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Carl Weiser reports:

State Rep. Ron Maag, a Lebanon Republican, plans to introduce right-to-work legislation soon – but only for public sector workers.

In a request to fellow House members asking for co-sponsors, Maag wrote: ”Right to Work, also known as “Workplace Freedom,” would eliminate compulsory unionism in Ohio. This means simply that employees would be free to choose whether or not to join a labor union.”

Ohio would be the 25th state to pass right-to-work laws, he said.

• Read Maag’s letter

State Democratic chairman Chris Redfern has already pounced, saying “Here we go again,” a reference to the bitter 2011 battle over Senate Bill 5, which would have reined in the powers and rights of public sector unions.

“Just as SB 5 was soundly rejected by Ohio voters, we expect this unnecessary sideshow – which will do nothing to create more good-paying jobs – to fail, and we intend to hold Governor Kasich accountable for choosing to focus on distractions over Ohio’s middle class,” he said in a statement.

Posted in: Government, News, Ohio |

Tags: Tags: democrats, kasich, lebanon, ohio, politics, representative, republicans, right to work, ron maag, sb5, senate bill 5, union, warren county

Carrie Blackmore Smith reports:

Each year, elected officials approve spending billions of tax dollars to run our local governments, and by this time each year, they know about how much things should cost.

And this time around, it’s going to cost more.

Appropriations by the region’s 15 largest governments – representing nearly 1 million people – total $2.49 billion, an increase of almost $128 million over last year, despite another year of declining revenues from the state.

• What do you want out of your community’s budget?
• See how other people are responding

But local officials say they either have no choice but to spend more, bound in some cases by union contracts, or are betting on a healthier economy – declining unemployment, a more robust real estate market – to support spending more.

Often, comparing budgets isn’t an apples-to-apples exercise. Each community has a unique assortment of funds and offers its own variety of services.

(more…)

Posted in: Business, Deerfield Twp., Government, News |

Tags: Tags: budget, deerfield township, economy, government, mason

The city of Mason is accepting applications for police officers.

The department is looking to hire at least one full-time police officer with the possibility of several more if City Council approves funding for those positions, said Mason Police Chief Ron Ferrell.

The department, which currently has 40 full-time officers, has had four open positions for more than a year — due to attrition and an officer injury — that have gone unfilled due to a depressed economy, said Ferrell.

The department is seeking candidates who are police academy certified, but will provide training to qualified candidates, said Ferrell.

“The key to us is to get the best candidate.  Training is preferred, but if we get the right candidate, we will send them to the academy,” he said.

Candidates must be 21 as of May 5 and meet a range of requirements, including having a valid Ohio driver’s license at the time of hire, be a high school graduate or possess a GED and submit to a background check, psychological evaluation and fitness test, among other requirements.

Applications are being accepted online through noon on Friday, April 26 at www.imaginemason.org/employment.cfm.

Applicants will be required to take a written examination and physical fitness test on Sunday, May 5.  Details of the testing will be provided upon completion of the online application.

For more information, call the city of Mason at 513-229-8500.

Posted in: Government, News |

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Paul E. Kostyu reports:

An investigation of state Rep. Peter Beck by the U.S. Department of Labor has cleared the former Mason mayor of any wrongdoing in a fraud case, his lawyer said Thursday.

But two other investigations of the Republican legislator remain ongoing. A civil lawsuit against Beck alleging he participated in fraud that cheated investors out of more than $1.2 million sparked the investigations. Beck, a certified public accountant, has since countersued.

The department’s investigation began last summer and focused on startup software company Christopher Technologies and its president and chief executive officer John Fussner, according to Konrad Kircher, Beck’s Mason-based attorney.

Beck was interviewed by investigators about his role with Christopher Technologies and Fussner.

Kircher referred calls about the case to Michael Trupo, a spokesman for the department.

But Trupo told The Enquirer he could not comment or even confirm whether there was an investigation that involved Beck.

The initial lawsuit against Beck, filed Jan. 3 by 14 investors – many from Hamilton, Butler and Warren counties, and others from Pennsylvania and Alabama – accused him, the Milford accounting firm of Donohoo, Cupp, Beck & Associates, Ark by the River Fellowship Ministry and others of defrauding them by taking their investment and spending the money instead on personal and other non-business items.

(more…)

Posted in: Crime, Government, News |

Tags: Tags: ark by the river fellowship ministry, donohoo cupp beck & associates, election, fraud, investors, lawsuit, mason, ohio, pete beck, peter beck, republican, state representative, tml consulting

Paul E. Kostyu reports:

State Rep. Peter A. Beck is the subject of three separate state investigations, according to his attorney.

Meanwhile, Beck this week in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court countersued those who filed a lawsuit against him. The initial suit alleges he participated in a fraud that cheated investors out of more than $1.2 million. Beck is seeking more than $25,000, punitive damages and attorney fees.

The state investigations of the Republican former mayor of Mason are coming from:

• The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which is trying to determine whether Beck used his position as a state lawmaker for financial gain.

Konrad Kircher, Beck’s Mason-based attorney, told The Enquirer he has heard neither from the committee nor from the legislative inspector general, Tony W. Bledsoe, who conducts investigations for the committee. Bledsoe said he could neither confirm nor deny an investigation by his office.

House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, told The Enquirer on Jan. 7 that the ethics committee, which he chairs, was investigating Beck.

• The Division of Securities Enforcement of the Department of Commerce, which is looking at “an alleged theft of monies from Ohio investors,” according to a Dec. 13 letter from the department obtained by The Enquirer.

Kircher said Beck is cooperating with investigators and sent a box and a half of materials to the division.

The department asked the Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation, which is overseen by the attorney general, to assist with the investigation. The letter asked that forensic accountant Leo A. Fernandez be assigned to the case, and the agency also “provide litigation support services.”

Lisa Peterson Hackley, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the investigation of Beck is ongoing.

• A third agency, which Kircher would not identify. It started an investigation last summer, but, said Kircher, “It’s dead in the water.”

That agency apparently is not the state auditor’s office. Carrie Bartunek, a spokeswoman, said the agency is not involved with the investigations because “it does not appear” public dollars are involved.

Beck represents Ohio’s 54th House District, which covers southwest Warren County and a small part of eastern Butler County.

Kircher said Beck’s response is a three-pronged effort. Not only is Beck charging his accusers of defaming him, but he’s asking the court “to strike various scandalous, vexatious and impertinent allegations” in the case against him. He also filed a motion to dismiss the case entirely.

The countersuit accuses the investors of trying to humiliate and embarrass Beck in an effort to “extort” concessions and a settlement. Beck refuses to settle, Kircher told The Enquirer.

Investors’ attorney J. Thomas Hodges of Cincinnati said he couldn’t comment because he hasn’t had time to review the countersuit.

The Division of Securities Enforcement can search for evidence of fraud, such as misrepresentations to investors or misspent money, by tracking bank accounts and other sources.

(more…)

Posted in: Crime, Government, News |

Tags: Tags: ark by the river fellowship ministry, donohoo cupp beck & associates, election, fraud, investors, lawsuit, mason, ohio, pete beck, peter beck, republican, state representative, tml consulting

This planned development concept submitted to the city of Mason by Crossroads shows site and landscaping renovations to be done to the property at 990 Reading Road. The Oakley-based church plans to open its Mason branch in August 2014. Photo provided

Crossroads is one step closer to opening a new church in Mason to serve its rapidly growing congregation in Butler and Warren counties.

The newest location of the interdenominational mega-church is scheduled to open in August 2014 at 990 Reading Road, said Chuck Moore, Crossroads’ director of multi-site.

On Monday night, Mason City Council unanimously approved rezoning the nearly 25-acre property at the corner of Reading Road and Tri-Way Drive, a largely industrial area. The zoning vote changed the property from industrial and road service use to business planned unit development to accommodate Crossroads’ planned development.

Moore said the church expects to spend about $16 million renovating the 129,000-square foot building and site formerly occupied by International Paper, which owns the property but closed in 2008.

Details of the purchase are still being finalized, said Craig Dockery, the church’s communications director. He expects to the purchase to be completed in the spring, with construction to follow.

“There was no one standing in line for that building,’’ said Mason Vice Mayor Victor Kidd. “It’s an excellent use of that property.”

Crossroads held its first public service in a rented room at Peoples Middle School in Oakley in 1996. Since then, the church moved into its current location on Madison Road in Oakley, expanded that building to 262,000 square feet and opened another facility in Florence in 2012. The congregation averages nearly 15,000 each weekend at the two locations.

The church began conducting Sunday services four years ago at Mason Middle School. It now has about 1,200 members, Moore said. That number is expected to grow to 2,500 to 2,800 members with the opening of the new building.

“We really responded to the people in Mason and West Chester who asked for a site,” Moore said. “People will move to Mason to be closer to church.”

Moore said Crossroads, which bills itself as “a church for people who don’t like church,” has flourished because it delivers a traditional Christian message in an unconventional format.

“We have a very creative way of experiencing God, learning about God and being in the community,” he said. “Our whole idea is literally having a beer with somebody on our back deck. That’s the way we want to talk about what’s it like to seek God, struggle in life and seek answers.”

Moore said he envisions the Mason branch to be more than just a place to come for Sunday worship. The church offers ministries for people from a variety of lifestyles and is “very proactive” in encouraging community involvement, he said.

“Part of what makes our calling a little different is that we tend to attract leaders who have lots of ideas and want to give back to the community,” said Moore. “We believe faith is action. We believe people have the opportunity to serve and all should serve.”

Mason city council members praised the church’s “stellar reputation” and noted the potential economic boon to the corridor, which is bordered by retail and residential communities to the west and south and manufacturing to the east.

“This is a good reminder that there are things much more important to a community than financial return,” said Kidd. “We admire the ability of Crossroads to do some amazing things. It’s phenomenal and we’re glad to be a part of it.”

ABOUT CROSSROADS

Crossroads ranked 21st on Outreach Magazine’s 2011 list of the nation’s largest churches and sixth on the magazine’s fastest-growing list in 2010. The church began services in Oakley in 1996 and opened its 262,000 square foot facility at 3500 Madison Road in Oakley in 2006. In August 2012, the church opened a Florence branch in the building formerly occupied by Old Time Pottery, off of Mall Road.

Crossroads’s new facility at 990 Reading Road in Mason is set to open in August 2014.

Posted in: Community, Government, News |

Tags: Tags: chuck moore, church, community, crossroads, international paper, mason, mason city council, oakley, religion, renovations, rezoning, west chester

Paul E. Kostyu reports:

Apparently not worried about the lawsuit against state Rep. Peter Beck that sparked an ethics inquiry, House Speaker William G. Batchelder appointed the three-term lawmaker as chairman of the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee for the next two years.

Batchelder, R-Medina, announced his selection of leaders for the House committees today. The Ways and Means Committee primarily deals with tax issues.

Beck, R- Mason, is one of two from Southwest Ohio to be selected as committee chairmen. State Rep. Peter Stautberg, R-Anderson Township, will lead the high profile Public Utilities Committee. He also is in his third term.

Beck and business associates face a civil lawsuit alleging they were involved in defrauding investors out of more than $1.2 million. The suit prompted Batchelder to tell The Enquirer this week the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee would launch an investigation of the lawmaker.

Also named to leadership roles were Rep. Lou Terhar, R-Green Township, who will be vice chairman of the Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee, and Rep. Tim Derickson, R-Oxford, who leads the Agriculture and Development Subcommittee of the powerful House Finance and Appropriations Committee, which oversees the state budget.

Posted in: Government, News |

Tags: Tags: ark by the river fellowship ministry, chairman, donohoo cupp beck & associates, election, fraud, investors, lawsuit, mason, ohio, pete beck, peter beck, peter stautberg, republican, state representative, tml consulting, ways and means committee, william batchelder

Paul E. Kostyu reports:

Sworn in to his third term Monday, state Rep. Peter Beck now faces an ethics investigation by the Ohio House because of a civil lawsuit alleging he participated in a fraud that cheated investors out of more than $1.2 million.

House Speaker William G. Batchelder told The Enquirer that the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which he chairs, will look into the case that was filed against Beck and others last week in Hamilton County.

“The allegations I think are untrue and are an injustice,” Beck, R-Mason, told The Enquirer. “It’s been very hard on me.”

He referred all other questions to his attorney, Konrad Kircher of Mason. Kircher said he is preparing a counterclaim against those who sued Beck and will file it within a month. He called the lawsuit frivolous and said it defames Beck’s character. He would not say how much Beck would seek in damages. Kircher said Beck lost money in the investment deal.

Kircher also told The Enquirer that an attorney then associated with the suit sent it to Beck in February “trying to extort money” through a settlement. Kircher said Beck refused to settle.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case, but Batchelder said that doesn’t matter to the House. The allegation is sufficient for the ethics committee to launch its own investigation. The speaker said he did not know a lot about the case.

When asked if the House takes the allegation seriously, Batchelder, a former common pleas and appellate court judge, said, “We sure do.”

The issue will likely be sent to the legislative inspector general, who investigates such cases then makes a recommendation to the committee. A House member who violates ethics rules can be reprimanded, censured or expelled. Beck, an accountant and former mayor of Mason, represents Ohio’s 54th House District, which includes parts of Warren and Butler counties.

(more…)

Posted in: Government, News |

Tags: Tags: ark by the river fellowship ministry, donohoo cupp beck & associates, election, fraud, investors, lawsuit, mason, ohio, pete beck, peter beck, republican, state representative, tml consulting

Kimball Perry reports:

Peter Beck, a state lawmaker from Mason, is accused of participating in a fraud that cheated investors out of more than $1.2 million, a Hamilton County lawsuit alleges.

Beck, who didn’t return Friday calls, is a Republican representing Ohio’s 54th House District.

Fourteen investors – many from Hamilton, Butler and Warren counties and others from as far away as Pennsylvania and Alabama – filed the Thursday suit.

It accused Beck, the Milford accounting firm of Donohoo, Cupp, Beck & Associates, Ark by the River Fellowship Ministry and others of defrauding them by taking their investments and spending that money instead on personal and other non-business items.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” asked Cincinnati attorney J. Thomas Hodges who filed the suit on behalf of the 14 accusers, led by Thomas Walter of Madeira.

At least $15,000 of the money the suit alleges was defrauded went to help Beck win election in 2010.

“Beck, who was running for state representative for the State of Ohio, received a check for $5,000 made payable to his campaign fund, Friends of Pete Beck, treasurer Donohoo. There was another check written to Beck’s campaign … for $10,000,” the suit notes.

(more…)

Posted in: Government, News |

Tags: Tags: ark by the river fellowship ministry, donohoo cupp beck & associates, election, fraud, investors, lawsuit, mason, ohio, pete beck, peter beck, republican, state representative, tml consulting

Union members from around the country rally at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing to protest a vote on “right to work” legislation. / Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Paul E. Kostyu reports:

The divisive battle over “right-to-work” legislation could be coming to Ohio next year.

As neighboring Michigan moved Tuesday to become a “right-to-work” state – and 10,000 protesters jammed the lawn of its Capitol – Ohio groups who support the laws say Ohio has to follow suit or watch jobs leave.

• Poll: Would you like to see a “right-to-work” amendment on the fall ballot

“When we are working with companies who want to investigate locations, the first question on their list is right to work,” said Phillip Parker, president and chief executive officer of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. He later backed off his statement at an afternoon press conference, but there are other indications the fight may be coming to Ohio.

A group called Ohioans for Workplace Freedom is gathering signatures to put the issue on the fall ballot. They need 385,253.

“Indiana has done this. Michigan will. What choice will Ohio have,” tea party activist Chris Littleton of West Chester told the Toledo Blade this week. “This is economic jet fuel for job creation, wage growth and a vibrant Ohio economy. If two border states do this, how can Ohio afford not to do this?”

Senate Minority Leader Eric H. Kearney, D-North Avondale, told the Enquirer there are efforts by Republicans to introduce right-to-work legislation next year, but he could not identify who was leading that effort. House and Senate Republicans, however, deny there is any effort underway.

“Right-to-work” legislation means no one can be required to join a labor union or pay union dues. That would prevent closed shops or workplaces that require union membership to get a job.

(more…)

Posted in: Government, News, Ohio |

Tags: Tags: chris littleton, election, employment, jobs, John Kasich, michigan, ohio, ohioans for workplace freedom, phillip parker, rick snyder, right to work, union