Dr. James Davis has been a fixture with the Montgomery County Republican Party for over three decades.  Dr. Davis served as Deputy Corner for five years before he was appointed as the Corner in 1980.

When Jim started as our Corner, the federal debt was $909.1 billion (the cost of a week at Martha's Vinyard), the Cable News Network (CNN) was officially launched,   Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship: and new Corner, Dr. Kent Harshbarger, and Chairman, Greg Gantt, were in High School.

Of the current Montgomery County elected officials, Dr. Davis is the longest-serving.  In addition to his service to this county, Jim has faithfully served our party on the Executive and Central committees, as a volunteer, and as a former Chairman of the Central Committee.

Many may not realize that Jim has also been a constant source of information and guidance to Chairman Gantt and his predecessors.  "If you want to really know what is going on in the Montgomery County Republican Party, hang out at the Legacy around 7am on a weekday and look for Doc, Ken Betts, Sheriff Plummer, and myself," said Greg Gantt.  "We don't always agree or reach a decision, but it's always fun to see if Doc offers to pay for breakfast," added Ken Betts.

Dr. Davis is extremely proud to "pass the torch" to Dr. Kent Harshbarger.  Dr. Harshbarger has served as a Deputy Coroner under Dr. Davis since 2002, serving as the Director of Operations overseeing the office.  In addition to his medical degree, he has a law degree and masters of business administration degree from Wright State University.

Dr. Harshbarger has over 27 years of service in the National Guard and Army Reserve at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as the Regional Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

The month of August offered an extended time for Members of Congress to hear directly from their constituents about issues affecting the community and the direction of our country.  This August, I've had the opportunity to visit with businesses, civic groups, seniors, and local government officials to discuss their thoughts and concerns. Time and again, no matter the age or political affiliation, the out of control spending in Washington and continued unemployment are the most significant issues affecting the direction of Ohio's economy and the nation.

On August 22^nd, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that our government is adding over $ 4 billion dollars a day to the national debt. That breaks down to over $3 million a minute that our government is overspending. These numbers can be daunting. However, it is real money which every American will bear the burden of repaying. Currently, every man woman and child in the U.S. is responsible for repaying over $46,000 of the national debt. This continued spending, with no end in sight, is one of the reasons I voted against increasing the national debt limit earlier this month.

The national debt is more than just a budgetary issue. It is a problem which is causing concern in communities in Ohio's Third District, and is threatening our economic recovery. Over the past three weeks, we've seen how financial markets swing sporadically, affecting 401K's and retirement investments of our seniors. Additionally, unemployment in Ohio increased to 9.0 percent in July 2011 from a rate of 8.8 percent in June 2011. 

The time has come to show that we are serious about controlling our government's spending. We must take serious steps to stop reckless spending, and set our government on a path to a responsible and sustainable budget - just as American families do at home. This year I voted for a budget which is one of many starting points for a real conversation about the road ahead for reforming our nation's finances and growing the economy. We can no longer continue to take the easy road and just trim our budget at the corners. We must take real steps to find efficiencies in overall spending in order to end the trillion dollar deficits of the past, lower tax rates to encourage job creation, and reform our entitlement programs while still preserving them for future generations.

I look forward to continuing to meet with my neighbors and citizens of the Third Congressional District throughout the month of August. I value the opportunity to hear directly from you about how we can reign in spending in Washington, and get members of our communities back to work. If I can ever be of help or assistance, or if you have thoughts you'd like to share, please do not hesitate to call my offices in Washington, D.C. at (202) 225-6465, Dayton at (937) 225-2843, Wilmington at (937) 383-8931, or visit my website at www.turner.house.gov where you can send me an email.

As Ohio's chief elections officer, I am grateful for members of the armed forces who have protected our freedoms and the democratic system that gives each of us a voice on Election Day. Our thanks also extend to the families and friends who have stood by our service members during times of war and times of peace.

To honor and support Ohio military families, the Secretary of State's office today launched the Military Ready-to-Vote (MRV) program, which is designed to provide Ohio service members with all the information and materials they need to vote when they are on active duty or deployment.

Our new website, www.OhioMilitaryVotes.com is a virtual one-stop shop for them to learn how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot and to either sign up for e-mail alerts or link up to the Secretary of State's social media accounts (keyword OhioSOSHusted) in order to get information about upcoming elections and deadlines. Through the website, they can also request a specially-designed MRV packet, which includes everything a service member needs to vote absentee in an Ohio election...except for the pen.

The website is also a portal to our popular Vote in Honor of a Veteran program in which Ohio voters can pay tribute to the service of special veterans by dedicating their vote to them on Election Day. You can post a testimonial about a veteran, including pictures and service information, and request a special pin to wear on Election Day.

We are so proud of all Ohioans who have answered the call to military service. At the Secretary of State's office, we want to honor that service and support them in any way we can whether they are at home or abroad.

Sincerely,

Jon Husted

Ohio Secretary of State

On August 11, I was asked to represent Ohio at a competition held in Washington, DC by the Thomas Fordham Foundation to determine which of five states (Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio) had enacted the most significant education reforms in 2011.  Each state was given six minutes to present their case followed by questions from a panel.   Below are excerpts from my presentation. 

Ohio is certainly not a newcomer to education reform.... We have been out in front of school choice for some time with over 350 charter schools and one of the nation's largest voucher programs.   At the same time Ohio provides clear evidence that school choice alone does not equate to any significant improvement in school quality.  While there has been considerable attention in Ohio to the creation and governance of charter schools, it is becoming increasing clear that until quality becomes the driving factor throughout our system that we run the risk of merely making change for change's sake.  

Current reform efforts in Ohio are being redirected to focus on quality.  Regardless of the "setting", student learning must be our primary focus. Underperforming schools and/or teachers will not be tolerated.  The achievement gap must be bridged but not at the expense of further watering down curriculum or lowering expectations. College remediation rates of 50% or higher are simply unacceptable.  All children must become proficient in reading and basic math before they ever leave the 3^rd grade.

Our first crack at addressing some of these issues was reflected in the biennial budget process just completed in June.   Ohio's biennial budget is not merely a financial document but is also the primary policy document for the Governor.  Gov. Kasich is a very reformed minded leader and even while facing an $8 billion deficit, was not hesitant about including numerous education reforms in the budget.  While traditionally the budget is the first order of business in a new GA, Ohio's collective bargaining reform bill SB 5, was dropped weeks ahead of the budget.  While SB 5 went far beyond education reform, the bill did away with the use of "last in, first out" policies to determine teacher layoffs and replaced seniority pay with a performance driven evaluation and performance system.

Enacting education reform via the legislative process is not easy. Reforms can be easily sabotaged by political posturing.  For example it is really interesting how the Democrats in Illinois unanimously supported legislation very similar to what they unanimously opposed in Ohio.

Substantial reform also requires a level of knowledge about an issue that is unrealistic to expect in a diverse legislative body.  Once a bill leaves a sponsors hand it will be worked and reworked at numerous stages of the legislative process which makes careful reform work very difficult to accomplish.  As the chairman of the Senate education committee and a member of the Finance committee I was asked to be the point person for education issues in the budget process.  I made a concerted effort to reach out to members of the education community to get valuable input on some of the more technical issues.  We also brought some of the leading figures in education reform to Ohio to provide expert testimony on key provisions in the bill. 

The process of education reform in Ohio is still very much a work in progress.  We certainly did not get everything done in the budget that needs to get done.  A referendum on SB 5 looms this fall however some of the more critical pieces of education reform such as developing a teacher evaluation system and ending LIFO were substantially included in the budget.  While opportunities for new charter schools to open were created we also took steps to assure that failing schools of any kind would be closed and chronically underperforming sponsors would be unable to open additional schools.  The availability of vouchers were greatly expanded but an effort to hold voucher schools more accountable was deleted and will be the subject for future legislation.  A new Special Needs scholarship program modeled after Florida's successful McKay Scholarship has been instituted, allowing up to 13,000 students with special needs to attend schools that can better provide for them.   A framework and timeline for teacher evaluation was put in place and teachers are starting to come to the table to help flesh out the details. Ohio has been a strong supporter of the Common Core Standards and the budget provides resources to the Dept of Ed to implement the standards.  Teach for America will soon be coming to Ohio for the first time.

Faced with some significant challenges the amount of education reform that has taken place in Ohio over the past six months is truly remarkable however we view it as only the beginning.   Efforts are underway to create a more unified education system that better links early childhood, K-12 and post secondary education.   Creating quality will be the driving factor behind school choice including in the new realm of technology based innovation.  The stars are definitely well aligned for some truly innovative reforms in Ohio and while we may not win today I can assure you we will be hard to beat in the months ahead.

While global financial markets are marred by uncertainty, Ohioans' hard-earned tax dollars are being prudently invested and safeguarded.

To highlight the contrast between Ohio's fiscal management with that of the federal government, look no further than the recent actions of Standard & Poor's.

In analyzing the fiscal management of each, the firm decided last month to upgrade Ohio's outlook (from "negative" to "stable"), but last week downgraded the federal government's credit rating. Additionally, Fitch also recently improved Ohio's bond rating.

These ratings agencies applauded state leaders for bringing our budget into balance through sound financial management, and credited the Ohio Treasury with conservatively managing debt.

One of the reasons that Ohio's outlook is improving while the federal government is drowning in red ink is that Ohio's constitution mandates a balanced budget. Our state is prohibited from racking up and carrying over deficits, and finally has elected leaders who are taking this requirement seriously.

In the Treasurer's office, we have taken many steps to insulate public funds from the uncertainty that has shaken global markets. This puts taxpayers and local governments in the safest position to weather the storm, even if the worst-case scenario plays out in the stock market and bond yields continue on a downward path.

Over $1 billion in Ohio taxpayer dollars are being safeguarded in secure short-term and overnight investments to maintain liquidity and guarantee that cash will be available when needed by cities, counties and school districts. My office is constantly monitoring markets in Europe and Asia so that we can act quickly if international securities take a hit.

On behalf of the State Treasury Asset Reserve (STAR Ohio) program, where we invest funds for local governments, we have also increased liquidity and eliminated investments in banks in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece who could be impacted by the European sovereign debt crisis.

Contrast this approach with what happened in Florida, where rather than stressing safety, the state sought higher yields through risky and legally questionable investments. These investments potentially cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars after the collapse of housing and financial markets in 2008.

In our office, we ended the fiscal year with a $400,000 surplus, and are reducing general revenue fund operating expenses by $1.2 million over the next two years. We will also save $100,000 annually by automating check processing and ending the unsecure daily practice of physically driving checks across the state to the depository bank. If families and small businesses are tightening their belts, then government should do the same.

In Ohio we have embraced our balanced budget requirement, and raised our fiscal outlook in the process. We accomplished this without raising taxes. By charting a conservative fiscal course we are achieving positive results for taxpayers, even amidst global economic uncertainty.