ELYRIA — A Democrat in the White House, a majority in the Ohio House, economic relief and no political blowback at election time from the Mark Dann scandal.

Those were the assurances Gov. Ted Strickland made to more than 300 local Democrats when he spoke Friday night at Lorain County Community College.

“There are some hopeful signs, but it’s going to take a while to undo what was done (under former Gov. Bob Taft) and rebuild our economy,” he said.

Strickland said that under the former “anemic” and “timid” leadership, Ohio had no plan for job creation, Ohio colleges and universities grew to be 47 percent more costly than the national average and unemployment and foreclosures took a toll on Ohio’s middle class.

Meanwhile, the rich became richer under Republican President George Bush and oil prices soared unchallenged in Washington, D.C., Strickland said, from $62 a barrel two years ago to nearly $128 per barrel today.

He told county Democrats that the party is only five seats away from controlling the state House of Representatives and that taking the state Senate isn’t out of the question this November.

“Some of the most Republican districts in America are being won by Democrats,” he said.

And while in the past he has openly stumped for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Strickland said he has no doubt Ohio will help usher either Clinton or Barack Obama into the White House this fall.

Strickland also talked with county Democrats about the recent scandal resulting in the resignation of Ohio Attorney General Mark Dann.

“One of our own did not carry out the responsibilities given to him,” he said. “We stood together and we cleaned our own house, and I think it was the right thing to do.”

After the meeting, he told The Chronicle that Dann’s resignation will not erode voter confidence in the party’s candidates this November.

“We did not try to cover it up. We did not try to make excuses,” he said. “We sat around for hours talking about the proper course of action and then we took it.”

The governor also said after the meeting that he hopes to push a $1.57 billion economic stimulus package through the state legislature in the next two weeks.

The plan includes $400 million for public works projects, $150 million for biomedical initiatives and $2 million for urban revitalization — all which he said will help lift Lorain County’s economy.

Strickland also said he travels with Lt. Governor Lee Fisher to Detroit at least four times a year to meet with executives at Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to make sure automotive industry jobs don’t leave the state.

Critical to keeping open those factories — such as the Avon Lake Ford plant — is investing in competitively priced electricity, Strickland said. He said he wants to pump millions of dollars into renewable energy, which would create jobs here connected to solar and wind power.

Strickland was the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Chairman’s Banquet, at which Lorain County Democratic party chairman Tom Smith was given the 2007 Democratic Activist Award.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

 

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