Clermont County Courts

Schmidt: Ethics case not my fault

Some other thoughts U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt shared during her meeting Thursday with the Enquirer's editorial board:

Called the debt-ceiling deal "very dramatic and dynamic....the budget control act was probably one of the hardest decisions Congress has had. It's what causes consternation with the taxpayers," adding, "I wish we'd cut more than we did."

Says there should be no "sacred cows" as Washington tries to cut spending. "The overspending has to stop. Everything has to be on the table. We have to have the courageous appetite to make these cuts."

Called raising taxes "a quick fix in the short term, but can have wrong consequences in the long run."

Says fixing Social Security is easier than fixing Medicare. "With Social Security, you can figure that out. I don't have the solution, but we know what it costs and when it's coming."

On the GOP candidates for 2012 presidential election: "No one's really caught my attention. They've all got strengths I like."

On President Barack Obama's run for re-election: "I think, in all honesty, if this president doesn't turn this economy around, this is his presidency to lose."

U.S. Rep Jean Schmidt took no blame and said she did nothing wrong in her dealings with a Turkish-American group that provided $500,000 in free legal services to her.

The House Ethics Committee ruled last week that Schmidt did not "knowingly" violate any House rules or laws in taking the free legal help from the Turkish Coalition of America and its legal arm. It ordered her to pay it back, something Schmidt says she always planned to do.

In a meeting with Enquirer editors and reports Tuesday, Schmidt blamed her lawyers, the House ethics committee and people who have "muddied the water and confused the situation."

"I exercised all the oversight I could've," Schmidt said.

While the House ethics committee cleared her, an independent board that reviews ethics complaints and forwards them to the ethics committee, found there was "substantial reason to believe" she had broken House rules in accepting the $500,000 in legal fees.

That report from the Office of Congressional Ethics was included in the full 488-page ethics report released Friday. The Office of Congressional Ethics sent the matter to the House Ethics Committee, which then absolved Schmidt. But the committee did say that Schmidt could have signed a written agreement with lawyers clearly stating who was paying for the services.

The Clermont Sun » Royalty crowned at the 2011 Clermont County Fair

The first evening of the Clermont County Fair was bitter-sweet as it marked the farewell of the 2010 fair royalty and the final competition and crowning of the 2011 royalty.

For the 2010 royalty, it was their turn to say goodbye. And while this brought some tears, it was also a time for the royalty to reflect on how much fun they had in their positions.

“I was so honored to represent Clermont County as fair queen during my last year in 4-H,” Olivia Enriquez said. “4-H has been one of the best things I have ever been a part of.”

Enriquez said the time she spent as fair queen provided her with many great experiences and she highlighted some of the things she did while she was queen as well as some of the things she learned.

“Don’t let your parents do all the work,” Enriquez said about 4-H competitions. “Immerse yourself in your project.”

Roger Sannes, 2010 fair king, also described his experiences, and while he said being king involved a lot of hard work and commitment, he would not have traded the opportunity.

The evening continued with the final question for fair king and queen contestants. Contestants were asked to leave the room to ensure they couldn’t hear the question and returned to the stage to the music of their choice, which was selected to reflect their personality.

Ashley Willis, who was the emcee for the evening, asked the contestants to explain what they would include on a tour of the Clermont County Fair and why.

“First of all my tour would include all the animals and children,” JT Carpenter said.

Carpenter said he would tour the 4-H hall and also the Senior Fair Board office, because those are the people who make the fair great.

“All aspects of 4-H,” Shelby Church said about what she would include on her tour. “4-H makes you the person you are.”

While judges were deliberating over the final decision, the pre-determined winners for breed representatives as well as the 2011 prince and princess were announced.

Sydney Snider is the 2011 caprine representative, Dakota Wise is the small animal representative, Allison Starrett is sheep representative, Carley Snider is swine representative, Hailee Lewis is dairy cattle representative and Nicole Sannes is beef queen.

Nathan Francis was chosen as the 2011 fair prince, and Sam Plante was selected as fair princess from a deep field of girls.

“I kind of freaked out,” Plante said about hearing she was princess. “This is the third year I’ve tried. I am really excited to represent Clermont County 4-H.

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