Kaptur attacks Kasich policies

U.S. Representative says governor neglects turnpike maintenance
Tom Jackson
May 15, 2014


U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur attacked Gov. John Kasich’s transportation policies at Tuesday’s annual meeting of the Erie County Economic Development Corp., saying the governor is neglecting turnpike maintenance and failing to support a passenger rail.

Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat, endorsed the Democratic candidate for governor, Ed FitzGerald, back in August. Kasich is a Republican seeking re-election.

A turnpike spokesman said Kaptur is offering a false picture of turnpike operations. The Ohio Republican Party accused FitzGerald of supporting wasteful spending for passenger trains.

Kaptur, brought in as the keynote speaker for ECEDC, told the several dozen attendees at Kalahari Resort’s convention center, “We need a governor who will give our region full value for the Ohio turnpike”

She told the attendees money raised by the turnpike ought to be spent on keeping it running well and implied the Kasich administration hasn’t done that.

“I have never seen the turnpike with this many potholes” she said.

Kaptur also criticized the governor for failing to support expanding passenger train service in Ohio.

“We need a governor who supports passenger rail in northern Ohio” she said.

Adam Greenslade, a spokesman for the Ohio Turnpike Commission, said communities all over Ohio have been busy trying to fill in potholes after an especially brutal winter.

“We are dealing with the same types of issues” he said.

As for turnpike maintenance, Greenslade released annual figures for capital spending on the turnpike for the past five years: 2009, $51 million; 2010, $50 million; 2011, $96 million; 2012, $89 million; 2013, $97 million; and 2014, budgeted at $101 million.

Those figures include maintenance as well as reconstruction of stretches of the toll road, Greenslade said.

Any suggestions turnpike maintenance is being neglected is “absolutely not true, as you can see from those numbers” he said.

Kasich has been governor since 2011. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, was governor in 2009 and 2010.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican Party is putting a different spin than Kaptur’s on the governor’s decision in 2011 to reject a $400 million grant from the Obama administration for passenger rail service to connect Cleveland to Cincinnati.

“In doing so, Kasich saved Ohio taxpayers from a $17 million-peryear bill to subsidize a train that would run slower than a 1935 New York Central train,” party spokesman Chris Schrimpf stated in a release.


Ralph J.

Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat, endorsed the Democratic candidate for governor, Ed FitzGerald, back in August. I object!


"Andy" Greenslade?
ANDY Greenslade?

Damn your reporters suck!!!


Ohhhhhhhhhh! Somebody got the word and corrected it.


Messy Krapper has done nothing her entire political "career" to improve the country. Much like Hilarity who I assume she will endorse too.


Mamma, it's time for you to get yourself educated. Marcy has done so much for Ohio during her career. A simple web search will provide a lengthy list.

Like her or not, it doesn't change the fact that Hillary has a ton of political/governing experience. By that standard alone, she would be the most qualified presidential candidate over the past 30 years. Conservatives are already at work, trying to tear down her character, simply because they're worried that she would stomp whichever stiff shirt the GOP nominates in 2016. She's already 15 points ahead of Jeb Bush in early polling.


Marcy - and you - typify the problems facing this country. She exercises no fiscal responsibility and ignores her electorate. The problem is, the 50% of the population who don't want to work and prefer living on the government dole, vote for her. They - and you - don't realize sooner or later, Marcy is going to run out of your money. As for Republicans tearing down Hillary's character - how can one destroy something that does not exist?


Name 1 accomplishment of Hillary Clinton!! You cant cause nobody can, even the lamestream media. We all know she didn't answer the 3am phone call when it came.


From ABC News, seems Hillary is telling lies!







The Obama administration is currently engaged in talks with the Iranian government over its nuclear program. Other administration officials have said that it was the tough sanctions that helped bring Iran to the negotiating table.








(H/T: ABC News)

Dinghy Gal

Kaptur needs to to look at herself first. Kasich, though not perfect has done a good job for Ohio.
My reaction to her comments is rejection.
It's time to go home Marcy!


Nah, it's Kasich who needs to go home. His tax cuts at the state level have cut funding for necessary services, including education, repairs to infrastructure. This merely shifted the tax burden to the local level. My local school district, due to loss of state funding, was forced to put a new levy, just for basic operations. Result: I will be paying $1000 additional per year, out of pocket.

Wake up folks. Kasich is toxic for Ohio. Across America, unemployment is down and job creation is up, but in Ohio, the results have been far behind almost all other states. We can do better.


You lend credence to the expression, "a little bit of knowledge is dangerous."


"Andy" Greenslade?

"ANDY" Greenslade?

Well, once again, SR credibility just took the express train to hell.

Darwin's choice

More from the puppet prop!
Every school district in Ohio has had a loss of funding, the economy is crapped out, thanks to obama's failure, and those "shovel ready" non existant jobs, yet you blame Kasich, and give the obama administration a free pass?

Worthless troll!!!


I'm calling BS on your additional $1,000 yr in RE taxes unless you live in a million dollar home. Tell me which levy did this.

As far as Kaptur goes, the turnpike is constantly under construction with it now being 3 lanes almost border to border. A railway is a waste of money. It would take longer to use it than it would to drive.


Guess u dems should have not repealed SB5 then huh. All those things you listed would have been addressed, but oh well you on the left have not been know to be all that smart.


well you on the left HAVE been knowN to be smart enough to know the REAL NAME of "Andy" Greenslade.

Credibility gone!!!


As a Democrat you should rejoice in your chance to pay your fair share. Besides that if you graduated from your local school district they needed cut because they obviously are producing idiots.


But. But. "Andy" Greenslade's mom has been on his school board 24 years.

Maybe if Tom Jackson lived in Erie County - or somewhere closer than Cuyahoga County - he'd be able to fact-check "Andy" Greenslade's real name.


The only thing "toxic" is coasterfans daily bashing of anyone that thinks differently than him. If he thinks Fitzgerald is the answer, then he will need to tell us what he has done in his district that is so great. I too do not believe the $1000 additional out of pocket B.S. If Kasich was a democrat he would be pounding his chest in pride.


Marcy is a career politcian and democrat so her trashing Kasich is no surprise. What has she done for Ohio?


It's amazing that people don't know what Marcy has done for Ohio over her career. The information isn't a secret. Here's a short list:

Darwin's choice

It's time for worthless Marcy to retire.


I could say the same for the routinely misinformed and careless Tom Jackson
"Andy" Greenslade.
Rhonda Damschroder "candidate for the US House"

Tom, go home. Your river's on fire!!


If I were a congressman I could give you anything you wanted until I ran out of your money. Unfortunately I cannot get anything I want as I need to have my money to buy it.

I do think that Ted Strickland left John Kasich a 8billion dollar short fall in the budget that John had to overcome he would either have to increase taxes or make some cuts. As I have said previously I have never seen any "CREDITABLE" facts advising that more money provides a better education. When I was in school this country was at the top in education and I think now we rank 23rd or 24th although many of the countries that have passed us spend much less for education.

The more we are responsible for at the local level the better off we are as if we send $1.00 to the federal government we will receive only 65-70% back as the federal government would take a percent for their own use like a while back the SR reported that a Government department head has a $30,000 portrait of her self to hang on the department wall and I read where we are paying $500,000 for a white fiberglass camel to place in front of one of our middle east embassies and taxes were meant to provide the health and welfare of the people and neither one of the two examples do not seem to better my health and welfare.

The tax waste is a result of both Democrats and Republicans


I was extremely impressed by the long list of bills she wrote and got passed into laws, and then on top of all the laws she authored, the amount of bills she sponsored or co-sponsored was amazing!! I am surprised they fit them on one page, after all she has been in Congress for 15 terms and is the most senior woman in Congress and chairs so many large committee's that I don't know how she finds the time to write and pass all the bills she does. She is dman near a super woman to do so much. Truly a female democrat superstar.

Sarcasm off.

2cents's picture

So would I need to drive to Toledo or Cleveland to catch a train to Toledo or Cleveland? This train thing to all Obos dream, who is going to ride it and to where? Would my one hour commute become a three hour commute? I now drive to Chicago because it is faster than flying because of security and flight schedules.

As for the Ohio Turnpike, they are doing just fine, I use it every day and see no major problems other than pesky deer!


She was out there drumming up support across the country for low speed rail!


The only way some people can build themselves up is to tear other people down.


Or use the wrong name when quoting a Turnpike official.


Rep. Kaptur: “I have never seen the turnpike with this many potholes”

Ya think that WINTER mighta had something to do with it? Duh.

What are you doin' about fixing the lousy unemployment rate in Ottawa Co.? Bring more of that DC pork on home.


Pork. See, that's a Republican mindset that I just don't get. We have already paid federal taxes. Why would it be bad that Marcy makes sure that some of those dollars go to help make things better in Ohio? Would you rather have all your tax dollars go to help other states?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I read last night that the top 15 states with the highest percentage of college graduates are blue states, and that 12 of the 15 states with the lowest % of college grads are red states. Being less educated and poorly informed is a hallmark of today's Republican Party.

Re: "lousy unemployment in Ottawa County", a better question would be: what is Kasich doing about it? His JobsOhio Commission has been merely an experiment in cronyism, and Ohio ranks 47th out of 50 states in jobs creation during his term. New unemployment figures are due out today. Let's all compare Ohio's rate with the national rate, and then make your own decision. Kasich has had 4 years, and Ohio lags further and further behind other states. Time to change the diaper...

Darwin's choice

Obama's still failing troll, Marcy's failure in Ottawa County is all hers!
Kaptur has been a parasite for 35 years! Time to sweep the house clean!


Kaptur has had 35 years, but it's Kasich's fault. That makes perfect sense.

The Hero Zone's picture
The Hero Zone

Coaster, the problem is that it ISN'T money that has been paid. Please take a look at a chart illustrating yearly deficits. That means that the government is spending more than it is taking in. Those deficits continue to roll over into our national debt which is around seventeen trillion dollars right now. That seventeen trillion dollars is seventeen trillion dollars we don't have. We don't have that seventeen trillion dollars because of unnecessary, redundant, and or defunct projects/bureaus continue to have "unpaid for" taxes behind them.

Let's take care of our yearly deficit first, our seventeen trillion dollar debt second, and then perhaps tackle the hundred trillion dollar unfunded liabilities then we can talk about a light rail system from Cleveland to Cincinnati that the federal government shouldn't even pay for due to Amtrak's own, continuing financial woes.


Kaptur is just another run of the mill slime ball politician that if you had any brains would be calling for her to go to jail. But you continue to re-elect her to office while calling for "Change".
"Continuing the same actions expecting different results is a sure sign of insanity"



We are 17 trillion in debt not to mention several times that amount in unfunded pension money that will come due do you think it would be good to end up like Greece? I would like someone to comment exactly how much more debt we can pile up before that happens?

It is both Democrats and Republicans all across the country that are not acting in a responsible manner with our money and we will pay dearly in the end for their actions.

Also I would like you to cite just one "CREDITABLE" source advising that Ohio is 47th out of 50 states in job creation.

It seems that Hillary's state department cannot account for 6 billion dollars and no one seems to care however that seems to be the current mind set in the current administration. Why should they be concerned it is not their money.

We do need congressmen, governors,county commissioners, school boards and any other government officials that can and will balance their budget!

The Big Dog's back

So your source is an opinion piece, that doesn't show Ohio 47th out of 50.

Ohio's current unemployment rate:


Current US unemployment rate:

Looks like Kasich is doing quite a bit better than obama, if you are trying to say that unemployment is dependent on the Gov, or Pres. But then again it is dependent on many things other than who is President or Governor.


note... 14,400 dropped out of the employment pool... thus a lower rated. Or does that only matter in national rates which we can blame on the President?


Re: "Pork."

OH gets $0.72 of every dollar it pays in to the Feds.

How is Ms. Kaptur not doin' a lousy job?


Oh. It's all on her? What about Jim Jordan in the Fourth? Or Bob Latta in the Fifth? Or any of the other 13?
Or what about Kasich who originally refused the Medicaid money - until he was made to understand he could provide medical care for 350,000 MORE Ohioans?
And have Tom Jackson ask "Andy" Greenslade how many federal $$$ the turnpike commission gets?
Or are you alleging the $0.72 is "Pork"


Don't forget that Washington DC. is full of college graduates. How is that working for you?


Re:"His JobsOhio Commission has been merely an experiment in cronyism, and Ohio ranks 47th out of 50 states"

I did previously request a "CREDITABLE" source for the above quote from cfan and as usual nothing.The US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics did advise that Ohio ranks #20 in unemployment statistics that our unemployment is below the national average. I would think that although we are not in the top 5 we are still better than most.

Cfan does provide us with many facts and statistics however never any source maybe he gets his info from a voice he hears in his head.


By Brent Larkin, Northeast Ohio Media Group
on January 18, 2014 at 10:59 AM, updated January 18, 2014 at 11:04 AM

As 2013 drew to a close, Gov. John Kasich crowned his beloved JobsOhio program “the most important economic development tool in America.”

Kasich must know something that more than 11 million other Ohioans do not.

Because, by any measure imaginable, 2013 was a year in which the JobsOhio results didn’t remotely match the rhetoric.

Unburdened by those messy requirements of accountability and transparency, Kasich promised in early 2011: “JobsOhio is an organization that is going to move at the speed of business, move at the speed of what is needed to be a job creator.”

Brace yourselves! Here come last year’s results of that lightning-fast job-creation ride.

The December figures are scheduled for release Friday. But through November 2013, here is Ohio’s monthly job-creation ranking among the 50 states:

January - 43, February - 41, March- 48, April - 47, May - 43, June - 46, July - 45, August - 44, September - 42, October - 45, November - 46.

The rest is even more dismal...


Once again Kaptur opens her mouth and ignorance comes out. She should try driving around her district and comparing the road conditions to the Turnpike. I am on the Turnpike weekly and have never had an issue.


Lost a tire on the Turnpike just last month while sandwiched and unable to change lane.


Maybe Kaptur supports this:

Dr. Information

Worst winter in Ohio. Leave it to a Democrat to not figure this one out. Check out every town. Pot hole city.

2cents's picture

I have been taking the bypass around Detroit just to avoid the potholes : )


Marcy is an idiot. Even her colleagues know that! Why do you think a woman with all that seniority is in charge of -- NOTHING? Never mind her spendthrift ways. The woman actually called the Founding Fathers "terrorists!" She needs to be kicked out of D.C. and KEPT out of D.C.!

Meanwhile, yes, Kasich isn't perfect. Far from it, in fact! But whatever criticisms I might have, there's one point that's not debatable: The state is in FAR better shape financially SINCE Kasich than it was before him!

P.S. The rail project? More proof Marcy's an idiot. If you really want to heavily subsidize such a thing forever and ever, amen, it's a GREAT deal! Or if you want to drive an hour to get to a station where you can pick up a slow ride to someplace you could have driven in half the time, it'd be awesome. Otherwise? Not so much.


"The state is in FAR better shape financially SINCE Kasich than it was before him!"

"state" refers to ALL of Ohio and our citizens.
"State" is what you must have meant, referring to Kasich-Land where all is rosy and his daughters are happy in their State/state-supported private school while my kids attend a public school in the "state" where our 2300-student District cut 20 teachers, six busdrivers, three maintenance staff - and is faced with six failures of levies by voters trying to replace the revenue Kasich removed from schools and local governments.
Yeah... Kasich has been great for the State but not for the state.


“We need a governor who supports passenger rail in northern Ohio” she said. No, we need a Congressperson who will balance the budget,


Lots of big money Republicans blogging today I see ;) Kasich~Right to Work~ He's a Beauty! Blaaaah


Lets not forget multi millionaire Harry Reid wanting to amend the constitution, big money is on both sides of the aisle keep it real BEHAPPY. And by the way, right to work states have a higher GDP than non right to work states. http://cnsnews.com/blog/craig-ba...

2cents's picture

As a small business owner I actually talked in person with Paul Gilmore. I attempted a few times to discuss things with Rep Kaptur, not one time did I ever speak nor hear from her in any format!


My family had some differences with Gilmore but at least he was responsive. Kaptur on the other hand is openly mocked even by her staff for her lack of attention to constituents.

Someone I know relayed that at a meeting with her Chief of Staff Steve Fought in DC following another a meeting with Department of Justice concerning serious issues with area law enforcement (that continue to this day) it came out that her only concern was how she could score more trips especially to the motherland-Ukraine.

2cents's picture

Read the book "Men On Strike" it will verify what many people already see in this country. She may just be on office for life!



It's ADAM Greenslade.
ADAM Third child and second son of James and Nancy Greenslade of Clyde.
ADAM. Husband of Jill Greenslade of Green Springs and father of their nine children.
ADAM. Mayor of Green Springs, Ohio.

NOTE: If you go to Green Springs this weekend you can meet him at Civil War Days.

The Big Dog's back

Once again the right wingnut Repubs take no responsibility for the mess they have created. Jobs Ohio? What a bunch of b s. Marcy represents 1 district in Ohio, kassick is Gov.