Ohio Senate races: News and Notes UPDATED

3rd District: This could be the cheesiest attack ad ever. Having failed to make an impression as a legislator, State Sen. David Goodman (R-New Albany) is trying to portray opponent Emily Kreider (D-Westerville) as an "incumbent" and himself as a "challenger" by running a TV spot that says "for the past 12 years official records show Emily Kreider failed to vote on important issues like schools, critical care for senior citizens and emergency services," and referring to himself as "leadership for a change." It makes her sound like an elected official and him as a breath of fresh air, doesn't it? No, Kreider hasn't held office. The ad is referring to levies and ballot issues in special and primary elections. Few people vote in all elections, and although Kreider missed the general election in 2002 she has voted in every general, primary and special election since 2003. Goodman has been in the General Assembly since his appointment to the House in 1998, so the "leadership for a change" theme is pure fiction.

Kreider and Goodman will meet in a candidates forum tomorrow at 7:00 pm at the Riley Auditorium in the Battelle Fine Arts Center at Otterbien College, 170 W. Park, Westerville.

For the next three Saturdays the Kreider campaign will be dropping lit for two hours in North Columbus. Meet each Saturday at 9:30 am in the Staples parking lot in Karl Plaza, 1666 E. Dublin-Granville Rd Columbus, OH 43229. RSVP or questions to Nicole by email to emily-at-emilykreider-dot-com.

7th District: Challenger Rick Smith (D-Cincinnati) squares off against State Sen. Robert Schuler (R-Sycamore Township) at a League of Women Voters Candidate Forum tomorrow, October 4th, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Mason Christian Village Chapel, Western Row & Mason-Montgomery Roads. A few hours later you can watch the gubernatorial debate with Smith from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at an AFL-CIO Meet the Candidates & Debate Watch Event at Laborers Local 265, 3457 Montgomery Rd.

The audio of an interview of Rick Smith by the Dean of Cincinnati and Justin Jeffre is here.

25th District: The Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed Rep. Lance Mason (D-Cleveland) over former Euclid mayor David Lynch (R-Cleveland) today. The editors called both candidates "well-qualified," with "the stronger of them" being Mason. They praise Mason as "a diligent legislator with a reputation for open-mindedness and a bipartisan approach." Lynch is described as "a gifted orator with a firm grasp of the critical issues facing the state," but they express concern about his "seemingly perennial search for a job on the public payroll," including running for mayor of Cleveland last year, toying with running for Cuyahoga County commissioner this year, and recently seeking work with the Port Authority," demonstrating a "lack of focus."

The 25th District comprises Euclid, South Euclid, Richmond Heights, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Highland Hills, North Randall, Orange, Shaker Heights, Warrensville Heights, Woodmere, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights and part of Cleveland's East Side.

UPDATE - 27th District: Challenger Judy Hanna (D-Akron) held a press conference today to denounce the disappointing record on school funding of her opponent, State Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls). Joining Hanna were former Congressman and State Board of Education candidate Tom Sawyer and Akron School Board member James Hardy. Hanna noted that the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the public education funding system unconstitutional four times and decried Coughlin's inaction on this critical issue for 10 years as an elected official. “Ohio’s school children have waited too long for Ohio’s legislature to perform their constitutional duty of fixing Ohio’s failing schools. Kevin Coughlin has sat in the Ohio legislature and done nothing to fix the real problems facing Ohio’s children,” Hanna said. “For him to now claim that he is a leader in education reform is nothing more than election year politics at its worst. Kevin Coughlin is not an answer to a problem -- he is the problem.” Hanna went on to point out that under Gov. Taft and Sen. Coughlin the state’s share of education funding has declined while the local share has increased, and Ohio ranks 14th in per pupil funding. “This is the real Coughlin record on education -- one of failure," Hanna said. "Ohio’s children deserve the best, and Kevin Coughlin like Bob Taft has proven he’s not up for the task. We need to build a stronger Ohio, and that starts with putting Ohio’s children first.” Hanna is responding to Coughlin's negative TV ad, accusing her of proposing to deal with the education by setting up a commission (as though that is such a bad idea!) and touting himself as a champion of education reform. Hanna objected to the negative tone that her opponent’s campaign has taken, saying “I came into this race wanting to talk about the real issues facing Ohio’s families--fixing our economy, strengthening our schools, making health care affordable, and cleaning up corruption in the Statehouse.”