July 18, 2011

Randy Meyer

Office of the Ohio Inspector General

Dear Mr. Meyer:

I am writing regarding the allegations that are surfacing concerning Superintendent Stan Heffner and a possible conflict of interest with one of the nation’s largest testing companies.

As you may be aware, Mr. Heffner has been serving as interim superintendent for public instruction. Prior to becoming interim superintendent, he had accepted a position with Education Testing Service (ETS), the company that provides certification tests for all Ohio teachers.  After he accepted the position and while still in his official position, Mr. Heffner gave testimony before the Senate Finance Committee in support of legislation that likely meant significant revenues for his new employer.  This official action on his part seems to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of Ohio’s ethics law.

I am aware that this matter has also been referred to the Ohio Ethics Commission, but the fact that your office has concurrent jurisdiction, as well as the power to investigate waste and wrongdoing and recommend agency improvements, more than justifies action on your part.

The education of Ohio’s children is our most important responsibility, and we must have a Superintendent and Department of Education that are above reproach. I am deeply concerned about the matters raised by Mr. Heffner. Due to the troubling nature of these allegations and because it is essential that the head of the Ohio Department of Education is beyond reproach, I request that you investigate this matter to determine if any illegal or wrongful acts were committed.

In particular, such an investigation should seek to answer the following questions:

• ·         Did Stan Heffner know at the time of his testimony before the General Assembly whether the passage of House Bill 153 in the form specifically recommended by him would benefit his future employer, Educational Testing Services (ETS)?

• ·         Does Mr. Heffner’s recent appointment violate the Ohio Revised Code, which prohibits superintendents of public instruction from having financial or employee connections with education publishing companies?

• ·         What reasons justified the change in Department of Education policy underlying Mr. Heffner’s testimony in support of expansion of teacher testing?

• ·         Does the Department of Education have in place proper policies to check for, monitor, and control potential and actual conflicts of interests for employees who are coming into the Department from the private sector and/or who have announced that they are leaving for the private sector?

• ·         What other Department employees in policy-making positions currently have job offers from state contractors?

• ·         When did Stan Heffner begin discussions with ETS about future employment?

• ·         Did Heffner immediately notify superiors of his discussions about employment with ETS? If so, whom and when?

• ·         Did Heffner recuse himself of any decision-making about or oversight of the use testing products supplied by ETS?

• ·         What policies does the Department have to firewall employees with potential or actual conflicts of interest?

• ·         When asked to testify on behalf of HB153 and specifically provisions related to teacher testing, did Heffner notify anyone at the Department, the Board or the Governor’s office of his future employment with ETS? Was a decision then made that no conflict existed?

• ·         What other decisions affecting ETS did Stan Heffner make during his tenure at the Department, particularly during that period extending from the date he first sought a job with ETS, through interviews and negotiations, and all the way until he was announced as the new Superintendent?

• ·         Who wrote the testimony Heffner gave in front of the Senate Finance Committee?

• ·         Did ETS condition (either actual or implied) Stan Heffner’s future employment (or salary or bonus) with ETS upon the spending of additional public monies for teacher testing or other programs that would benefit ETS?

• ·         Did Stan Heffner promise or imply that he could influence either the Department of Education or the General Assembly in the spending of additional public monies for teacher testing or other programs that would benefit ETS?

• ·         Was the compensation package offered to Stan Heffner consistent with industry standards, or did it contain any unusual “bonus” or other front-loaded compensation?

• ·         Did Stan Heffner have any actual (not future) financial interest in ETS at the time of his General Assembly testimony?

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you in this matter. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Representative Debbie Phillips

“The historic number of signatures collected shows the broad-based enthusiasm behind repealing SB 5”, said Melissa Fazekas, spokeswoman for We Are Ohio. “Nearly 1.3 million Ohioans signed petitions to show their support for stopping the attack on working families. They understand that SB 5 goes too far and that the extreme politicians who supported SB 5 also exempted themselves from the bill. It is clear to many Ohioans that firefighters, police officers, teachers and nurses are not the enemy. We Are Ohio and our more than 10,000 volunteers sincerely appreciate the hard work of all the county board of elections officials and we look forward to receiving official ballot placement from the Ohio Secretary of State.”

On June 29th, thousands of volunteers with We Are Ohio marched in downtown Columbus to the Ohio Secretary of State office to deliver 1,298,301 signatures to repeal SB 5. We Are Ohio volunteers collected more signatures than any other petition drive in Ohio history. The citizen-driven petition drive exceeded the 3% threshold and collected at least 6%, or double the amount required by Ohio law in all 88 counties.

We Are Ohio is a citizen-driven, community-based, bipartisan coalition that has come together to repeal SB 5, the unfair attack on employee rights and worker safety. We Are Ohio includes public and private sector workers and employees, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, pastors, small business owners, Republicans and Democrats, local elected officials and business leaders, students, Moms, Dads, family members, and your neighbors.

We Are Ohio Petition Quick Facts:

·More than 10,000 volunteers

·1,298,391 total signatures collected

·1502 boxes delivered

·48 foot long semi-truck delivered all the 1502 boxes

·More than 6200 people participated in the People’s Parade/Million Signature March

·Petitions weighed more than 25 tons

·Structural engineer needed to determine if flooring was strong enough to hold the petitions in the Secretary of State building

We Are Ohio website.

Admin addition: 89,610 signatures were collected in Lucas County.

“This workshop is designed especially for experienced crop producers and will give them the tools needed to improve efficiency, utilize season extension, engage in sophisticated planning, and improve growing practices,” said Renee Hunt, OEFFA’s program director.

“We have a number of growers currently doing an excellent job and producing at a high level.  These workshops are to help them take their skills to the next level,” said Beth Knorr of the Countryside Conservancy.

Session 1 (“Advanced Growing Techniques”) will take place on Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6, and feature Josh Volk, a vegetable production expert, lecturer, and regular contributor to Growing for Market. Volk’s Slow Hand Farm in Oregon is home to his CSA, where he implements strategies for consistent yields of specialty crops.

Volk will address season long planning, seed starting and transplanting, weed management, harvest and post-harvest handling, marketing outlets, and food safety. OSU Extension Entomologist Celeste Welty will also discuss pest and disease control.

Session 2 (“Season Extension”) will take place on Monday, November 7 and Tuesday, November 8 and feature author, commercial market gardener, teacher, and lecturer Eliot Coleman. Coleman’s production techniques, including season extension and rotational grazing, have influenced organic and ecological gardeners for more than four decades. He is the author of The New Organic Grower, Four Seasons Harvest, and The Winter Harvest Handbook. Other presenters include Phil and Mindy Bartholomae of Breezy Hill Farm and OSU Vegetable Pathologist Sally Miller.

This session will address advanced techniques for season extension including high tunnels, low tunnels, cold frames, and greenhouses; utilizing season extension structures during the main season; crop selection; planting schedules and succession planting; harvest and post-harvest handling; soil management, and pest and disease control.

Both sessions will be held at Procter Camp and Retreat in London, Ohio (Madison County).

Farmers can attend one or both sessions. Each session is limited to 25 farmers. Due to limited slots and to ensure discussion and information presented remain at an advanced level, interested farmers are required to fill out an application. The application form can be found at http://www.cvcountryside.org/farmers/RaisingtheSaladBar.php.

The cost for Session 1, including the two day workshop, lodging, and all meals is $175-$225. Without lodging and meals, the cost is $45. The cost for Session 2, including the two day workshop, lodging, and all meals is $275-$325. Without lodging and meals, the cost is $145.

For more information or to fill out the registration application, go to http://www.cvcountryside.org/farmers/RaisingtheSaladBar.php. For questions, please contact Countryside Conservancy at (330) 657-2542 or farmersmarket@cvcountryside.org or OEFFA at (614) 421-2022 or michelle@oeffa.org.

This workshop is sponsored by a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

About the Countryside Conservancy
Since 1999, the Countryside Conservancy has supported community-based food systems throughout Northeast Ohio.  This unique non-profit organization helps re-establish farms in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and runs farmers markets in the greater Akron area.  Other programs help up and coming farmers find land, connect local growers to chefs and consumers, educate citizens about the importance of local food systems and provide technical assistance to communities with incorporating agriculture in their land use plan. For more information, go to www.cvcountryside.org.

About OEFFA
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association was founded in 1979 and is a grassroots coalition of farmers, backyard gardeners, consumers, retailers, educators, researchers, and others who share a desire to build a healthy food system. For more than 30 years, OEFFA has used education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to promote local and organic food systems, helping farmers and consumers reconnect and together build a sustainable food system, one meal at a time. For more information, go to www.oeffa.org.

White House and administration sources say Obama plans to announce the nomination Monday at the White House.

President Obama originally slated Elizabeth Warren, who has been assembling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as a special adviser to the White House and to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, to lead the new agency.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee collected more 350,000 petition signatures supporting Warren’s nomination.

“With her track record of standing up to Wall Street and fighting for consumers, Elizabeth Warren was the best qualified to lead this bureau that she conceived — and we imagine Richard Cordray would agree. That said, Rich Cordray has been a strong ally of Elizabeth Warren’s and we hope he will continue her legacy of holding Wall Street accountable,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in a July 17 email.

link to Toledo Free Press report.

Green officially filed petitions this morning with the Lucas County Board of Elections to place his name on the September 13 ballot as a candidate for Toledo City Council – District 1.

Blackshear was at Green’s side as he filed his petitions today and expressed full support for him as a candidate. “I’m convinced that he has the skills that it takes to work with other council members and the city administration to move the city of Toledo forward,” said Blackshear. Green has vision and an action-plan for District 1, she said.

Green is a long-time resident of District 1, where he lives with his wife Venice and 4-year-old daughter, Joy. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo and is currently employed as a legal professional at the law firm of D’Angelo & Szollosi.

Yesterday, Green released a YouTube video message to announce plans for Toledo City Council District 1.The video announcement can be viewed and downloaded at this link.

Delivery deadlines will not be significantly affected, David Dix, publisher of the Record-Courier, said when making the announcement. Because the equipment at the printing facility is state of the art, the color and black ink quality is likely to be enhanced some and become more consistent, he said.

The move means the loss of eight full-time jobs and six part-time slots, Dix said. “These are wonderful people, real team players, and we regret very much this part of our new arrangement,” he said. All who lose their jobs are being offered severance packages, he added. One new position in circulation is being created, he said.

The outsourcing of printing has become a trend in the newspaper industry, which, challenged with competition for advertising dollars, is striving to contain or reduce operating costs. The use of outside companies has become a trend in the newspaper industry as well as other industries where call center outsourcing companies have proven to allow companies to cut costs and focus on other areas of operation.

“Our business is transitioning,” Dix said, “We see the print element as important part of our publishing process, but we are augmenting our printed products with a robust digital web presence as well, complete with advertising opportunities for a growing digital audience.”

“We will still assemble our printed products and digital products right here in Portage County. The only difference will be that the printed portion of what we do will be done by another branch of our company. All of our other news, advertising, circulation, advertising composition and accounting positions will remain in Portage County and will not be moved to Wooster,” he said.

Other Dix daily newspapers already sharing the Wooster printing facility include: The Wooster Daily Record, the Alliance Review, the Ashland Times-Gazette, and the Cambridge Jeffersonian.

Among non-Dix Ohio newspapers outsourcing their printing are the Mansfield News Journal, the Zanesville Recorder, the Fostoria Review Times, and the Fremont News Messenger. The Dover-New Philadelphia Times Recorder and the Massillon Independent share a common printing facility.
This week the Erie Times-News in Pennsylvania announced it is transferring its printing to the Butler Eagle in Pennsylvania.

The Kaptur Amendment would transfer funds from administrative expenses at the U.S. Department of Energy to solar research and development.

During debate on her amendment, Congresswoman Kaptur last evening referred to solar energy as a growth industry, creating jobs and reducing America’s dependence on imported petroleum.

“While the U.S. economy is anticipated to increase jobs by just two percent in the next year, in the solar industry that number is 26 percent,” Kaptur said. “Solar is a sector that is growing jobs in our country … As costs go down and production capacity grows, solar energy becomes a viable energy alternative to imported energy sources.

“It is precisely because of our investments in this fledgling, cutting-edge industry that is high tech that such successes are possible. We cannot allow America to be complacent. Right now we are in competition to be the leader in this sector.”

Citing competition from China in the solar sector, Kaptur said the United States “must redouble our efforts, continue our investment in research and bring this market to scale in America.”

She said her amendment would “promote American industry and energy independence.”

Green’s video announcement can be viewed below:

Green will officially file petitions with the Lucas County Board of Elections to place his name on the September 13 ballot as a candidate for Toledo City Council – District 1.

When: (Tomorrow) Friday, July 15, at 10 a.m.
Where: Toledo Lucas County Board of Elections Office – One Government Center

“It’s time for a change and a new direction in District 1 and in Toledo,” said Green. “When seniors are afraid to sit on their front porches, it is time for change. When our children aren’t safe in their own front yards, it is time for change. And when our families sit at their tables and come to the determination that they can’t pay their bills next month, it’s time for change.”

“I am confident that I will make a difference on Toledo City Council representing the people of District 1,” said Green. Green, who worked at the Toledo North Assembly Jeep Plant for six years, understands the needs of working families who are concerned about keeping their jobs in these tough economic times.

Green is a long-time resident of District 1, where he lives with his wife Venice and 4-year-old daughter, Joy. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo and is currently employed as a legal professional at the law firm of D’Angelo & Szollosi.

WHO: Michelle Wagner, Endorsed Democrat for Municipal Judge

WHERE: 1 Government Center, Office of the Board of Elections, 3rd Floor

WHEN: July 14, 2011 at Noon

… after spending an entire day talking to Democrats and Republicans about the debt ceiling, I’d become convinced that they were never going to come to any kind of agreement because they were in fact talking about different things: They both agreed that the patient was sick, but the Democrats diagnosed diabetes, and the Republicans diagnosed cancer. The Democrats were saying that as long as the patient stayed on insulin — i.e., as long as the patient could issue new debt — he wouldn’t lose his toes, go blind, and succumb to impotence; the Republicans were saying that if they didn’t get in there and start cutting right away, he would die.

You of course are free to discuss something else related to the topic of politics either nationally, statewide or locally.

The usual rules apply … Happy Thursday … And our cartoon this week is a flash back to 1974 by the great political cartoonist, Herb Block.