by on 07.20.2009
Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner today called on Lt. Governor Lee Fisher to explain why he left the critical post as Director of the Ohio Department of Development in the midst of Ohio’s most significant economic crisis since the Great Depression.
In a March 16, 2009, weblog entry at Buckeye State Blog, Fisher wrote: “I’ve looked into the faces of Ohioans whose dreams have been shattered. Much of what they counted on in life has been torn from their grasp. They don’t want sympathy, and they don’t want promises. They just want to know that their elected officials are working hard for solutions. And they want the government they’ve supported with their tax dollars to give them the tools to get back on their feet through their own hard work and initiative.
“At a time when Governor Strickland can use the help of every elected official in this state, Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, who should be his closest ally, has abandoned him at this critical juncture,’’ Brunner said. The state’s unemployment rate is 11.1 percent, according to June calculations from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, up from 10.8 percent in May. This is the first time in nearly 26 years that the rate has exceeded 11 percent. The number of unemployed workers in June totaled 662,000, up from 647,000 in May. Ohio’s unemployment rate far exceeds the national rate of 9.5% for June, and represents a huge increase over the past year. Ohio’s unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in December 2008, while the national rate was a reported 7.2 percent.
Ohio still lacks a permanent development director and has seen one interim director come and go amid tax troubles and another interim director brought on at a steeply reduced salary. . . .
Brunner pointed out, “More than four months ago, Lee Fisher gave up his responsibilities running a job stimulus agency with a billion dollar budget and over 450 staff members while the Ohio jobless rate has hit levels not seen in decades. Instead of trying to gin up dim hopes that he can be ‘firm’ with GM leaders to change their minds, he could be rolling up his sleeves, calling in the building trades for factory retooling and preparing the plant’s workers for training and new types of jobs with the help of the agency he abandoned.” In addition to giving him more time to campaign, Fisher’s decision to jump ship gives him more freedom to seek campaign dollars for a U.S. Senate race from individuals connected to organizations eligible for state development and stimulus dollars that he could not have otherwise pursued.
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by on 07.15.2009
Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner
today announced that she has raised more than $435,000 thus far for her U.S.
Senate campaign, including over $228,000 raised in the second quarter of this
year. That figure reflects an increase from the previous quarter for the
Brunner campaign.
Brunner also announced that she has just added some big-name fundraisers to her Finance Committee, including Barbara Gould, Lana Moresky and Christopher Celeste. Taken together, the three augur for a strong fundraising quarter for the upcoming third quarter.
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by on 07.09.2009
U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner today called
on her opponent, Lee Fisher, to do more than talk about getting support from
women voters. “Fisher should fight for equal pay for women, starting with the woman
who has taken his place as director of the Ohio Department of Development,”
Brunner said.
Earlier this year, Fisher left his post as director of the development department
at a salary of $142,500 so he could campaign for the Senate. The Department of
Development is responsible for the creation, retention and expansion of jobs in
Ohio.
When Fisher resigned, Mark Barbash was made interim director at an annual
salary of $128,356. After tax and home foreclosure problems plagued Barbash, he
was replaced by a second interim director, Lisa Patt-McDaniel, at a salary of
$88,379. Her salary remains unchanged even though Barbash returned to the department
June 29 to a position subordinate to Patt-McDaniel at a salary that exceeds
hers.
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by on 07.07.2009
Four months into the hotly contested Democratic primary race against Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner has issued an update on her campaign’s status, efforts to discourage her candidacy and commitment to remain in the contest.
"Ever since I decided to give up the security of what is widely regarded as a "safe" re-election for Secretary of State and instead run for the U.S. Senate, the political insiders in Columbus and Washington began actively discouraging my candidacy. 'She can’t raise the money,' said many. 'You shouldn’t run for the Senate if the Governor supports Lieutenant Governor Fisher,' warned some Washington insiders in January,” Brunner tells supporters in a new blog post, available at www.jenniferbrunner.com.
Despite pressure from political insiders, Brunner has valiantly withstood the opposition and perpetual scrutiny of her campaign fund-raising efforts. Recent polls place her neck and neck with her primary opponent in the race and she remains convinced that voters will reward her persistence and leadership.
“Leadership is not bound by gender, just as it is not bought with chits and money. Leadership is bought with courage and principle that go hand in hand to move us forward. The struggle of this election is likely to reflect the struggle of everyday Ohioans to do what’s right, to achieve for themselves and their loved ones and to be good citizens in the larger community. As we move ahead in this race, I will do what Democrats do best—see things for what they are, work to bring the best people together to tackle the problems and seize upon what can be done to bring hope to Ohioans for a better day. I am in this race to stay.”
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by on 07.02.2009
Christopher Celeste, a potential candidate in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Senator George Voinovich in 2010, has made it official-- he's not entering the race. Instead, he has thrown his support behind U.S. Senate Candidate Jennifer Brunner and is asking his supporters to do the same. He made his announcement via an e-mail to his and Brunner's supporters and on the Brunner Blog (www.jenniferbrunner.com) on July 1. Brunner is in a highly contested primary race against Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher.
"Two well-regarded and experienced officeholders are now making their case to Democratic primary voters about why they should be the party's nominee in the Fall. They are both formidable politicians who have won statewide and worked long and hard on behalf of Ohioans. And while I respect both Lee and Jennifer for their commitment to public service, after much thought, I have decided to support, invest in and personally work on behalf of Jennifer Brunner in the Democratic Primary for the United States Senate. Jennifer's public leadership demonstrates an impressive mix of creativity, collaboration, and courage," said Celeste in a letter to followers who had been following his interest in the open seat for over 5 months.
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by on 07.02.2009
While President Barack Obama's administration and states across the nation champion health care reform, U.S. Senate Candidate Jennifer Brunner called on Republican and Democratic members of both houses of Congress to join the fight for inclusion of a public insurance option rather than bow to pressure from the powerful insurance lobby to keep all payment for universal health care in the hands of private insurers.
"I strongly urge members of Congress to stand strong in favor of the more than 50 million individuals and families who now lack access to health care, because they have no health insurance of any form,'' Brunner said. "Health care is a basic right, and the choice of a public or private plan ensures all have access to the type of health care they need." . . .
She noted that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman, who served former President George W. Bush as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, said his party had no position on health care, reaching this conclusion after conversations with Congressional Republicans. Despite Portman’s admission and failure to fill that void with any ideas of his own, Vice President Dick Cheney used a recent radio interview to characterize Portman as a viable GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate.
“Now that Dick Cheney has left office he has chosen to become vocal and to opine on issues of the day, presumably as a standard bearer for the ailing Republican Party. How can he and Rob Portman maintain their oblivion to the tragically large numbers of Americans who are suffering from their previous failure to face the deteriorating circumstances of Americans and their families because of inadequate or no health care?” Brunner said.
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by on 06.24.2009
Columbus - U.S. Senate Candidate Jennifer Brunner called on Republicans to halt their smear campaign against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. “It is time to tell Republican Senators to stop the attacks on Sonia Sotomayor. I am asking Senator Voinovich not to condone obstructionist tactics that are based on gender inequality and underhanded politics,” said Brunner.
Her efforts come on the heels of reports that Republican Senators in Congress have now begun to ratchet up their campaign against Sotomayor by criticizing her for being associated with a Puerto Rican civil rights group and questioning her previous legal decisions couched in language that centers on her gender. “Republicans plan to attack Judge Sotomayor for her ‘empathy.’ This is part of the tired old GOP tactic of using code words to stoke un-American bigotry. ”
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by on 06.19.2009
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, running for the United States Senate, yesterday began using the increasingly prevalent and important social media site Twitter.com as an additional means to reach out to Ohio voters. Her Twitter account is found at Twitter.com/JenniferBrunner.
"New technologies used to communicate and to gather information provide innovative ways to reach new voters and better engage and inform them of issues and opportunities of interest to them," Brunner said. "I'm thrilled to join the millions of Twitter users and look forward to being an active participant in this important new social networking medium."
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by on 06.18.2009
U.S.
Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner called for members of both parties to work
together to improve the nation’s health care system, affirming her support for
inclusion of a public option for health insurance. “Having no public option
should not be an option,’’ Brunner said.
Her comments come as Congress debates The Affordable Health Choices Act, which is designed to insure more Americans and give consumers more options for paying for the costs of health care. “Without health insurance coverage, the vast majority of Americans cannot afford to pay for health care. Even many with health care take shortcuts in getting health care for themselves and their families. Those without, go without needed services, or they go bankrupt or lose their homes because of medical bills they can’t pay,” said Brunner.
“All Americans must have access to quality, cost-effective health care, and this should be the guiding principle of any federal legislation,” said Brunner. In Ohio, many job losses have occurred from the collapse of the auto and related industries and from tax incentives to corporations who have outsourced manufacturing jobs to other countries whose governments cover health care expenses.
“Many opponents of a public option blithely confuse the government’s direct payment for health care services with some countries’ governments that actually provide health care services. This is irresponsible,” said Brunner. “Millions of dollars have been spent to run TV ads that scare everyday Americans into thinking that health care reform is the equivalent of socialism. Nothing could be further from the truth,” stated Brunner.
“It is time for Democrats and Republicans alike to step up and give Americans real choices for health care for themselves and their families, and it needs to happen now,” said Brunner. “A public option has existed for years for older Americans through Medicare, which has successfully been providing decent health care to millions. Extending this type of model as a choice of coverage to the more than 46 million Americans without health coverage is not earth shattering—it’s a choice and one we’ve been doing with success for years,” Brunner said.
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by on 06.12.2009
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner today called on the U.S. Senate to reject the Obama Administration’s request for $108 billion in bailout funds for the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Many of the European banks made a series of risky and speculative loans in central and eastern Europe that are likely to go into default,” Brunner said. “We are looking conservatively at more than a trillion dollars in bad loans, loans that the United States had no part in, and we simply cannot afford to step in now and bail them out through the IMF. We have too many families and our own institutions struggling here at home who need our help first.
Some have argued that the money is necessary to help provide a global stimulus and to help people in poverty in countries with poorer and less sophisticated economies. But the actual amount of money that will go to assist these countries is indirect and minute. Most of the money would aid struggling European banks that are facing potential losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars. That money would be sent via the IMF, which, unlike TARP funds, would not be subject to any semblance of oversight of or accountability to the U.S. Congress.
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by on 06.10.2009
U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner has never been afraid to face opposition. Brunner is bucking Democratic doubters and is running against Lt. Governor Lee Fisher in the highly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2010. Her commitment and tenacity to win the primary and then replace retiring Senator George Voinovich is reflected in her articulate and common sense support of marriage equality. “Marriage is a matter of choice. There is no room for discrimination against LGBT families in a society that was founded upon freedom and respect for individual rights,” said Brunner.
The Huffington Post is featuring Brunner’s position on the controversial issue on their blog today.
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by on 06.05.2009
Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner, who this week became the first recipient of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American Constitutional Society for Law and Policy's newly created Stephanie Tubbs Jones Public Service Award for her efforts in achieving a fair and efficient Ohio presidential election in 2008, supports passage of legislation that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity: Ohio House Bill 176, known as the Equal Housing and Employment Act, and the federal Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), expected to be introduced in Congress sometime this year.
"Our state and our nation have long banned discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender and religion,'' Brunner said. "These matters are not matters of choice, but of the diversity of the human condition. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are incompatible with our laws guaranteeing freedom from discriminatory treatment. We must become a more tolerant society, respecting one another and guaranteeing equal rights to the freedoms and prosperity of our society to all."
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by on 06.03.2009
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner today called on the U.S. Senate to take an active role in assisting those auto dealers slated for closure by Chrysler and General Motors, as well as those communities hurt by plants and dealerships closing. "We must ensure that our nation's auto dealers are treated fairly and equitably, and that they have an opportunity to close their operations in a manner that minimizes hardships to their employees and their communities," Brunner said. "Many Ohio auto dealers are third- and fourth-generation family businesses that play a vital role in their communities, and when they are forced to close through no fault of their own, government has a responsibility to step in and help." Brunner noted that the impact of these dealership closings is likely to be felt throughout Ohio, thereby hampering the state's economic recovery. "Every time a dealership or an auto plant closes, it means fewer Ohioans working, more unemployment, less community involvement, and a loss of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue for the affected city or town, as well as the state," Brunner added. "In other words, it's a lose-lose proposition."
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by on 05.29.2009
Fresh off a call for an interest rate cap on credit cards, U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner is urging Congress to support President Barack Obama’s call for a financial watchdog panel to protect consumers.
“Creating regulatory oversight specifically for the benefit of consumers is overdue,’’ Brunner said. “Economic recovery measures that strengthen the middle class are the fastest and most enduring method to return our country to prosperity; financial institutions that have contributed to middle class turbulence, yet benefited from tax dollars and government support, must be made to account for their future actions to ensure a lasting economic recovery and real change.’’
While some have expressed concerns that a new commission would create additional layers of government regulation or undermine authority of existing regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Brunner believes that government agencies at the very least must collaborate on common concerns, especially for strengthening consumer protections while regulating financial institutions and their practices. Whether it is a new commission or a task force requiring government collaboration, tax dollars can be saved while protecting a broad swath of consumers, who are largely middle class.
“The truth is consumer protections have not been pursued or adequately monitored by the government agencies that are in place now. It is time to rethink old practices and move in a direction that helps Americans who are trying to act responsibly, to change old spending habits and to take care of their families,” Brunner said.
As proof that today’s practices need improvement, Brunner noted that the SEC failed to detect money manager Bernard Madoff’s destructive pyramid scheme, despite red flags raised by outsiders over the course of a decade.
The new commission as proposed by the President would regulate credit cards, mortgages and mutual funds – products now regulated by multiple federal agencies.
“Whether it’s a new agency or a task force, accountability should be overseen and guaranteed in one place so that consumers can have confidence that their tax dollars are spent wisely,’’ she said. “Unscrupulous and unchecked financial system practices have clogged the gears of what was once a booming economy. Many consumers were encouraged to participate in financial practices that they were ill prepared for, and as the economy downspin progressed, financial institutions engaged in more desperate and uneven tactics that further tightened the noose—on our economy and on the middle class, placing this country in an epic economic downturn. This is an opportunity to do something that should have been done in the first place and that just makes sense,” said Brunner.
Brunner’s comments echo concerns raised by Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard University law professor who chairs the Congressional Oversight Panel for the government's financial rescue initiative.
In a 2007 article, Warren wrote, "It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance an existing home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting the family out on the street.’’
Brunner’s call for the financial watchdog is the latest in a series of proposals designed to enhance protections for consumers who use financial to expand their opportunities. Earlier this week, she called for a cap on the interest rate that credit card companies can legally charge.
Source: Press release
by on 05.20.2009
In a letter to Ohio Democratic Party activists, Ohio Secretary of State and US Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner affirmed her commitment to running for the US Senate and stated in response to partisan speculation that “under no circumstances” would she consider running for or accepting an appointment to any other state or federal office. This announcement comes as the campaign continues to roll out endorsements by progressive and labor groups and make the case for Brunner’s electability in next year’s general election against likely GOP nominee Rob Portman.
Source: Press Release