Ohio Inspector General admits to being hindered in his quest for justice and transparency

From John Curry, Aug. 27, 2006

"Charles has gone to the governor and legislature in the past to get broader power to monitor the Ohio Historical Society and the state pension systems."

"Our efforts to expand have not been well received," Charles said.

Note from John - Did Mr. Charles stick his neck out by saying his feelings on this matter? I think so, and I admire him for saying what he did! After all, Taft has the authority to appoint his position!! Mr. Charles was originally appointed to his position by then Governor Voinovich in 1998 and reappointed by Taft after Bobby became our beloved (!) Governor. It appears that not even Mr. Charles is happy with the hindrances that have been imposed upon him - who can blame him?

"The inspector general is appointed by the governor, subject to the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate. His term coincides with that of the governor. The staff of the Office of Inspector General serve at the pleasure of the inspector general."

"In addition to an inspector general, the Office of Inspector General is statutorily comprised of deputy inspectors general and support staff." -- a statement from the IG's website

Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006
Politics of ethics play out on trail By Dennis J. Willard Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau COLUMBUS - When Ted Strickland focuses on other issues in stump speeches and omits any reference to the culture of corruption and ethical problems in Columbus and Washington he hears about it anyway. ``People come up to me and ask me about it,'' the Democratic candidate for governor said. They want to talk about Bob Taft, the first governor to be found guilty of ethical charges while in office, or Tom Noe, the Republican fundraiser and the coin collector who received more than $55 million in unbid contracts and is scheduled for trial in October. Some ask about the $200 million-plus lost through sweetheart deals at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation or U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Heath, and his golf trip to Scotland with Jack Abramoff, the convicted federal lobbyist. Others raise the specter of the war in Iraq and blame President Bush for misleading the American public. ``It's invading the consciousness of the people,'' Strickland said. His Republican opponent, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, knows too well in this election year, unlike any since 1990, there exists a heightened public perception that things have gone terribly wrong in state government and that Ohio's 11 million people have suffered as a result. Ohio's economy is almost stalled; the unconstitutional school-funding system has gone unaddressed; public university tuition is skyrocketing; and in nearly two decades of decline one party has controlled almost all of state government. So Blackwell, the candidate of choice for the Republicans who possess keys to every office in state government, is running as an outsider within his own party. ``It hasn't been lost on people that I at times have been the toughest critic of the Taft administration,'' Blackwell said. He points to being the only statewide official not invited to Noe's 50th birthday party in the Toledo area. He removed Noe's wife, Bernadette, from her position on the Lucas County Board of Elections. Still, Republicans are ubiquitous, and Strickland believes a political culture fueled by arrogance of power and freed from checks and balances has developed, allowing individuals to game the system. He blames Blackwell for not watching the public funds during his tenure as state treasurer, before becoming secretary of state in 1999. ``The best thing you can say for some of them is they just sat by and said nothing,'' Strickland said. Pay-to-play culture And the Democrat said Blackwell's recent meeting with more than 60 contractors and the Ohio Department of Transportation's director, Gordon Proctor, is a sign that the pay-to-play culture in Columbus will not change if the Republican is elected governor. Strickland said these contractors contribute millions of dollars to political campaigns and, in return, often receive lucrative state contracts, many unbid. ``For me, it's unethical behavior that borders on illegal,'' Strickland said, adding state officeholders are desensitized to public perceptions and that the people of Ohio are angry about this behavior. Blackwell thinks Strickland has no basis to criticize him for meeting with contractors. ``He had a fundraiser with many of those who attended my policy round table that very night. That's all I have to say on that,'' Blackwell said. And he criticized Strickland for having Bill Burga as a ``top general'' on the campaign. Blackwell said he called for Burga to resign from his post on the Bureau of Workers' Compensation's Workers' Compensation Oversight Commission for failing to properly monitor investment policies at the agency. One of Blackwell's ethics reform planks would privatize the BWC. Ohio is one of only three states that continue to operate the insurance fund for injured workers through a public body. Blackwell said there is an inherent conflict of interest in the current system because the investment arm of the bureau is consistently pushed to take risks to lower the insurance rates. ``We're the caboose on this engine,'' Blackwell said. Plans for transparency Blackwell is also banking on technology to address ethical and corruption problems at the Statehouse. He wants to create an online system where citizens could access a comparative spreadsheet to review contracts with the state, contributions on file at the secretary of state's office, business holdings with the Ohio Ethics Commission, lobbying status and gifts from contractors to public officials. ``Transparency and real-time information would assist all of the oversight agencies dealing with ethics and the provisions of conflicts of interest from the inspector general to the ethics commission investigatory staff,'' Blackwell said. ``Information and having information is powerful. We can make this overly complicated, but we don't have to when technology makes it relatively simple,'' Blackwell said. Strickland said ethical behavior cannot be legislated, but a leader can put standards in place and hold his employees responsible. He said he will set an example of following not only the letter of the law but the spirit, as well, and hire people of top character and integrity who possess a ``Peace Corps spirit.'' Strickland said he will hold people accountable for missteps in his administration, remove them immediately and send a message to others that unethical behavior will not be tolerated. And he will also push for greater transparency and disclosure so the public can review the inner workings of government to feel more assured that pay-to-play does not exist. ``I released my tax returns. Mr. Blackwell has not. I think it's an appropriate thing to do for anyone who seeks the governor's office,'' Strickland said. Blackwell said he has reported his investments and salaries annually on financial disclosure statements with the Ohio Ethics Commission. ``Mr. Strickland has a preoccupation with my net worth, while I'm concerned about increasing the net worth of the working families of Ohio by growing our economy and creating jobs,'' Blackwell said. Beyond those platitudes, however, Strickland admits his plans are still in the developmental stage. For example, the unbid contracts he is quick to criticize are not to be banned outright because there are times when a specific skill or material or product necessitates a single contractor, Strickland said. ``I've been thinking about that,'' Strickland said, adding he would like to see a watchdog -- perhaps bipartisan -- group given the authority to scrutinize contracts to determine whether patterns of preferential treatment are developing. Expanding oversight He said he has considered expanding the Ohio Inspector General's Office to be more proactive in reviewing contracts, and would ensure appropriate funding would be availed to complete the job. Currently, the Inspector General's Office is limited to investigating potential wrongdoing in the executive branch, and his authority does not extend to the four independently elected statewide offices. Although Strickland has criticized Republicans elected as attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer for doing little to combat ethical problems in state government, he does not believe the inspector general should have investigatory power over those four offices because they are directly elected by voters in Ohio. Instead, an oversight authority, distinct from the governor's office, should be established to monitor those offices, he said. Neither candidate nor their campaign representatives have spent much time talking to the people and organizations responsible for monitoring behavior in state government. When top ethics watchers were asked if anyone from the camps had asked for advice on these issues -- including Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles, Ohio Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe, Ohio Ethics Commission Executive Director David Freel, Common Cause of Ohio's outreach director Samuel Gresham, and Ohio Citizen Action lobbyist Catherine Turcer -- each responded monosyllabically and emphatically: ``No.'' Not that they don't have ideas. Turcer said simple, relatively inexpensive measures could be employed to improve the ethical culture in Ohio, starting with fuller, broader disclosure, making the system as open as possible and imposing stiffer penalties on violators. She agrees with Blackwell's proposal to create a database to cross-check contributions by companies and individuals with state contracts. Turcer said the Ohio Ethics Commission's filings should be online and immediately accessible, and the filing systems at the Joint Legislative Ethics Commission is so user-unfriendly that it discourages people from checking. ``If they want my advice and they want my suggestions, then I am here,'' Turcer said. Charles, the inspector general, said he has never discussed ethics or potential changes with Blackwell, Strickland or their representatives. Charles has gone to the governor and legislature in the past to get broader power to monitor the Ohio Historical Society and the state pension systems. ``Our efforts to expand have not been well received,'' Charles said. Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in California, said the trend in most states is for legislators to restrict, rather than expand, ethics laws and the groups with oversight authority. ``Only if there is a scandal involving usually the governor -- and of course you have had one in Ohio -- will legislators respond and give more authority to ethics agencies,'' Stern said. Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com