Press Office March 3rd, 2008

By Kevin Risner

Former U.S. Senator Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said he met Paul Gillmor in 1979 while he was serving as Greene County Prosecutor. Gillmor recruited him to run for the Ohio Senate, DeWine and three other Republican newcomers won, the Republican Party took control of the Senate and Gillmor became president of the Senate.

“He was a great president of the Senate,” DeWine said, “just a great leader. I really enjoyed working with him.”

DeWine’s path later crossed Gillmor’s when they each served in the U.S. Congress, Gillmor as the Ohio 5th District representative and DeWine as a U.S. senator.

DeWine was one of several notable Ohio Republicans to take part in the salute to Gillmor held Saturday evening at Bowling Green State University.

Current 5th District Rep. Bob Latta and his wife, Marcia, joined a select group that included DeWine and others at the head table.

“To be a true public servant is to give of yourself to the people you represent,” Latta said. “Paul worked hard to do that. It’s a labor of love.”

Gillmor’s wife, Karen, was vice president of Huntington Banks and assistant to the chairman when she was introduced to Paul Gillmor. By then, he was president of the Senate and had been a widower for about 10 years.

“The vice president of the Bankers’ League said to me, ‘You should meet the Senate president,’” Karen Gillmor said. “That was on Valentine’s Day in 1982. I never guessed there was any special meaning to it, but a business lunch.”

Karen Gillmor, with her husband’s encouragement, later joined in the Ohio Senate.

“My goal when I was elected to the senate in 1992 and 1996 was never to embarrass my husband,” Karen Gillmor said. “That is still my goal. He was so universally loved and respected that I would never want to take away from his legacy. The most important thing he left the boys and me is his good name.”

Sons Paul Michael, Connor and Adam Gillmor led the salute crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance during the Saturday evening event.

Former Congressman John Kasich was a staff employee for an Ohio State Senator in 1975 when he first met Paul Gillmor. Gillmor eventually came to refer to Kasich as “young John.”

Kasich recalled in his keynote address the way Gillmor treated others, including young staff employees.

“He would say, ‘What do you think about this?’ That was so unusual to have anybody with that kind of position ask, ‘What do you think?” Kasich said.

“You’re 23 or 24 years old. Sometimes you’d say something and catch his fancy. He’d pull out a tablet and make a note.

“The next thing you know you would get the greatest compliment as a staffer you could ever get. That next day or a couple days later on the Senate floor he would offer an amendment that contained your idea. After he did it he would walk back and hand you the paper it was printed on and say, ‘This is because of what you thought and what you did.’”

When “young John” Kasich later decided he wanted to run for a Senate seat of his own, others laughed, but Gillmor encouraged him and raised money to support his candidacy. Kasich joined Gillmor in the Ohio Senate in 1978.

In 1982 Kasich began an 18-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.

While in the U.S. House, Kasich was credited for his work toward balancing the federal budget and for work on reforming the federal welfare system.

Kasich now works for an investment banking firm and is a political analyst for Fox News Network. Kasich has authored two books that have appeared on the New York Times best seller list.

Kasich continued his tribute to the late Ohio congressman by saying Paul Gillmor was willing to take on controversial or difficult issues if the cause seemed right. Kasich credited Gillmor for leading the way for the first comprehensive state bill on AIDS in the country.

Kasich said Gillmor also provided valuable leadership on issues of mental retardation and mental health.

Gillmor rose above partisanship, Kasich said.

Kasich repeated a story shared earlier in the evening that Gillmor refused to participate in a symbolic Republican walkout from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gillmor considered his job to be doing the work of the people, not participating in political stunts, Kasich said.

Kasich spoke about Ohio, the state he and Gillmor have loved, and said changes need to be made politically in Ohio to return the state to a former greatness. Kasich said too many bright and talented Ohio natives are moving to other parts of the country, and Ohio is no longer attractive to companies and entrepreneurs.

Kasich called for changes to make Ohio ripe for new investment and attractive for natives to stay.

A video message from President Bush was presented to the crowd as part of the salute.

• Paul Gillmor , Recent News
• Comments(0)

Press Office February 26th, 2008

Former Congressman John Kasich to Headline Dinner at BGSU

Tiffin, Ohio - Tickets are now available for the March 1st Salute to the late Congressman Paul Gillmor to be held at the Bowling Green State University’s Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The dinner will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a keynote address from Former Congressman John Kasich.

John Kasich began his political career in 1978 when he was recruited to run for the Ohio Senate by then-Ohio Senate Republican Leader Paul Gillmor. Four years later, Kasich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he began an 18-year career which included six years as Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Congressman Kasich is currently the host of “The Heartland with John Kasich” on FOX News Channel, a guest lecturer at The Ohio State University, and the author of Courage is Contagious, a New York Times bestseller.

Throughout his Congressional career, Congressman Paul Gillmor hosted an annual Lincoln-Hayes Banquet which brought together conservatives from each of the sixteen counties in Gillmor’s Northwest Ohio district. Gillmor’s banquet had grown into one of the largest Republican events in the State of Ohio. After Congressman Gillmor’s passing in September, the Salute to Paul Gillmor was scheduled to remember this longtime champion of Northwest Ohio. In addition to former Congressman Kasich, many Republican elected officials are expected in attendance and Republican Presidential candidates have been invited.

Tickets for the salute are $25 and may be obtained through your local Republican Party organization. For more information, visit www.karengillmor.com.

• Paul Gillmor , Press Releases
• Comments(0)

admin February 23rd, 2008

By Kevin Risner

State Senate candidate Karen Gillmor was the guest of honor at a Business After Hours event at Heidelberg College Thursday. The event was co-hosted by Junior Achievement and the Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gillmor spoke about the experiences of her sons in Junior Achievement. She said two of her sons are preparing with excitement to attend Biz Town this year. Biz Town offers youths the opportunity to experience adult life and learn about management and other important skills.

“I really support Junior Achievement,” Gillmor said. “It has expanded my kids’ horizons.”

Gillmor reminded guests of her current efforts to return to the state Senate. Gillmor is to appear on the March 4 primary ballot.

“I think it would be wonderful to go back to the state senate and try to help it operate like it did in the golden age of the Senate, which was when my husband (Paul Gillmor) was Senate president,” Gillmor said. “I think term limits has really hurt our state legislature in both the House and the Senate. When people are there only eight years they don’t have the dedication and loyalty to the institution I think Ohio needs.”

Gillmor said Ohio is fifth highest in aggregate tax burden in the country and 46th in attractiveness to new business.

“This is not good news for any of us,” Gillmor said. “Especially knowing that Michigan is 29th in attractiveness to new business.”

State Republican leaders already have spoken to Gillmor about serving on the health committee next year, Gillmor said.

She said she would like to ask for the chairmanship of insurance commerce and labor, a position she held during her first Senate service.

“We have a lot of good things to get done on that committee,” Gillmor said. “It’s a pretty hectic committee, and I liked it a lot. We got a lot of things done for the 11.5 million people in Ohio.”

• Paul Gillmor , Recent News
• Comments(0)

Press Office February 16th, 2008

By Reuben Mees

Republican voters will have a choice in the March 4 primary between two experienced lawmakers to represent them in Ohio Senate District 26, but the race will not be decided until the Nov. 4 general election.

Karen Gillmor, a two-term former senator for the district whose public life has revolved around political involvement, faces Steve Reinhard, the current House District 83 representative who has served in that post for the past eight years.

The winner will square off against Democrat Thomas L. Kruse, the immediate past mayor of Marysville, in the general election.

The successful candidate will replace Sen. Larry Mumper, a two-term senator who cannot run again because of Ohio’s recently enacted term limit legislation.

Mrs. Gillmor, 60, of Tiffin, has a strong background in education and labor issues, but says making Ohio more attractive to economic growth is her main priority.

“Jobs and the economy, everything comes from that,” Mrs. Gillmor said, noting that lack of job opportunities puts strains on the state’s social service agencies, healthcare system and increases crime.

“Providing high-wage jobs is key, especially for women, because you never know if you’ll be the sole supporter of your children,” the mother of five and widow of U.S. Congressman Paul Gillmor said.

Mr. Reinhard, 40, of Bucyrus, a farmer and teacher, said education followed closely by developing alternative energy sources top his agenda.

On the education issue, he said he believes the state has made significant strides in addressing inadequate education funding between wealthy and poor areas of the state.

“Every cycle we go through, we continually make advances in that arena,” Mr. Reinhard said.

“We need to put in building blocks that support low-wealth and low-performing school districts even beyond what we have now.”

He also said improving courses that prepare non-college bound high school students for today’s workforce is critical.

“We need to construct educational opportunities for all segments of the population and all segments of the workforce, including things such as online courses,” Mr. Reinhard said.

But Mr. Reinhard doesn’t appreciate the seriousness of the state’s education problem, Mrs. Gillmor said.

“It has improved, but it isn’t where it needs to be to have the educated workforce necessary to attract new jobs,” she said. “Right now we have a $1.7 billion shortfall. I think that’s a problem. We have to take a serious look at how state money is being spent.”

Mrs. Gillmor said she believes the current system of career and technical centers and community colleges is nimble enough to prepare students for the workforce but said she believes the state’s over-burdensome tax structure is hindering the state in its efforts to draw quality jobs to Ohio.

“When I left the Senate (in 1997), Ohio’s aggregate tax burden was 20th in the country. Now it’s fifth,” she said.

Recent studies place Ohio at 46th in attractiveness to business, largely because of the heavy tax load.

Mr. Reinhard said he supports efforts to reduce or eliminate estate taxes and continuing to find ways to lower property taxes.

“The biggest thing is to control government growth,” he said. “Some agencies are very good at helping with that, but others still need help.”

Mrs. Gillmor pointed to her record, in which she sponsored a bill to eliminate two unnecessary state agencies.

“In the Senate, I voted to cut taxes 46 times,” she said. “I would have to come back and look at all the issues and work with Senate budget director Brian Perera to determine where we can make cuts.”

On the alternative energy issue, Mr. Reinhard said he is a strong proponent of ethanol, or corn-derived fuel, as well as biodiesel fuel.

“I have been very active in biofuels with a lot of the legislation I have sponsored,” he said, noting that he supports Ohio Department of Transportation’s efforts to increase the agency’s use of biodiesel fuel blends.

Mrs. Gillmor said she discussed the issue extensively with her late husband and believes a combination of traditional and alternative energy sources are the best option.

“We will still have to drill for oil and use clean coal, but we do have to reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” she said. “The research universities are looking at alternative energy sources but they have to be as affordable and nonpolluting as possible.”

Among other issues, Mrs. Gillmor said the state needs to do a better job making sure residents have access to affordable healthcare, find a way to combat the mushrooming Medicaid budget and stem illegal immigration into the state.

Mr. Reinhard said he would like to address farmland preservation and combat urban sprawl by offering tax incentives to business and housing developers that are willing to redevelop older metropolitan areas of Ohio’s cities.

26th Senate
Name: Karen Gillmor
Age: 60
Hometown: Tiffin
Occupation: Strategic planner
Political experience: Elected twice to Ohio Senate District 26, served 1993-1997; appointed to State Employee Relations Board, 1997-2007
Education: Bachelor’s in elementary education and French, Michigan State University, 1969; master’s counseling, doctorate finance, The Ohio State University, 1970, 1981
Family: Husband, the late U.S. Congressman Paul Gillmor; children, Linda (Tom) Gable, Julie (Kevin) Horne, Paul Michael, 15, twins Connor and Adam, 11; three grandchildren
Priorities: Economic development, healthcare, education
Name: Steve Reinhard
Age: 40
Hometown: Bucyrus
Occupation: Farmer and teacher
Political experience: Ohio House District 82, 2001- 2008 Education: Graduated Wynford High School 1986; bachelor’s in agricultural economics and agricultural education, The Ohio State University, 1991
Family: Unmarried
Priorities: Education, alternative fuels, economic development

• Paul Gillmor , Recent News
• Comments(0)

Press Office January 29th, 2008

Gillmor will have full-backing of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee in bid for 26th Senate District

COLUMBUS - Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) today pledged full support of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee to elect Karen Gillmor as the next state Senator from the 26th Senate District, which includes all of Crawford, Logan, Marion, Sandusky, Union, Wyandot counties and portions of Ottawa and Seneca counties.

Harris noted that Gillmor, who previously served in the Ohio Senate from 1993 through 1997, has demonstrated not only that she can win an election, but that she will be an effective voice for her region as the Senate works to make Ohio an even better place to live, learn and work.

“Now, more than ever, we need experienced leadership on creating jobs, revitalizing our state economy and ensuring our families are safe, healthy, and getting the best education to prepare them for the future,” President Harris said. “Karen Gillmor is the ideal leader to represent the 26th Senate District during this time of great challenges and even greater opportunity.”

Karen Gillmor has worked in the fields of education, health care and finance in both the public and private sectors in Ohio for more than two decades. In 1992, Gillmor was elected to the State Senate, where she quickly rose through the ranks, serving as chair of the influential Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee and the State & Local Government & Veterans’ Affairs Committee. There, she worked diligently to encourage business development and the creation of new jobs. Gillmor sponsored legislation to create a tax credit to encourage manufacturers to invest in new equipment, encouraging increased productivity and leading to more than $2 billion in new investments by 400 Ohio companies over a period of two years. As vice chair of the Senate Health Committee, Gillmor also worked to advance women’s health care in Ohio and to both expand access to and improve the quality of daycare for children.

Gillmor was re-elected to a second term in 1996. Late in 1997, then-Governor George Voinovich tapped Gillmor to serve as vice chairman of the State Employment Relations Board (SERB), where she has served for the last decade, working to adjudicate labor disputes between public employers and employees. Throughout her service, Gillmor has remained active in the region as a trustee of Heidelberg College (Tiffin), the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center (Fremont) as well as the National First Ladies Library (Canton).

Gillmor was married to the late Congressman Paul E. Gillmor, a former president of the Ohio Senate, with whom she has three sons, Paul Michael, Connor and Adam.

• Paul Gillmor , Press Releases , Recent News
• Comments(0)

Press Office December 23rd, 2007

Military cadets say Gillmor unwavering in his sense of duty
‘He took care of us,’ appointee says
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071223/NEWS17/712230344

December 23, 2007
From the Toledo Blade

By JENNIFER FEEHAN

As a freshman last year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, James McKinney will never forget the care packages that showed up at his door just when he needed a boost.

Microwave popcorn, cookies, and chocolate would arrive at crucial times - not from Mom and Dad, but courtesy of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor (R., Tiffin).

“Life isn’t very fun when you’re a freshman,” Mr. McKinney, 20, of Bowling Green recalled. “A bunch of the other cadets didn’t get them from their senators or congressmen, so I shared the wealth.”

With Mr. Gillmor’s unexpected death Sept. 5 from a fall down the steps of his Arlington, Va., townhouse, many of the cadets and midshipmen from northwest Ohio who were nominated to the nation’s service academies by Mr. Gillmor felt like they’d lost a supporter and a friend.

Last night, at the military service academy ball held at Nazareth Hall, they paid tribute to the late congressman, who some say was responsible for more academy appointments during his 19 years in Washington than any other member of Congress.

“When you are depressed at school, and yes it happens quite frequently, something from home can always hit the spot,” Kiel Towns of Perrysburg, a senior at West Point, said in a presentation to Mr. Gillmor’s wife, Karen. “Your husband did that for us. Every year, he took care of us, and let us know that we were being thought of. He did not have to do that. I would have voted for him anyhow.”

In addition to the memorable goodie boxes, Mr. Gillmor hosted a reception each December where nominees were introduced and encouraged to talk with area students who already were attending the prestigious academies. Mr. Gillmor’s staff also would check on cadets through the school year, take them out to breakfast, and make sure they were all right.

Mark Wellman, Mr. Gillmor’s former chief of staff, said working with students before - and after - their appointments was one of the favorite roles of the congressman and his staff.

“You spend so much of your time helping people who are having trouble and for a few hours of the year you get to deal with the best and the brightest,” Mr. Wellman said. “When the congressman would pick up the phone and call someone to tell them they’d been appointed to West Point or Annapolis, it really changed their lives.

“It’s a lot of work, but the really fun part is watching them develop as young officers and go off and serve their country. We didn’t want to give them up once they got there.”

Mr. Gillmor did not attend one of the academies but served as an Air Force judge advocate during the Vietnam War.

“As an Air Force veteran, he knew firsthand how important it was to have a strong military,” said Brad Mascho, another former staff member. “Also, he felt it was a lasting legacy he could leave behind. For 19 years he got to [nominate] some of our best students to the service academies and follow their careers through to the end … He knew it truly was going to change their lives.”

Each senator and representative can have five appointees from their district attending the service academies at a time. Whenever one of his or her appointees graduates or resigns, the congressman may nominate 10 students to fill the spot.

Mr. Wellman said Mr. Gillmor was able to fill many more vacancies at the academies by having a slate of qualified nominees in place that the academies could choose from when there were more openings than appointments or if some members of Congress did not fill all of their slots. A couple of years, he said, Mr. Gillmor’s office was able to get 9 of its 10 nominees into the academies.

“At one point, we had 24 cadets at West Point. That was our high mark,” Mr. Wellman said.

Mrs. Gillmor said her husband set up a service academy board made up of people from all walks of life from across the district that would interview applicants for the academies. The board would then make recommendations to Mr. Gillmor.

“He always said that growing up in a small town such as he did, he believed, allowed him to really develop his leadership skills because there was always room on the basketball team. There was always room in student government, and there was so much personal attention for the students,” she said. “Of course the 5th Congressional District primarily is small towns and many of these students might not have a college education otherwise, but they very much have the commitment and dedication to go through this not only rigorous academic training but rigorous physical conditioning and make the decision to serve their country.”

Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown formerly worked in Mr. Gillmor’s district office and later served on the service academy board.

“It was really amazing to see a member of Congress take the process so seriously,” Mr. Brown said. “I think he just cared about the youth and giving them a fair and ample shot at attending one of the nation’s military academies. You would hear the term, these are the leaders of tomorrow, but they were, in his eyes, the leaders of today.”

Bob Latta, who was elected to complete Mr. Gillmor’s term, said he plans to carry on his predecessor’s commitment.

“It’s very important because those are your future military leaders in this country,” Mr. Latta said. “When you look at the investment that we put into each cadet or midshipman, it’s a lot of dollars. We want to make sure we have the best and brightest attending the academies, and in my opinion, it’s probably the greatest education in the United States.”

• Paul Gillmor
• Comments(0)