Cleveland.com/Associated Press:

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Moms for Ohio, a tiny political action committee that funds mainly Republican candidates and causes, got a feel-good introduction to politics with support of a pledge-of-allegiance license plate.

Creation of the plate in 2004 was a legislative victory for the group, which was founded by a handful of moms in northeast Ohio looking for more say in what laws are passed.

Please use this link to view NBC's coverage of Moms & The Pledge

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From The Plain Dealer:
May 2006 

"Columbus – When public school students return to class this fall, they could see a prominent new name among the student body – God."

The General Assembly this week passed a bill that would require public schools to post donated copies of the U.S. or Ohio mottoes, each of which contain the word "God."

House Bill 184 requires the phrases to be framed or printed, 8.5 x 11 inches, free of any image other than the motto words and the American or Ohio flag, and not paid for at taxpayer expense. Any person or group could donate the mottoes.

The national motto is "In God We Trust"; the state's is "With God All Things Are Possible."

"June 20, 2006 – SmokeFreeOhio is proud to announce that the campaign received its 400th endorsement supporting smoke-free workplaces and public places in Ohio. SmokeFreeOhio has a broad coalition of businesses, organizations, and agencies from every corner of the state. Supporters include doctors, nurses, hospitals, parents, teachers, churches, restaurants, bars and many other businesses that care about the health of their employees and their customers."

To read this article, please visit The American Cancer Society 

Sun News: 

Moms for Ohio, a locally based political action group, handed out awards last week, honoring area politicians, a former mayor and a police officer.

We just thought as moms, it was really important to recognize a lot of good that goes on in public services and in our community and we thought it was important to recognize law enforcement as well, said Theresa Fleming, who co-founded Moms two years ago in an effort to give Ohio's families a voice in government.

Mayor Tom Perciak was the recipient of an award for leading the way in economic development and giving families in Northeast Ohio hope.

"To read this story, please visit Sun News" 

By Doug Clifton, Editor of The Plain Dealer

"Nothing warms the heart of an open government advocate like an encounter with others of like mind. Last week the Parma Senior Citizens Center was filled with them - or at least half filled.

The occasion was a seminar on Ohio's Sunshine statute, the laws that open most government records to public review and require most meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public.

Parma Mayor Dean DiPiero organized the seminar for members of his administration and public officials from nearby towns and cities. Lisa Woo Fate, Auditor General Betty Montgomery's public records specialist, walked the audience through the ins and outs of the law.

Later in the program Ms. Fate joined first amendment lawyer Dave Marburger, Joyce McFadden, publisher of the Gazette, a community newspaper and me for a panel discussion on the issue.

That Mayor DiPiero had organized the event was more than enough to brighten the day of this professional skeptic. But questions from the audience put it over the top.

Many were from a group called Moms for Ohio, a group advocating on a range of issues they believe will make Ohio a better place to raise children. I'm not certain of the groups entire agenda but what became clear was their passion for open government.

I pointed out that Ohio's law has a major flaw, it puts the burden of enforcement on the backs of citizens.

If you are denied a public record that is unambiguously open your recourse is to hire a lawyer and challenge the denial in court. You bear the cost, which can quickly come to thousands of dollars. And if you win - i.e. if the denial is deemed to be inappropriate - the official who refused you the record faces no consequences. You, on the other hand, must pay your lawyer.

The law allows the court to award you attorney's fees but more often than not, it denies them. The Moms didn't like that at all.

When I told them that The Plain Dealer would launch a campaign to improve the law, the principal Mom in attendance, Theresa Fleming, said sign us up.

That's music to the ears of open government advocates, a group, I argue that should count among its number every citizen in the state. If you pay taxes and are not a zealot about open government, you need to ask yourself why.

What office holders do behind closed doors is almost always not in your best interest. Without clear, strong open record laws then government mismanagement, waste and malfeasance goes undetected.

The only thing citizens have going for them in the fight against governmental sleight of hand is the Ohio Sunshine Law, flawed though it may be.

Until the law gets toughened, it's the best weapon a citizen has to even the imbalance of power between the government and the public. The Auditor's office puts out a manual on the law's nuts and bolts. It's available here. The Attorney General publishes a similar manual.

Read it. Then call your state legislator and complain about the law's major flaw."

From Sun News:

"STRONGSVILLE _ Moms for Ohio, a locally based political action group, handed out awards last week, honoring area politicians, a former mayor and a police officer.

We just thought as moms, it was really important to recognize a lot of good that goes on in public services and in our community and we thought it was important to recognize law enforcement as well, said Theresa Fleming, who co-founded Moms two years ago in an effort to give Ohio's families a voice in government."

To read this article, please visit Sun News 

From Sun Newspapers:

Moms speak on behalf of family

By R. DAVID HEILEMAN
Staff Writer

June 3, 2004

STRONGSVILLE —  Moms for Ohio, a new political action group with a goal of giving Ohio's families a voice in government, has already drawn the attention of a number of state and local officials who recently attended a networking event in North Royalton.

Strongsville resident Theresa Fleming said she founded "Moms," which she describes as "a non-partisan state political action committee," with the aid of local residents Sherri Bourne, Jennifer Milbrandt, Kristie Kosdrosky and Colleen Grady.

In attendance at the PAC's spring networking event, held April 29 at the Royal Vine Wine Bar in North Royalton, were state Reps. Tom Patton, R-18 of Strongsville and Jim Trakas, R-17, of Independence; State Auditor Betty Montgomery and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O'Donnell.

Parma Mayor Dean DePiero, Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby, North Royalton Mayor Cathy Luks and Strongsville Mayor Thomas P. Perciak also attended.

A recent media workshop hosted by Moms for Ohio featured guest speakers including Sun Newspapers editor Linda Kramer, WEWS-TV reporter Angie Lau and Doc Thompson, producer of WMJI-105.7 radio's "Lanigan and Malone" show.

Fleming, who was a candidate four years ago for a seat on the school board and who is currently serving as a member of the Strongsville Business Task Force, said she has been interested in local issues for a long time.

For the rest of the story, see your local Sun newspaper.

We are so grateful to each of you for your support this past year, and for the many emails we have received over the past few months.  The families who visit MomsForOhio.com come from a wide variety of states and countries.  We are very grateful for your support and hope you will continue to send in your suggestions for information you would like to see posted on this site, as well as your suggestions for our country and state.  For if there is one thing that we all share, it is a deep love for our children and a sincere desire to make our world the best possible place that it can for all of our children.  Thanks again for your support this year!

 Visitors to MomsForOhio.com include families from the following countries:

From The Columbus Dispatch:

From The Dayton Daily News:
February 2005 

"More than 50 years after it was added to the Pledge of Allegiance, "One Nation Under God" may soon be on Ohio specialty license plates. State Sen. Bob Spada, R-North Royalton, and Rep. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, today will introduce bills to add a "One Nation Under God" license plate to the 70-plus different specialty plates Ohioans motorists can purchase."

 Moms For Ohio are nurturing agenda focused on the family

When callers reach Moms For Ohio, a political action committee based in Strongsville, they sometimes ask about the sound of splashing in the background.  "I just say, 'Oh, I'm doing the dishes', said Theresa fleming, the PAC's directgor and a married mother of two.  "Yes, really, the dishes...," she assured the disbelieving caller.

A low-budget operation run out of the Fleming family kitchen, Moms for Ohio is also making a splash in the Statehouse.  The group, founded in 2004 by seven like-minded women, just registered its most public success after a petition drive for a new specialty license plate that went on sale last week. The plate, bearing an American flag, proclaims "One Nation Under God," a tribute to the Pledge of Allegiance.

But the PAC also is making a name for itself behind the scenes, pressing state lawmakers to support such issues as toughening oversight on sexual predators and promoting the use of alternative fuels. It contributes - mostly in donations of $50 or $100 - to both Democrats and Republicans."

To read this article, please visit The Plain Dealer