Monday, September 25, 2006

Waterville Roche de Boeuf Festival and Parade/ Ted Strickland and change for Ohio


We had a great time this past weekend in Waterville participating in the parade and meeting many citizens in the area. We were fortunate to have a great turnout as the weather held off, and our group included some high school seniors from Anthony Wayne. I believe it is great to see young people involved in the political process and showing concern for their future.

I heard from many in the crowd who are ready for change in Ohio, and after 12-16 years of GOP dominance, they are ready for leadership on the issues of jobs, education funding at all levels, and, of course, cleaning up the mess in Columbus with respect to corruption and the squandering of public funds we have seen over the past several years.

I am proud to run on the statewide ticket with Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher. Governor Strickand will need help in the legislature to move forward with his plan to create an environment in which we can address the issues of jobs and education and also see to it that the "Corruption Tax", which has negatively affected state government, is eliminated, and those dollars that are freed up can be utilized in the areas of education and job creation/retention.

Again, we had a great weekend, and it was great to meet so many citizens who are ready for change in Ohio.

Have a great day,

Mark

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Another endorsement for our candidacy

I was pleased to receive a letter over the weekend from AFSCME Ohio Council 8 informing me that our candidacy has been endorsed by AFSCME Power in Action which represents AFSCME Ohio Council 8, AFL-CIO and AFSCME Retiree Chapter 1184. This organization represents more than 42,000 active public sector workers and 30,000 retirees and we are proud to accept this endorsement of yet another organization representing working men and women in Ohio. Affirmation from these groups who understand the issues and challenges facing Ohio are important, especially in an era when many of our public officials have let our citizenry down with various scandals and other misappropriations of public funds.

Also, we would like to thank those who came out for our fundraiser last night at Vino 100 in Monclova Township. The event was a success and I'm grateful for those who came out to support our cause, taking time out of their busy schedules.

Have a great day,

Mark

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Challenge to opponent on Senate Bill 7 (Taft Corruption Bailout Act of 2006)

Please see below the latest press release from the Dansack campaign, dealing with Senate Bill 7 also known as the Taft Corruption Bailout Act (Workers Compensation Reform?)

We had a nice gathering last night at the home of David and Emmy Bates in Maumee, meeting with some of their friends and neighbors who are concerned about the state of our State at this time.

Other small group gatherings are being planned in Ottawa Hills and Sylvania Township with the dates not yet available.

Also, we'll be having our second fundraiser on September 18, 2006 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Vino 100 at 3355 Briarfield Rd , Maumee, OH. The event will be a wine tasting reception and suggested donation is $35 per person or $60 per couple. Of course, as always, all donations large and small are welcomed and we hope to see you there.

Thanks and have a great day,

Mark

PRESS RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 14, 2006

Mark Dansack challenges opponent to stay implementation of the Taft Corruption Bailout Act (Senate Bill 7) until a full investigation into the irregularities at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is conducted.

Monclova Township Democrat Mark Dansack, a candidate for the 46th District House of Representatives in Ohio, has issued a challenge to his opponent, Mark Wagoner, to introduce legislation which would stay the implementation of Senate Bill 7 until the full details of all irregularities within the operation of the Bureau are known.

“It’s not bad enough that we have seen the Noe “Coingate” fiasco and the MDL investment losses of over $200 million, but now we are finding out that GOP reforms instituted as a cost-cutting measure in the late 1990’s have actually increased the bureau’s total operating costs at more than twice the rate of inflation - since these reforms were instituted”

As a result, according to figures quoted by both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Toledo Blade, the BWC has actually spent roughly $1.6 Billion more under the managed-care initiative than it would have had costs been held in check.

“This gross mismanagement of public funds by these self-described fiscal conservatives speaks volumes about what is wrong in Ohio and has been for the past decade and a half. When the scandal erupted, the only proposal from the General Assembly was to place (through Senate Bill 7) more burden on the injured workers that the system was intended to help.”

Dansack continued, “I call on Representative Wagoner to stand up for working men and women in Ohio and put his full effort into delaying implementation of what should be called the Taft Corruption Bailout Act.”

Dansack works as a legal aid for Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer and deals daily with injured workers, physicians, managed care organizations, and the Bureau of Workers Compensation.

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get these injured workers the care that they need and representatives from the GOP are hanging their hats on their cost-saving measures that they have implemented. I challenge Mr. Wagoner to join with me in agreeing that the measure passed in March, 2006 is no longer valid, as it fails to take into account additional information that has been made available illustrating major problems with the administration of the Bureau”.

It is Dansack’s opinion that the remedies proposed in Senate Bill 7 are analogous to an auto mechanic attempting to overhaul a broken down engine by adding a quart of oil and some washer fluid, or a physician attempting to administer a cure for an unspecified disease without first completing a full examination of the patient. “Look, we wouldn’t trust a mechanic or a physician who wouldn’t take the time necessary to figure out what’s wrong, and we shouldn’t trust state government with this corruption bailout plan which clearly attempts to balance the Bureau’s budget on the backs of the very injured workers it is supposed to protect”.

According to the Toledo Blade, in the mid-1990s, bureau officials said the new managed-care program would lead to savings of 15 percent to 30 percent of the bureau's medical costs and provide better services to injured workers. Instead, the costs have steadily risen, and managed-care firms made hundreds of millions off the agency. “In another occurrence of the frequent buck-passing we have seen at the state level, Mark Rickel, Governor Taft’s press secretary, squarely placed the blame on James Conrad, who resigned in 2005 as the scandal broke. I ask Mr. Rickel the following questions: Who appointed Mr. Conrad and why is Governor Taft so unwilling to accept any responsibility for any of his decisions?”

My view is that we ought to scrap the entire language of Senate Bill 7, as it clearly is deficient in terms of even coming close to solving the colossal problems we’ve seen at the BWC in Ohio. Let’s let the new Governor and new legislature work on an initiative for a fair and equitable solution to reforming the system to a system that adequately protects injured workers, while also ensuring that proper oversight is undertaken to make sure that the waste of public funds is eliminated. The injured workers in Ohio and businesses who pay premiums into the system deserve nothing less.”

Dansack, 44, is married to Heather, and they are the parents of two young daughters, Caitlin and Sophia. Prior to joining Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer in 2003, Dansack worked in manufacturing with General Mills, Inc. in Toledo. Dansack holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, both earned at the University of Toledo.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Labor Day 2006 --- Thank you!

Just a short note to thank two additional organizations who have added their support in the form of endorsements of my campaign for District 46 State Representative. We are happy to announce the support of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 8 along with the backing of the Roofers Local Union 134.

As a past member of the AFL-CIO for 18 years, I am honored to earn the support of working men and women in Northwest Ohio. These latest organizations join the following groups who have previously thrown their support behind our effort to help take back Ohio from the power brokers who presently control our state.

Ohio Federation of Teachers
Ohio AFL-CIO
Ohio Association of Public School Employees
Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 911
International Longshoremen's Association
Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council
Ironworkers, Local 55
Sheet Metal Workers International Union, Local 33
Ohio Democratic Party
Lucas County Democratic Party


Tomorrow morning we will attend the Labor Day Parade in Toledo to personally thank these groups for their support and to add our presence to support the cause of working men and women of Northwest Ohio.

Thank you for your support!

Mark