LobbyComply Blog

Campaign Finance

Oregon: “The City’s Public Campaign Financing Program Allowed Candidates with Little Support to Snag Taxpayer Dollars” by Sophie Peel for Willamette Week

Ethics

California: “Assessor Reports $1M Behested Payment, Biggest Charitable Donation Made at a Local Elected Official’s Request” by Jeff McDonald (San Diego Union-Tribune) for MSN

National: “Trump Transition Team Ethics Pledge Appears to Exclude President-Elect” by Betsy Klein, Steve Contorno, and Arlette Saenz (CNN) for MSN

Florida: “Tickets to Master’s Tournament Trigger Feud in Hillsborough County Politics” by Jack Evans and Justin Garcia (Tampa Bay Times) for MSN

Indiana: “Nonprofit Braun Transition Group Follows Former Governors’ Model” by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz (Indiana Capital Chronicle) for Yahoo News

Legislative Issues

National: “Supreme Court to Examine Power of Congress to Delegate Authority” by Justin Jouvenal (Washington Post) for MSN

Lobbying

National: “As His Power Grows, D.C. Wonders: How do you lobby a man like Elon Musk?” by Cat Zakrzewski, Faiz Siddiqui, and Pranshu Verma (Washington Post) for MSN

New York: “N.Y. Ethics Commission Faces New Constitutional Challenge” by Brendan Lyons for Albany Times Union

Ward 8 City Council Member James Hardy resigned effective July 1.

Hardy was elected in November 2023 but stepped down after his professional duties with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation expanded.

Council will have 30 days to appoint a new member and voters will select a permanent replacement for the position in 2025.

Eight candidates were vying for three seats on the Akron Public Schools board.

Former state representative and Akron City Council member Barbara Sykes was overwhelmingly elected with 25.72% of votes cast, over 10,000 more votes more than any other candidate.

Summer Hall earned the second seat with 13.47%, and incumbent Rene Molenaur secured her first full term on the board with 11.83%, according to unofficial results as of this morning based on all precincts reporting.

Each seat is for a four-year term.

Akron City Council Vice President Jeff Fusco introduced an ordinance to increase contribution limits for city candidates.

The ordinance increases contribution limits for individuals giving to mayor and at-large council candidates from $750 to $1,000 per election and increases individual limits for ward council candidates from $500 to $750 per election.

The ordinance allows city candidates to accept campaign contributions or loans of up to $2,500 from any political party or PAC.

If passed, the ordinance would be effective immediately.

Public hearings on the ordinance have been scheduled for July 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

On June 14, I had the privilege of joining Finance Administrative Assistant Emone Smith and her parents, Stewart and Ethel Satterwhite at a meeting with the Summit Metro Parks at the Himelright Lodge on Cuyahoga Street in Akron. This was an amazing moment of connection, family history, and a glimpse into an important part of Akron’s history.

It all began on April 21, when Emone attended the Akron Roundtable presentation “Summit Metro Parks: Embarking on Our Second Century” by Lisa King, Executive Director, Summit Metro Parks.

Lisa King talked about an important archaeological find on the grounds of the Cascade Valley Metro Park. They found the remains of a house that George C. and Willie Mae Prather built on Honeywell Drive, an unpaved street off Cuyahoga Street. It was one of the homes making up a forgotten, but historically important neighborhood of African Americans in Akron. Eventually, the neighborhood was taken over by a golf course and then by the Metro Parks.

The Cultural Resources Group, made up of archaeologists and historians gathered basic facts and material culture about the neighborhood, but knew very little about the residents’ lives: “We have the dates they were born, when they were married and when they died. George passed away in 1975 and Willie Mae followed in 1983. We know that George worked for Goodyear and at one point Willie Mae worked as a maid. Beyond that, however, we know next to nothing about their lives.” wrote Charlotte Gintert in The Devil Strip 2018.

This is where Emone entered the story. At the Roundtable, she recognized her great aunt Willie Mae’s obituary being shown in the presentation and saw her own address listed! Emone confirmed with her mom that this was in fact her own family and spoke to Lisa King, which led to a set of interviews with Ethel Satterwhite, Emone’s mom.

Ethel and Stewart were able to tell the amazing story of George and Willie Mae Prather, about their lives, their neighborhood, and their church. This was exactly what the park’s archaeological team needed to fill out the story. They couldn’t have gotten this information anywhere else and it is all thanks to Emone attending Akron Roundtable.

During the event at Himelright Lodge, Ethel, Stewart, and Emone had the chance to see some of the 6000 archaeological artifacts, including foundation stones, nails, bed springs, cooking pans, even bits of a phonograph LP! They rode golf carts deep into the park, where the Honeywell Drive neighborhood used to be and saw the archaeological dig at the foundation of Uncle George and Aunt Willie Mae’s house. Ethel Satterwhite teared up when she saw it and said she was grateful to see the place again.

View some photos from this amazing afternoon in the carousel below:

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State and Federal Communications, Inc. is hosting its 11th annual Donuts and Cider Sale on October 29, 2021!

Become the favorite co-worker, and kick off Halloween weekend with a sweet treat for your office!

Krispy Kreme glazed donuts are $9 for a dozen and apple cider is $5 for a gallon.

All proceeds will benefit the good work of our friends at United Way of Summit and Medina.

Place your order by Monday, October 25, by contacting Joe May at jmay@stateandfed.com or calling (330) 761-9960.

Orders can be picked up on Friday, October 29, from 8 to 10 a.m. at the front of our office: 80 S. Summit St. in downtown Akron.

State and Federal Communications was recognized by the United Way of Summit and Medina for being a leader in the Greater Akron community. At its 2021 Annual Meeting, leaders from United Way spoke about the unprecedented year that 2020 became. State and Federal Communications was a table sponsor for this event, with fourteen staff members present. The program closed with President and CEO Jim Mullen speaking about the future, and the progress towards their Bold Goals.

State and Federal Communications received the 2020 All In Award, for “achieving 100% campaign participation and engaging employees at all levels of the organization.” In addition, the company received the 2020 Firestone Award, for “unmatched participation in the United Way campaign with fewer than 100 employees.”

Learn more in the video below:

Erin Victor from the Akron Snow Angels told us “there are children walking to school without socks. There are homeless people who brave the winter without the proper outerwear.”

As a response, State and Federal Communications held its Be and Angel for the Holidays drive from early December until January 15. We collected hats, gloves, scarves, and socks of all colors and sizes.

Enjoy this fun video about our 2020-21 holiday service project!

Akron, Ohio voters approved Charter Amendment Issue 4, amending the city charter to increase the amount of a city project or purchase requiring the mayor to obtain City Council approval from $15,000 to $50,000.

The amendment also increases the amount requiring approval from the Board of Control from $5,000 to $15,000.

The amendment also provides for greater access to bidding opportunities and reduces administrative costs by allowing for publication online.

The intent is to provide the city with greater flexibility to obtain goods and services from local vendors at competitive prices.

A majority of Akron voters approved Charter Amendment Issue 9, moving the city’s primary date from September to May.

The date change is expected to save the city money, boost voter turnout, and bring the Board of Elections into compliance with state law by enabling it to meet a deadline to get ballots to overseas voters 45 days before the November general election.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan plans to collect signatures in a citywide petition to move Akron’s primary elections from September to May.

City Council previously proposed putting the issue on the November ballot, but the legislation stalled. Local primary elections in Ohio are held in May unless a charter provides otherwise.

Summit County is one of only three Ohio counties holding municipal primary elections in September. Moving the Akron primary to May would save the city money while increasing voter turnout.

Five other Summit County cities are also considering the election date change.

State and Federal Communications employees had the opportunity to get out of the office and enjoy a Rubber Ducks baseball game on June 29. Beautiful weather and a Rubber Ducks win made for a great office outing!

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO, provided staff members with tickets and invited us to take a break for part of the day. Employees had the chance to hang out with each other in a casual setting and visit with coworkers who were in from Washington DC. We bonded over great food, beautiful weather, and our love of baseball.

“It was nice to get out of the office for the day and enjoy the game and the beautiful weather,” public relations intern Olivia Williams said.

The office outing provided a change of scenery and refueled us for the end of the week. Sometimes a little break is all you need to finish the week out strong!

The Rubber Ducks beat the Erie SeaWolves 7 to 6. It was a great day to be a Rubber Ducks fan and an even better day to be a State and Federal Communications employee!

State and Federal Communications, Inc. is upping our green-game with help and guidance from Downtown Akron Partnership and the City of Akron. We recently began a program that will allow us to participate in the city’s single-stream recycling program for not only cans and cardboard, but for bottles, cartons, cups, and many other items generated in our workplace environment!

State and Federal Communications has always taken seriously the proper disposal and recycling of our business-related electronics, batteries, legacy fluorescent bulbs, and mountains of shipping cardboard and paper; proudly reporting over 3 tons of recycled materials to Summit County ReWorks for the 2016 calendar year!

By expanding our own program and coordinating with Akron community partners, we step closer to achieving our company and employee goals of being better stewards. Many employee-generated items within the office can now be processed for collection by the city within their single-stream recycling program.

The Downtown Akron Partnership program, working with the City of Akron and others, provides resources within our downtown district to promote and build a vibrant and valuable downtown. We are proud to be part of this great community!

Elizabeth Bartz had a surprise visitor stop by our office. ADaM, the mascot for the Summit County ADM Board, came by to say ‘Thank You!’ for her donation to the annual ADM Recovery Challenge.

State and Federal Communications is proud to contribute to the ADM Board, and we are committed to their dedicated efforts to those individuals most in need in Summit County.

Learn how you can get involved on the Challenge’s Facebook page or at www.admboard.org.