News and Notes: Ohio Congressional Races UPDATED

A lot going on out there:

OH-02 - The Department of Energy's plan to bring a nuclear waste facility to Piketon, Ohio appears to be put on hold, possibly for good, but a spokesman for Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) indicates that she continues to support the project. “The congresswoman’s position has been that she will do what the local community wants her to do," said spokesman Bruce Pfaff. "If they want her to push for the consideration of this project, then she will."

OH-03 - UPDATE: Challenger Jane Mitakides (D-Washington Twp) is criticizing Rep. Mike Turner (R-Centerville) for misrepresenting his record on veterans in a mailing sent to constituents on the taxpayer's dime (i.e., using the Congressional franking privilege). The mailing apparently touts Turner's service to veterans, but as Mitakides campaign has repeatedly pointed out Turner has received a "C" grade from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association and dismal scores of 29% from Disabled American Veterans and 34% from the Retired Enlisted Association. "If you read these [mailings], you have a very different picture of [Turner's] record than you would by looking up his actual record," Mitakides pointed out to Dayton Daily News reporter Jessica Wehrman.

OH-04 - Challenger Mike Carroll (D-Mansfield) has a golf outing fundraiser set for September 20th at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Lexington, Ohio. Details on the campaign site [.pdf].

OH-07 - UPDATE: A staffer for challenger Sharen Neuhardt (D-Yellow Springs) reports that she is working extremely hard on voter contact, going out every day talking to voters in every corner of the district. Over the weekend she canvassed with volunteers in Xenia and amde appearances at the Greene County Democratic Party Picnic, the Perry County Democratic Women's Hog Roast, the Junction City Volunteer Fire Dept's Ice Cream Social, and the St. Bernard's Church festival in Corning. At that last event, the candidate won one of Mildred Boodie's famous pies in the charity auction.

OH-14 - Donna Smith, a communications specialist for the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, has an excellent front-paged diary at Open Left supporting the campaign of challenger Bill O'Neill (D-South Russell). Smith details how O'Neill's work as an emergency room pediatric nurse gives him special insight into the plight of 1.1 million uninsured Ohio residents, including 240,000 children:

Bill has seen first-hand how the lack of preventative care for kids can be costly for all - our system and our families - in addition to our youngest and most vulnerable patients. "I've seen kids with asthma come in (to the ER) and they haven't had a rescue inhaler available for days" ...

"I favor the Medicare model," Bill says, as he reflects on all the possible fixes available for the broken healthcare system in Ohio and in the nation. "I work evenings and weekends caring for ill and injured children in the Pediatric Emergency Department of Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights. This work on behalf of kids is not only satisfying intellectually and personally, it has provided me with direct insight into one of our most pressing struggles right now, that of providing excellent health care to all our citizens."

Read the whole thing. This is an important and winnable race.

OH-15 - BREAKING NEWS! Pets endorse Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus)! Visit the site Pets for Kilroy to read and share endorsements by dogs, cats, and other pets, plus you can add a photo and statement of support from your own furry (or feathered or scaly, as the case may be) friend. Commissioner Kilroy has been a steadfast supporter of animal groups such as the Capitol Area Humane Society and worked to increase adoption programs at the Franklin County Animal Shelter. *** UPDATE: Stubborn Liberal weighs in on State Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Upper Arlington) and the proposed environment-damaging poultry mega-farm in Union County, urging readers to contact Stivers and "ask him how he will stop this Hi-Q Egg Farm from ruining people's lives."

OH-16 - On Friday the Akron Beacon Journal denounced the radio attack ad being run by the Karl Rove-advised 527 group Freedom's Watch, which falsely accuses State Sen. Boccieri (D-Alliance) of being "all talk and no action" about gas prices. The editorial board calls the ad "outrageous, a stunning misrepresentation of political reality," since Republicans have controlled the state legislature during Boccieri's tenure and Schuring actually voted for a 2003 gas tax increase that Boccieri voted against. As the newspaper says, "the charges levied by Freedom's Watch against Boccieri more aptly apply to Schuring, if they apply at all to state government." The editorial concludes by calling on Schuring to tell Freedom's Watch to "take a hike!" The Boccieri campaign writes of the ad in a message to supporters that "this big-money Washington group doesn’t really care about our high fuel costs – they’re just trying to elect one more politician who’s taken tens of thousands of dollars from oil executives and will do their bidding in Congress," and the campaign is running a positive ad about Boccieri's background in reponse. You can help Boccieri continue to run his own radio ad by contributing here. *** Conservative blogger Matt Hurley reports that the Boccieri campaign is conducting internal polling in the wake of paid media expenditures and that the polling is expected to show the candidate within single digits of his opponent.

OH-18 - Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) released the final report from his "RENEW Ohio-18" series of economic summits. “I could not be more proud of the work our residents, elected officials, and industry experts put into this effort,” Space said ina press release. “This was an historic undertaking, and I know the ideas we generated will play a significant part in ensuring our future economic growth. Today’s modern economy is changing rapidly, and we must take dramatic steps to keep up with it. This document lays out some bold ideas and challenges that will help us lead that change." The report can be reviewed at Space's official web site.