City of Fairfield Volunteer Awards

The 2007 Volunteer Awards will honor the many individuals and groups who donated their time and talents in 2006 to help their community.

Please see the following link for information on how to nominate someone who has worked to make our city a better place to call home.

http://www.fairfield-city.org/ParksRecreation/volunteer/Volunteer_awards_1606.cfm

Butler County plan would cover the uninsured

From the Journal-News

By Candice Brooks Higgins
Staff Writer

Monday, February 26, 2007

HAMILTON — Kylea Corbin is a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Dayton who works as a bartender at the Red Onion Cafe in Monroe. But she can't afford health insurance and she doesn't qualify for Medicaid.

"As a young woman, you are supposed to get a check-up every six to 12 months, but I have to think about if (I can) afford this visit and if (I can) afford to take off work because that's more money I'm losing," Corbin said. "A lot of times, if it's not anything serious, I just don't bother going to the doctor."

Corbin and Butler County's estimated 40,000 uninsured could soon find an affordable alternative.

County officials have worked for more than two years to get county Commission President Gregory Jolivette's health care initiative, Healthshare, through Ohio law roadblocks and off the ground.

They recently had a breakthrough when they found a third party, Bellevue, Wash.-based Symetra, to administer the plan. They plan to announce it in late March, and, by summer, launch the health plan that would allow employers and employees to split the cost at about $65 a month each, said Bill Morse, the project manager. No business could be too small or enroll too few, Morse said.

The news brings good tidings for Gary Henz, the manager at the Red Onion, where 10 of the 13 workers are uninsured. Henz, who opened the restaurant in July 2005, wouldn't have health insurance himself without his wife's job.

"As a small business, when you are trying to insure five, six or eight people, it's very expensive," Henz said. "They could offer a lot better coverage and at a more affordable price to the small business."

Referring to his employees, Henz said, "When you don't have any insurance, a little bit goes a long way."

With five years experience selling health insurance, Les Clark, owner of Nova Health Toxicology in Fairfield, is a little more skeptical, particularly about the range of coverage. A baby's stay in neo-natal intensive care, a limb reattachment or an organ transplant might be the type of catastrophic life events the plan won't cover because the aim is to provide preventative and maintenance care at an affordable rate, Morse said.

"People aren't looking to insurance to pay for the little things," Clark said. "You don't buy car insurance for lube jobs. You buy it for the things you can't cover."

Jolivette said there may be limits on the plan, but the county is not limited to its one vendor, Symetra. It could eventually offer several options with various companies.
Also, as the program grows, the coverage area could expand beyond the borders of Butler County, Morse said.

"I think that it's a good first step, and hopefully it will be very attractive to businesses that have never thought of offering health care benefits to their employees," Jolivette said.

Presidential Election polling for the 2008 race - already?!

That's right - it's never too early to run a poll! With the USA Today mentality of the media - it's not news if you can't run the story without a chart!

Check out the Rasmussen - Giuliani vs. Clinton poll. I've linked the story under the "In the News" section.

- Scott

In response to the Journal-News editorial of Feb. 19th

The following letter from Chris Wunnenberg (West Chester Township) ran this weekend in response to an earlier editorial written & published by the Journal-News.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Will Rogers was poking fun when he said "I do not belong to an organized political party, I'm a Democrat." It was funny because the public recognized the truth in the line.

As we Republicans in Butler County have learned over the last several years, internal political squabbles are not restricted to the Democrats.

While some may believe disagreement is a terrible thing, and the JournalNews just loves to exaggerate its importance, I believe open discussions and airing differing opinions makes for a vigorous, healthy, growing organization.

The supposed "split" the JournalNews wishes to emphasize has been mending over the last year, and the "financial woes" are the party taking a major step in growing for the future.
The latest issue being stirred by the JournalNews is the Butler County Republican
Party's executive committee membership rules. The JournalNews has inaccurately reported that the party "booted out" some executive committee members for failing to make financial contributions.

The fact is that, by not paying the dues as required by the party bylaws, those persons had dropped their memberships. Every one of them was notified at least twice, and they were informed of the rules and the ramification of the delinquency. None of them had paid for 2006, so they are no longer executive committee members. It was not the party's wish that these folks decided not to renew their membership; it was their individual decisions.

I know of no organization that charges membership dues that allows members to continue after more than a year of nonpayment. I can't imagine that they could still get into the YMCA, Elks Club, swim club or the Rotary. Why would anyone pay if some continued in membership without paying?

It is also appropriate for the party's incumbent officeholders to help support the operations of the party that helps them in their elections, their fundraising, and in their ability to meet and establish contacts with other state and federal officials. Most already do, some at a greater level than is being requested.

But once again, why should the burden be put on only a few when, if shared, it is easier and lighter on all?

The party leadership is talking with the officeholders to come up with a fair policy. It's not a done deal nor "pay-to-play." There are no threats to anyone, and the financial support we are discussing is not from their office salaries, but from the campaign contributions that the Republican Party and Republican contributors help them raise.

It's not surprising that a few officeholders, who did not attend the discussion, would "go public" with misinformation. It might just be those same folks who haven't supported the party, and who seem to encourage a deeper split, do not want a stronger Republican Party.

I am pleased to inform the JournalNews and its readers that the Butler County Republican Party is strong, and will continue to grow and to support quality Republican candidates and officerholders.

Fairfield Citizen Police Academy begins March 19th

The Fairfield Police Department’s semiannual Citizen Police Academy gives residents a better understanding of police work and gives Fairfield police officers a better understanding of the expectations of our citizens.

The next Citizen Police Academy begins March 19. The class will be held on 10 consecutive Mondays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Police Department at 5230 Pleasant Avenue, with one Saturday morning session at the Hamilton Police Firing Range.

The class is open to adults who live or work in the City of Fairfield. We have a casual classroom setting that is open to questions and discussion.

Applications are available by calling Officer Dennis Valentini at 513-896-8292 or Lt. Ken Colburn at 513-896-8254.

follow this link for additional information and a schedule of events
http://www.fairfield-city.org/Police/Programs/Citizen_Police_Academy_679.cfm

Great news about the Ol' Left Hander!

Our prayers continue to be with Joe Nuxhall and his family.
- the Lepsky's

This posting from the Journal-News

Hospital release expected Tuesday for Nuxhall
Reds Hall of Famer to stay in Florida until late March

By Michael D. Pitman
Staff Writer

Monday, February 19, 2007

FAIRFIELD — Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Joe Nuxhall, in a Florida hospital because of blood clots and a return of lymphoma, is expected to be released Tuesday, according to his son.

Kim Nuxhall said today his dad is expected to be released today from Sarasota Memorial Hospital, but he will need to remain in Florida until late March.

Chemotherapy will start on Wednesday to treat the return of the lymphoma, which has appeared this time in one of the legs of the former pitcher and longtime Reds broadcaster. He will be able to return home after March 23, according to his son.

Joe Nuxhall was hospitalized last week after scheduled tests at the hospital showed blood clots in one of his lungs, his son said. Kim Nuxhall said the blood clots were caused by the return of his lymphoma.

"I talked with him last night and he's ready to get out," Kim Nuxhall said this afternoon. "They got the blood clot situation figured out."

Can a divided GOP continue to stand?

Journal-News Editorial
Sunday, February 18, 2007

"And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
Mark 3:25

Extras

As we recently observed, the internal affairs of Butler County's two political parties are their own business. How they choose their leadership, finance their activities, and choose whom they will endorse in primary elections are their private affairs. However, it should be pointed out that the success of each party — although influenced heavily by a strong conservative base among voters here — also relies on the quality of those internal decisions and presenting a unified front.

Such is the dominance of the Republican Party in Butler County that it retains control of county government in spite of a deep fracture that became most apparent when county Commissioner Michael Fox wrote a scathing 78-page report in 2003 about the county's domestic relations and juvenile courts that did not spare fellow Republicans who were and are judges in those courts.

The rift in the party has been most apparent during primary election season: in the short-lived challenge to Fox by then-state Rep. Gregory Jolivette in the 2004 GOP primary (Jolivette withdrew and was later placed on the commission via a party-engineered job swap with Courtney Combs); in the 2006 primary challenge to longtime Auditor Kay Rogers, who was able to defeat the party's endorsed candidate, Roger Reynolds, and then win the general election; and in the apparent challenge in 2008 to Commissioner Charles Furmon by fellow Republican Rawnica Dillingham. And even the most casual political observer knows that — given the GOP's strength and the Democrats' debility here — the primary election is the de facto general election in Butler County.

So it was interesting to learn recently that the county GOP — which is struggling financially after building an $800,000 headquarters in Fairfield Twp. — had purged some 40 members from its roster for failing to pay dues. And last week it was revealed that the party is considering a plan that would seek significant financial contributions from elected Republican officeholders, a plan that has been criticized by some party members as a "pay-to-play" system. Officeholders like Fox and Rogers are predictably balking at the proposal. "I stopped giving to the party when they turned against me," Fox said last week.

Under the proposal, Fox — while in office — would be expected to pay $2,500 to the party each year, plus 10 percent of campaign funds he raises. The level of expected contribution varies from office to office, with the county prosecutor expected to fork over $5,000 annually to the party, as well as 10 percent of campaign funds surpassing $50,000.

So why should voters care about this proposal?

First, the salaries of these officeholders come from taxpayers, and that's who these public servants should be serving. This proposal strips away any polite pretense that county officeholders aren't at the beck and call of the Republican Party — and they had better pay up if they want to stay in office. "I have always believed that a political party is supposed to help candidates and officeholders, not the other way around," Rogers said last week.

Fox and Rogers managed to survive without party support — in large part, we believe, due to their ability to communicate directly with voters and to raise funds independently, as well as good name recognition — but other officeholders may not be so bold.

Secondly, voters should care because the Republican Party's deepening split and financial woes raise the possibility that the GOP's stranglehold on county government could be broken in the future. As we have observed here in the past, we believe that a monopoly on county government by either party is not healthy, and that taxpayers would be better served if both parties were represented and able to hold each other accountable on spending and taxing decisions.

Ironically, the so-called "pay-to-play" plan from the Republican Party may help to accomplish what the county Democratic Party has been unable to do — that is, to give voters better choices at the ballot box by disrupting the party's lock step. Voters will just have to figure out who the real Republicans are.

GOP dues proposal raising questions

Journal-News
By Candice Brooks Higgins
Staff Writer

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

HAMILTON — After 40 members were purged from the Butler County Republican Party two weeks ago for failing to pay dues, some party members say a pending proposal that suggests elected officeholders pay thousands in contributions to remain in "good standing" is creating a pay-to-play system.

"What I care about is being in good standing with the voters," said county Commissioner Michael Fox. "That to me is the most striking part of this. It just illustrates a value structure that's out of balance. What happened to good old-fashioned public service? Where does that fit into this?"

Extras

Under the proposal, officeholders in the most costly tier, such as the county prosecutor, would pay $5,000 annually, plus 10 percent of campaign funds over $50,000. Officeholders in the least expensive tier, such as judges, would pay $1,500 each year.

Fox would be expected to pay $2,500 each year, plus 10 percent of the campaign funds he raises each year over $25,000. However, Fox said even if the proposal floats, he won't pay.
"I stopped giving to the party when they turned against me," Fox said referring to his last re-election without the party's endorsement.

Fox believes past party chairmen recruited then-state Rep. Gregory Jolivette to run against him in 2004 and groomed Liberty Twp. Fiscal Officer Roger Reynolds to challenge Auditor Kay Rogers in 2006. Immediate past GOP Chairman Carlos Todd has denied these accusations.

Nonetheless, Fox said, the races were divisive, costly for candidates and depleted party resources. Now, rather than giving to the party, Fox said Republican incumbents find no assurance of support from party leaders and "are going out and rasing money on their own to make sure what happened to me and Kay Rogers doesn't happen to them."

Rogers won her fourth term without the party's endorsement in the primary last May and did not receive the GOP's financial support in the general election, those close to her campaign have said.

"I still believe in conservative Republican values and in Republican voters. But I have serious concerns about the current direction of our local party." Rogers said. "I have always believed that a political party is supposed to help candidates and officeholders, not the other way around."

An every-man-for-himself attitude could further totter the party's shaky financial footing when it faces debt from the construction of an $800,000-plus new headquarters in Fairfield Twp. and a $40,000 loan from Todd outstanding. The party's fund balance was $14,768 and its building fund was at $1,091 as of Jan. 31, according to campaign finance records.

"We obviously are looking at ways, like many other political parties, to raise funds," GOP Chairman Tom Ellis said. "We would be remiss if we didn't look to all sources that might consider pledging (funds) to our party."

Ellis said he wouldn't comment further on "any internal polices or suggested proposals," except that contribution levels might be suggested, but not mandated.

Central Committee Chair Judy Shelton said party leaders are merely "exploring" the model used in other counties and a decision wouldn't be made until late this month after they gather more feedback from elected officials.

County GOP boots members

Financial strain has party ousting executive committee
members who did not pay dues.

Journal-News
By Candice Brooks Higgins
Staff Writer

Thursday, February 08, 2007

HAMILTON — Financial strain on the Butler County Republican Party has prompted it to remove 40 members who failed to pay dues.

The action is one some ousted members are calling an unprecedented focus on money rather than loyal membership.

"I didn't leave the party. I feel like the party has left me," said Hall Thompson, a party member since the 1980s.

Meanwhile, new GOP Chairman Tom Ellis said the enforcement of the party's bylaws is necessary to put it on solid financial footing.

About 40 executive committee members, who are appointed rather than elected, were removed June 30 for failing to pay the minimum annual sponsorship of $150, Ellis said. The rule has been in place for years, but some members were allowed to slide in the past if they were long-time workers on candidate campaigns, he said.

"The executive committee membership was established to be the financial arm of the party," Ellis said. "We appoint people and they pledge to pay a minimum amount of dues. It just was complacency. That's simply all it was."

Ellis said surrounding counties raise two to three times more and the Butler
County party, with its size and support, can do more.

In fact, the financial demands on the party — from a divisive auditor's race in the May primary, a tough November general election, and the construction of the new $800,000-plus headquarters in Fairfield Twp. — created a "perfect storm" that should provoke members to raise funds, Ellis said.

In October, the party was more than $11,000 in the hole and received less than $5,000 in member contributions in the days before the general election, according to campaign finance reports. Without a $40,000 loan from immediate past Chairman Carlos Todd — who spearheaded the headquarters building project — the party would not have been able to pay staff salaries, construction expenses or utilities.

Todd's loan remains outstanding while the party's balance was $14,768 as of Jan. 31. The party's building fund grew to $90,344 in 2006 but by Jan. 31 fell to $1,091.

Stewart Leonard said he can't afford the dues with three children planning for college and thought his decades of service on campaigns was worth more than $150.

"I felt like they've almost abandoned me," he said.

In addition, Thompson and Leonard said they don't know how their dues are spent because complete financial reports are not provided at meetings.

"I've never been in a organization where you don't get a complete detail of where every nickel is spent," Thompson said.

Within the next three months, Ellis said he is committed to providing financial reports at meetings to help members understand the monetary needs of the party.

Recent Articles Concerning the Butler County GOP

I've been asked by many friends and neighbors (both active GOP members and non) just what in the world is going on with the county republican party?

In an effort to make as much information available as possible, I will post some of the news articles that have run in the past couple of weeks. They seem to be the ones generating most of the questions.

While things may be tumultuous within the local republican party, I think that it's important to recognize the effort, leadership and service of some of our elected officials. That being said, I will try to keep you updated on some of their initiatives as well.

Thanks,
Scott