Tidbits: TPS, OCRC and .75% tax challenge

Toledo Public School Board: 14 individuals have applied to fill the position being vacated by Robert Torres. Several observations:

1) interesting how 'unsuccessful' candidate shows up in all the descriptions of previous candidates except Theodore Jobe...

2) interesting criteria for selection - "Mr. Steel said the most important attribute is to be able to function well as one of five in a board setting, "making sure it's someone who has a skill set to do the work of the board.""

They're looking for someone who'll work well with the other members - not someone who represents a certain skill set or a diversity of ideas...rather, someone who will get along. While working together amicably is important, I fear such criteria will lead to a choice of individual who 'agrees' with the board, rather than someone who would present the necessary 'challenges' to current board thinking.

3) wouldn't it have been interesting if they could have selected the replacement PRIOR to their levy vote on March 4th? And do you think that anyone of these candidates got their home address incorrect - as their last appointment did?

Carty's Ohio Civil Rights Commission issue: he's going to hire two outside attorneys to handle this case for the city at an additional cost of up to $9,999.00 - as that's all he can spend without going to city council for approval.

1) while the law director says this makes sense considering that the case may cost the city a lot of money, I thought that such cases were the responsibility of the law department and the attorneys already on staff. Considering the potential for such types of cases, you'd think there would be someone in the law department who had the skills to handle this issue - and was already on the payroll.

2) this case isn't about settlement, it's about winning. And that's our mayor - Carty Finkbeiner - who sees this, imho, as a personal affront, thus as a case that must be won at all costs. Yes, costs you and I as taxpayers will have to afford.

3) $9,999 doesn't get you very many hours of representation at the hourly rates these attorneys will be getting. Most of that time will be taken up right away in researching the incidences and the documents. And then city council will be told that it would be a 'set-back' to switch attorneys in the middle of the issue, necessitating their agreement for funding these two individuals to the conclusion of the case.

And they tell us that we must pass the .75% temporary income tax proposal on the March 4th primary ballot or they'll be laying off hundreds of police and fire fighters because there's just no where else they can cut. Yeah - right!

And speaking of the temporary payroll tax:

WSPD issues this 75% Temporary Tax Challenge:

The city will provide:

1) the total projected annual income from ALL sources for Toledo
2) the total cost to provide all essential city services - those authorized and mandated only by the Toledo City Charter

What is the difference between these two numbers and is it greater or less than the $57.7 million generated by the temporary payrool tax??? If greater, WSPD talk show hosts will stop calling for the defeat of the tax. If less, City Council will reduce the city's budget to be in line with revenue.

Program Director and afternoon talk show host, Brian Wilson, predicts no one on City Council will accept this challenge...

'This is NOT business friendly' post #3

Boy - I really wish this weren't my third posting on this topic, but it is ... I'll probably have to start a new label for these kinds of stories if they continue, and that makes me very sad.

Today's Blade carries this article on the Ohio Civil Rights Commission's vote for mandated maternity leave.

"The Ohio Civil Rights Commission voted 4-1 yesterday to require companies with four or more employees to allow women 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

The policy change now goes to a legislative rule review committee that generally approves measures without issue.

But the Ohio Chamber of Commerce said it will argue that the commission overstepped its authority with the change, which should be debated by the state legislature.

With the requirement, Ohio would join at least 18 other states that provide more generous maternity benefits than required in federal mandates."

Perhaps it's just my lack of knowledge about the structure of this commission, but I guess I didn't think that having a child was a "right."

And why does any state commission get to take a vote that mandates what is, basically, a new law - and then have this new 'law' go into effect through a legislative rule review committee (JCARR?) without ever having been debated in the legislature?

I realize that some state agencies are tasked with developing the rules to implement laws that are passed, but this mandated maternity leave for companies with as few as 4 employees seems to go beyond anything the legislature intended. And that appears to be the position the Ohio Chamber of Commerce is taking.

When you consider this post about Ohio's bottom ranking in business-friendly states, this one about mandated paid sick days, and this latest from the OCRC, the environment in Ohio isn't looking good for our job providers.