.
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said she’d welcome Andrade if she proves Perry’s choice. “I was hoping that he would tap her for something; she just has so much credibility,” Van de Putte said, adding that Andrade is “savvy about the border,” a factor that could help in the international relations that go into the job.
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MD: GOP Blasts Secretary of State Pay
Last Updated on Thursday, 17 July 2008 10:55 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 17 July 2008 10:55
From SoMDNews.com:
House Republican leaders late last month called on Martin O’Malley to appoint a secretary of state, saying the governor is paying an interim secretary and his deputy more than state law would allow him to pay a permanent secretary of state.
‘‘The governor again is skirting the law to reward his friends and cronies,” House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell said.
Interim Secretary of State Dennis C. Schnepfe, who was appointed by O’Malley (D) in January 2007, makes $94,608 a year, according to the governor’s office.
State law dictates that the secretary of state’s base salary is to be $78,750. The salary increases to $81,667 in the second year and to $87,500 in the fourth year of a term.
Schnepfe’s current salary is a result of his long tenure with state government. During his appointment as the interim secretary, he is permitted under state rules to continue earning his current pay.
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From NextRight: Building the Republican Farm Team; RSLC Doing its part
Last Updated on Monday, 14 July 2008 11:44 Written by rslcpol Monday, 14 July 2008 10:58
A post at NextRight looks at the importance of building the Republican party, starting with the state and local level. The RSLC is doing exactly that. Today’s Leaders; Tomorrow’s Future.
From theNextRight.com:
If we want to start building our farm team, we can’t depend on either extreme: neither sharing the same message from one organization nor using something as undepedable and expensive as microtargeting. This is why any national organization must coordinate better with our state and local party organizations to identify the issues that matter the most, and tailor messaging on national issues to hit home with specific audiences.
BOTTOM LINE: The Democrats have their own 50 state strategy that identifies winning concepts and strategies in every race, federal to local. Republicans need to start doing the same, and can be better at this than the Democrats.
IN: More of The Same Expected From Dems Today
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 June 2008 04:29 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 18 June 2008 11:04
Yawn….From WBIW:
Today is the last chance for Democrats to challenge the party’s statewide slate.
Indiana democrats haven’t had a contested race at their convention in 20 years. That streak is expected to continue on Saturday. Candidates have until noon Wednesday to pay the filing fee to run for lieutenant governor, attorney general or state school superintendent.
The party’s official slate is expected to be unopposed: State Rep. Dennie Oxley (D-English) for lieutenant governor, Indianapolis lawyer Linda Pence for attorney general, and Tippecanoe School Corporation Superintendent Richard Wood for state school superintendent.
Posted under Attorney General News, Secretaries of State, State Legislature News | No Comments
Ohio Secretary of State Discusses Upcoming Election
Last Updated on Monday, 16 June 2008 10:26 Written by rslcpol Monday, 16 June 2008 10:26
From the News-Herald:
The News-Herald: What are your expectations for statewide issues on the November ballot? How many do you think might get on there?
Brunner: That’s a good question.
There are some new things being filed right now, where they have to go through the initial stages and have the language checked by the Attorney General and get 1,000 signatures and we check those and go forward from there.
We know for sure the issue about deadlines for actual initiative and referendum petitioning and we could have the Healthy Family Act, which is the mandatory sick leave act. We could have a referendum on payday lending. We could have a casino statewide ballot issue and then there was some language that was relating specifically to labor organizations and their ability to participate in elections through political contributions, that’s at least some initial language that has been submitted.
The legislature has changed a lot of the requirements for statewide initiative and referendum petitioning, making it much more difficult for citizen initiative legislation or constitutional amendments to occur, so oftentimes these efforts start but they don’t come to fruition because the legislature has made the requirements much more difficult than before.
Posted under Secretaries of State | No Comments