Ohio Issue 2: Collective Bargaining Supporter Co-Opted By Anti-Union Forces [UPDATE]

WASHINGTON -- An Ohio woman who is such a strong opponent of an upcoming ballot initiative that she is willing to appear in ads opposing the measure has now found herself co-opted by the other side as the unofficial spokesperson for the anti-labor forces.

Next month, Ohio voters will be voting on Issue 2, a ballot referendum on S.B. 5, a measure that restricts collective bargaining rights for state employees, among other provisions. Opposition to the legislation inspired large protests from residents around the state earlier in the year.

The pro-labor group We Are Ohio is urging voters to vote no on Issue 2 and thus reject Republican Gov. John Kasich's controversial legislation.

Its newest ad features Cincinnati resident Marlene Quinn, who almost lost her great-granddaughter Zoey in a fire. "If not for the firefighters, we wouldn't have our Zoey today," stated Quinn in the ad. "That's why it is so important to vote no on Issue 2. Issue 2 makes it illegal to negotiate for enough firefighters to do their job."

Quinn is not an actor. She is genuinely opposed to Issue 2.

But a new ad by the pro-Issue 2 group Building A Better Ohio uses the same footage of Quinn in its own new ad -- making her a de facto spokesperson for an issue she opposes.

In the Building A Better Ohio ad, Quinn also appears onscreen and states, "If not for the firefighters, we wouldn't have our Zoey today." A narrator then jumps in and adds, "She's right. By voting no on Issue 2, our safety will be threatened."

WATCH A COMPARISON OF THE QUINN FOOTAGE IN THE TWO ADS:

"I think it's dishonest and downright deceitful that they would use footage of me to try to play tricks and fool voters," Quinn said in a statement.

"It's insulting to the brave firefighters that saved the lives of my grandson and my great-granddaughter Zoey. I'm outraged. They did not ask my permission. I feel violated. I want to stop Senate Bill 5. Everyone should vote No on Issue 2."

Building A Better Ohio did not return requests for comment.

According to Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for We Are Ohio, more than 10,000 people volunteered to collect signatures to qualify Issue 2 for the November ballot. They were required to obtain 231,149 signatures, with a certain percentage from at least 44 counties in the state. Their campaign wound up with more than 915,000 signatures certified in total from all 88 of Ohio's counties.

UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. -- The New Media Firm, which produced the original ad for We Are Ohio, noted on Twitter that it has heard from two TV stations that have decided to pull the Building A Better Ohio ad featuring the footage of Quinn: "Breaking: WSAZ in Charleston and WTAP in Parkersburg have pulled the misleading Issue Two Yes ad. #weareohio."

We Are Ohio confirmed the news to The Huffington Post. Neither WSAZ nor WTAP returned a request for further comment.

UPDATE: 4:45 p.m. -- Statement from Jason Mauk, spokesman for Building A Better Ohio:

Opponents of Issue 2 chose to use a personal story to make a political argument, but the same story makes an even more powerful case for supporting the reasonable reforms we're asking of our government employees. Without Issue 2, our communities will continue to lay off police officers and firefighters because they can't afford to pay them. By asking our government employees to pay their fair share of benefits and earn their paychecks based in part on performance, we can generate millions of dollars in savings that will keep safety forces on the job protecting the public.

The reality is opponents of Issue 2 have been caught by Ohio's largest newspapers lying in their television ads, and they've proven they'll say anything to distort the facts. They don't like our efforts to set straight their multi-million dollar campaign of dishonesty and emotional scare tactics, but we'll continue to educate Ohioans about why a yes vote is critical not only to public safety but also to the economic vitality of our state.

UPDATE: 5:48 p.m. -- A press release sent out by We Are Ohio said at least eight TV stations pulled the Building A Better Ohio ad. None of the stations returned a request for comment, nor did Building A Better Ohio.

Paul Weber, one of the Cincinnati firefighters who responded to the call saving Zoey Quinn, sharply criticized Building A Better Ohio on Tuesday.

"I applaud the decision by the stations to pull down this deeply offensive and misleading ad,” said Weber. "Marlene Quinn is deeply hurt by the deceptive use of her words. My fellow firefighters and I are outraged that anti-worker politicians have taken advantage of a senior citizen for speaking out in support of her great-granddaughter. As the incident commander and the first firefighter on the scene, I can tell you that it took a team of over 40 firefighters working together to rescue Zoey and her grandfather. Without collective bargaining, we might not have had enough firefighters on hand to save their lives. Senate Bill 5 and Issue 2 are unsafe for our community. I call on all media outlets to respect the wishes of Marlene Quinn and stop airing this deeply offensive and misleading ad."

Comments

[Vonnie6]

01:17 PM on 10/27/2011

I live in Ohio, and was married for many years to a firefighter. The truth is that the teachers, firefighters and police are making far more than the average taxpayer with the same education. They also have superior benefits, pay $20 a month for the health insurance. The teachers work eight to nine months a year and make double what the private sector does with the same education. We "buy back" sick days to the tune of 1 1/2 years salary bonus... averaging $150,000 bonus when retiring. They do not pay into Social Security, they have their own, much better plan than the private sector who is required to pay into and deal with Social Security.

Who of you that work the private sector get all of this from your employer and when you retire? It used to be that civil servants agreed to a more modest pay and in turn were given excellent benefits and security when retiring. Colllective Bargaining has gotten them superior pay and surperior benefits and retirement... on the backs of the taxpayers.

The taxpayer cannot afford to continue to pay for this. Please vote "Yes" on Issue 2.

[Sandra Moore]

05:58 AM on 11/09/2011

What you mad because hard working people have negotiated a descent wage??? I'm sure you didn't tell your firefighter husband " no darling we don't need your pay check this week, please give it back!"....Why do you hate teacher, firefighter and police officer...huh???

[Vonnie6]

01:07 PM on 11/09/2011

No, not at all. And it is completely ridiculous to jump to "hating" fire fighters, teachers and police officers.

But, this is standard behavior from a liberal. Reduce a debate to insults and anger so as to promote an argument to avoid dealing with the issue.

The negotiations have gotten out of hand. The collective bargaining got the civil servants "accrued sick days". The private sector does not get this.

Then, the negotiations got the civil servants the "buy out" of the accrued days, so the civil servant wouldn't take advantage of them. Somehow, the civil servants think they deserve the pay for the sick days they were provided in the event of a serious illness or injury.

This is outright thevery of the taxpayer and an abuse of the spirit that the sick days were given. An employee that fakes illness to use up sick days should be fired, not rewarded.

The private sector now participates in the cost of the health insurance. The civil servants do not feel they should have to do what the rest of us are doing. They are pissed off in Ohio because they are being asked for $20 a month. Ridiculous.

The private sector has the issues and problems of Social Security and the employees are forced to participate and pay into this failing system.

But, the government does not participate itself in this failing system it has created and abused, they have a separate and private retirement program.

[Vonnie6]

01:07 PM on 11/09/2011

And, on top of all that, these additional benefits were offered to civil servants because they used to take jobs that were secure, but paid lower than the private sector makes.

Now, due to collective bargaining, the civil servant also makes more than most private sector employees with similar jobs and education.

For the record, when I was married to a civil servant, the benefits were not as outrageous as they are now, nor was the pay. But, even then I kept asking him, "How do you guys expect the taxpayers to provide all this? How do you expect the City Budget to support it?"

Bottom Line: I hope all the union workers are also prepared to pay increased property taxes and payroll taxes to support all these perks you feel you are entitled to. Because that is exactly what it will take to pay for workers who work six to eight months out of the year and receive all these benefits.

Someone has to pay for all this. And that someone is the taxpayer... and that someone includes You.

Thank you for your most eloquent reply.

[roscoewpa]

05:47 AM on 10/18/2011

This lady is apparently is suffering from some form of brain damage. Apparently from some inhalation. She couldnt have asked a firefighter. I sure they would love to hear the people they rescued are wanting their benefits and pays taken from them. I wonder if the measure passes if the firefighters making minimum wage will ruse to the scene. I for one would not risk my life for minimum wage , low pay, no benefits. Apparently she is a viticm of a con artist how niaeve.

[Joe Bigg]

06:30 PM on 10/17/2011

Classic deception by the far right.

They took this right out of Paul J Goebbels propaganda manual.

[elogco]

06:18 PM on 10/17/2011

This smacks of Karl Rove tactics.

[Ken Millstead]

09:53 PM on 10/12/2011

SB5 = Issue 2 = VOTE NO! If just every teacher, cop, and firefighter, and related family members in Ohio vote NO this power grab will go down in flames. Shame on Kasich's minions.

[CherMoe]

11:40 AM on 10/12/2011

Received my mailing today from Alliance for America's Future with an address out of Alexandria, VA urging me to vote "yes" on Issue 2 because they will "weed out the bad teachers and keep the good ones". It says on the front that it's a "non-profit" organization and that it is NOT authorized by Building a Better Ohio. What a crock!!! I marked on it RETURN TO SENDER and will drop it back in the mailbox today. They're knocking on the WRONG DOOR here in Ohio. Kasich can take it and put it somewhere very dark which is where he probably came from.

[Gay-Curmudgeon]

01:07 AM on 10/12/2011

Typical trick of the Republican'ts.

[FL TallMan]

11:02 PM on 10/11/2011

Angry about the lying and deceit from these ideological rats. Let 'em know.

http://www.betterohio.org/contact-build-better-ohio

[FL TallMan]

10:56 PM on 10/11/2011

I hope there are a barrage of lawyers at Ms. Quinn's door tomorrow convincing her to sue the pro-union-busting group for unauthorized use of her image and invasion of privacy.

They supposedly have multi-million dollar donors trying to hurt workers and they can't even come up with their own television spots? Obviously they don't have the powerful message they thought they had.

[ZeraLee]

04:47 AM on 10/12/2011

It was a deliberate effort to confuse the audience.

[RepublicansAreFail]

10:26 PM on 10/11/2011

Republican­s simply can't win with their ideology. They know that Americans reject it at every level. There only hope is to dupe the people most of the time to stay in power. An educated electorate would make the GOP extinct in a heart-beat­. It's quite pathetic.

[ejfreeman]

09:56 PM on 10/11/2011

Disgusting, nothing is below the Republicans. I hope Marlene Quinn and We Are Ohio
sue "building a better ohio" over this. Seems like using her add footage should be against
the law.
Wake-Up America, WE ARE THE 99%.

[synbadd]

02:32 AM on 10/12/2011

Technically we are the 93% in this case. The union is the other 7%

[ZeraLee]

04:57 AM on 10/12/2011

You seem to misunderstand what the 99% number represents. Unions are an important part of the 99% It is unfortunate that so many of the 99%ers side with the 1%ers. It's a bit like Stockholm syndrome.

[fizzybadapple]

09:53 PM on 10/11/2011

Republicans will do anything to bust the unions. I hate every effing one of them!

[Daedalus22]

09:45 PM on 10/11/2011

This is typical of Republican campaigns. Lie. Mislead. Cite honesty and a buch of other meaningless words (to them) with the American flag waving in the background. They don't care how they win, they just want to win. It's all about power and influence to them. They should make this a campaign issue in itself--it they will lie about this, what else do you think they will lie about? Well, everything.

[synbadd]

02:34 AM on 10/12/2011

How is paying benefits that are out of whack lying?

[Don Glenn]

09:19 PM on 10/11/2011

I have seen ads in Fl. that say The Affordable Health Care Act. will raise the health care cost of every senior. It is approved by Marco. Republicans really believe that the population are just a bunch of stupid hicks, who do not pay attention to the facts and believe every lie the Republicans can put in a a slick glossy format.

[FL TallMan]

10:58 PM on 10/11/2011

The GOP has never met a fact it could not distort or lie about.

[bfrjds1981]

03:37 PM on 10/12/2011

Please tell us how great the mayor of Akron is. He is a Democrat. Sure loves our police and fire dept. doesn't he?

[synbadd]

02:34 AM on 10/12/2011

My health care bill went up about 12% last year. Does not sound very affordable to me

[Don Glenn]

06:44 AM on 10/12/2011

The insurance mandate and total bill as it was written are not in place yet. The states are still fighting it. Continue to vote Republican and your 12% increase will become an annual tax paid to shareholders.

[oldcliche]

05:06 PM on 11/03/2011

My rates have been going up for years. Did you just start purchasing into an insurance plan, only to now notice rates going up?

[liberalbug]

09:17 PM on 10/11/2011

Folks, the opposition pushing this nation towards a plutocracy is ruthless. This proves it. When will we say enough is enough? When will republican voters wake up and realize they are being had?