Happy Valentine's Day!

Come celebrate Valentine's Day with The Summit County Democratic Party! This year is the 34th Annual party. We will have hor d'oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and lots of Democrats! Including candidate for Ohio Supreme Court Judge Mary Jane Trapp, representation of the candidates for U.S. Senate, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and wife of Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, Peggy Zone Fisher and U.S. Representative Betty Sutton!!

Please don't miss out by making your reservation today!

Friday, February 12th: 5 - 7 PM
Todaro's Party Center
1820 Akron-Peninsula Road
Akron, OH 44313

$25 - 'Senior/Young Democrat'
$40 - 'You Know That I Love You'
$250 - 'Your Teddy Bear'
$500 - 'I Will Always Love You'

A special thanks to our Event Chair, Madeline Bozzelli!

Call: 330-434-1311 or Email: info@summitdems.org today! See you then!

Ohio's Standing Improves Under Strickland Leadership!

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council announced that Ohio is ranked 11th in the nation in 2009 in its "Small Business Survival Index 2009" rankings (up from 38th in 2006). The SBE describes its index as the "most comprehensive measure of which states are truly friendly to businesses and entrepreneurs, and which are not in terms of public policy decisions." Rankings are based on taxation, energy and regulatory costs, government spending, health care and property rights. The 2009 rankings also place Ohio as the 10th best business tax system in the country.

Education Week announced that Ohio's public school system is the 5th best in the nation, up from 7th two years ago. According to The Columbus Dispatch, "The analysis is conducted by the nonprofit Editorial Projects in Education Research Center of Bethesda, Md., which publishes Education Week. The 2010 rankings are based on six broad categories - including student achievement, school funding and curriculum standards - and more than 150 indicators such as graduation rates, teacher licensure requirements and family income."

As you know, Governor Strickland believes education is the key to Ohio's economic revival - that a modernized system of education will drive Ohio's economic recovery by better preparing our students for jobs of the future. This news is the result of focusing our priorities and public policy decisions and investing our financial resources in way that will grow our businesses and prepare our citizens for good jobs.

2009 SCDP Holiday Party!

Thank you to everyone for supporting the Summit County Democratic Party's Annual Holiday Party! This year U.S. Representative Betty Sutton, State Attorney General Richard Cordray, State Treasurer Kevin Boyce, and Peggy Zone Fisher joined us in celebration! We wish you continued joy and good health throughout the coming year. Happy Holidays!

Support our President on Healthcare Today!

I committed to help President Barack Obama ensure our health care system works for our community. There's a lot of misinformation out there and we must be sure the naysayers do not prevail. I've been asked to recruit one friend, but luckily, I have many, in you. I urge you to join me in this fight. We must be sure that the hard work we put forth in electing our President, for our values to be represented at the national level, is not lost. Please sign up today!

Sincerely,

Wayne M. Jones
Chair, Summit County Democratic Party

P.S. Would you like more information on the health care plan? Click here for details.

Employee Free Choice Act

The Employee Free Choice Act, supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, would enable working people to bargain for better benefits, wages and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. It would:

Remove current obstacles to employees who want collective bargaining.
Guarantee that workers who can choose collective bargaining are able to achieve a contract.
Allow employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

Find out more on how middle class workers are fighting for their rights through the Employee Free Choice Act at these informative sites:

Learn More About the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

We are pleased to see President Obama and Congress working hard to be sure that our communities move forward in these difficult times. Fortunately, we have strong leaders at the local level working in conjunction with the Obama Administration including U.S. Representatives Tim Ryan and Betty Sutton. Akron's own Mayor, Don Plusquellic, has played an integral part in the conversations in Washington D.C. to ensure that Akron receives $40 million of the economic stimulus package. We know that they will continue their efforts. For more information on how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will effect our community please look to www.recovery.gov.