Carnival of Ohio Politics #79

Think Sesame Street, blackboard, chalk, those weirdly tuned number rants with the precursor to MTV-type graphics being launched at you. That's what I was aiming for with the graphic. But who even uses blackboards and chalk these days? At least we can be sure, based on the great links contributed this week, that Ohio's political bloggers don't need to go back to school, except maybe as instructors.

Let's start off as many teachers probably will tomorrow - with a question. It comes from Roland at Roland Hansen Commentary. He wants to know, Who and where is John R. Bender? I'll let someone else raise their hand first.

How would you feel if your mayor threatened to use eminent domain to take over an operating mall? Maggie Thurber explores this provocative and timely topic in this post on Thurber's Thoughts. She then turns her focus to laws that seek to protect us from our own ignorance. Ha. Ignorant? Bloggers? Never.

Akron seems to be the epicenter of a serious political pit fight. Ben Keeler takes a swing at what he considers to be a bold move by State Rep. Kevin Coughlin as Coughlin goes after Summit County GOP Boss, Alex Arshinkoff.

Follow a different spat as it develops on Ohdave's Into My Own. This time, it's about Barack Obama's statements regarding merit pay for teachers. But don't think you've escaped those bullies from Akron - The Chief Source is a party to this action.

You know, Akron is just a happening place. One of its inhabitants, with one of my favorite names that I somehow used to forget all the time, McKee Stewart of The Boring Made Dull, has submitted a post to this reincarnation of the Carnival for the first time. McKee (I just like writing that name) examines the city's school board as the academic year approaches.

Another newbie in this edition is Tim Ferris who has been one of the residents at ground zero for all things related to the effort to get a Cuyahoga County commissioner-only approved sales tax proposal placed on a ballot for voters to judge. Read the reports from the field.

Matt Hurley offers up three for thinking. For folks interested in Ohio House 35, Weapons of Mass Discussion's update is a must-read. Another popular topic around the sphere this week has been Rino-sizing, or sizing up alleged RINO, George Voinovich. Finally, Matt talks about how Joy Padgett is still planning on running to keep her state senate seat.

Yellow Dog Sammy aka Jeff Coryell aka Ohio2006 aka Ohio Daily Blog has a question too (and people say all bloggers do is assert unfounded opinions): Can we finally put "Al Qaeda would follow us home" to rest? Jeff is also concerned, as are many others, about whether federal rules will threaten the proposed expansion of Ohio's SCHIP program that seeks to cover health care costs for more kids and families.

The WoM Blog aka Word of Mouth contributes three choice choices and I'm actually going to provide my favorite first, The WoMsons. Make sure there's no liquid in your mouth when you're reading it. In what bloggers' work begs for more of (direct debate with our elected officials), Lorain County Commissioner Ted Kalo responded to a previous WoM post that discussed him extensively. If there was an Overall Cleverest Blog Post, The Chair Takes the Mayor Seat (and indeed the entire series on The Chair) would have to be a contendah.

If, like many people, you've been or were caught up in the Utah mine news story, do not skip The DOW and the TAO by first-timer Cee Jay of cee jay's cyber space.

Progress Ohio, via Dave Harding, checks in with the PO approach to George Voinovich in theVoinovich Double Talk Express Tour Kicks-Off Tuesday! And more along the line of travel-themed titles, we have Freeway Blogger: Letter to Kent Ohio Law Director. If you haven't followed that story about a peaceful demonstrator and the changing charges, now would be a good time. Finally, PO toots its horn in ProgressOhio's MySpace Presence Grows Faster (And Bigger) Than The DNC and Move-On.

Ohio bloggers frequently share their stages with others. King's Right Site handed over the keys for some musings on how Cuyahoga County Judge Eileen Gallagher is "victimizing the victims." King tackles the frustration behind the unbelievable but not surprising news that Cleveland is violating its own mobile traffic camera law. In RINO Mayors in Cuyahoga County Support Forced Tax Increase, King lets it all hang out and offers a bazillion helpful links to companies that should care more about the issue but perhaps need to be boycotted in order to make them care.

Columbuser's author Brian O'Connell provides a response to Jeff Coryell's post on the difficulty of finding statewide election information for 2007 in Wikifying Ohio's elections. Then, we get a look at the changed situation in Ohio's 15th Congressional District with Rep. Deborah Pryce's retirement as described in Turned tables for OH-15. And, making you wonder just how much room is left for more nails in the coffin, Brian looks at a recent report on mid-size city newspaper websites and he comments on the Columbus Dispatch via Local newspaper websites trend downward.

Lisa Renee of Glass City Jungle mired herself in the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program & The Black Swamp Conservancy and did some research from which we could all learn. Since I was involved in public interest law throughout four years of graduate school, I can tell you with real gravitas that public defenders have it tough, on so many levels. However, I am 100% certain that they would all appreciate the depth and sensitivity with which Lisa Renee looks at their current problems, related in no small part and to no one's surprise, to funding.

Okay - back to Akron and Kyle from The Chief Source. Read his side of the Obama, education and merit pay issue. Follow along and experience the protests in Highland Square as blogged by natives. Then, for a slight change of pace, expose yourself to the now literally three-ring Democratic primary circus (with today's announcement that Barbara Ferris is in it) that is happening in Ohio's 10th congressional district in the post, Rosemary Palmer for Congress.

Conservative Culture's Mark Vernik believes that Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan is solid on immigration. Recidivism is a nasty thing - thanks go to Mark for pointing out that not even mayors are immune from being repeat offenders. Oy. And, an issue from which we can't get away, even when leaders are saying, we're getting away from it: Lima tables casino chat but for how long will it hold?

In what has to be the best keeps us guessing blog post title, The Dean of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Beacon address The Other Side: Ron Brown, Lawn Mower Lover and Vacuum Collector. It must be read to be believed.

Redhorse sums up the recent tale of hiring and firing at the Ohio Democratic Party on Psychobilly Democrats.

Is it amazing how many original topics we manage in the Ohio political blogosphere? Seriously, no wonder we say As Ohio Goes, So Goes the Nation. Although, as our own As Ohio Goes notes, we're getting jobs that are being offshored - to Ohio - from India. Also explored on AOG is whether the College Republicans are fooling Ohioans, and misrepresenting Ohio Universities.

As did Redhorse, Scott Piepho of Pho's Akron Pages offered space and words from the person who was the center of attention in the blogosphere regarding the ODP hire/fire scenario. He offers more perspective on the goings-on in economic and city planning circles through his review of the Columbus Dispatch's Quaker Square review. And did you really think that only one post this week would be about Coughlin and Arshinkoff? Silly reader, you!

I can't offer a better intro than Bizzy Blog's Tom Blumer sent me for his post, Cutting Down the Blade’s Distorted Sense of Accomplishment: "The Blade covered Noe like a blanket, but paid little attention to Mark Lay who lost much, much more money than Noe ever did."

Am I done yet? Hmm, let me see - oh yeah. Me.

Just one from Writes Like She Talks this week: I love vision as much as the next idealist. But it's not why I vote for the folks I expect to be leaders. They need vision as well as the ability to shape nuts and bolts into something that runs to benefit us. And I'm tired of hearing about vision but no way to get there.

That's all folks! Thank you to everyone and especially our three newcomers: Boring Made Dull, Tim Ferris and Cee Jay's Cyber Space. Welcome and ya'll come back now, ya here?