Paul Kostyu: GOP candidates dance between party loyalty, distance from scandal

Canton Repository, Oct. 3, 2006

Paul E. Kostyu, Copley Columbus Bureau
.....(Photo: Paul Kostyu)

COLUMBUS -- President Ronald Reagan is credited with saying that the 11th commandment is that “a Republican shall not criticize a fellow Republican.”

Ohio Republican candidates for statewide offices are having a tough time abiding by the commandment because of the various scandals that have rocked state government, which has been controlled by Republicans for 12 years.

In his run for governor, J. Kenneth Blackwell basically ignored the commandment, publicly criticizing current Gov. Bob Taft and his primary election opponent, Attorney General Jim Petro. Now that Petro is out of the way, the commandment is back in play, and we don’t hear Blackwell taking on the lame-duck Taft as much. The governor actually hosted a fundraiser for Blackwell.

New Republican blood is running in three of the four statewide office races — secretary of state, auditor and treasurer. There is recycled blood in the attorney general’s race.

Asked their plans should they be elected, Republicans do a careful dance because fellow Republicans occupy the offices now. The pretenders to the thrones have to distinguish themselves from the public’s perception of Republicans, while staying linked to the party. They don’t want to sound like Democrats criticizing the pay-to-play culture in Columbus. Inevitably, however, they do.

“Ohioans are telling me they’re tired ... of pay to play,” said Sandra O’Brien, the Republican candidate for treasurer. “They’re tired of influence peddling. They’re just tired of it, and that’s the reason I’m running.”

O’Brien said this while trying to criticize Democratic opponent Richard Cordray’s fundraising efforts with financial institutions, until she admitted she had approached the same people he did.

Republican Mary Taylor, who is running for state auditor, said that there needs to be structural changes to the office and that it should have been able to prevent the investment scandals at the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Taylor was careful not to mention by name the current auditor, fellow Republican Betty Montgomery, who is running for attorney general.

“We need the structural changes regardless of who is in office,” Taylor said, adding that the public’s trust needs to be rebuilt.

Republican Greg Hartmann, a candidate for secretary of state, said there has to be a nonpartisan approach to running Ohio’s elections and the secretary should not advocate for a particular ballot issue or candidate. Two years ago, Blackwell, the current secretary, co-chaired the George W. Bush campaign in Ohio and very publicly promoted the constitutional ban on gay marriages.

Hartmann said the secretary needs to be more “hands on” with giving boards of elections better and more consistent guidance, implying, of course, that Blackwell is detached from the needs of local officials.

Montgomery and Blackwell are trying to convince voters they danced with different partners in different rooms and are not part of the Statehouse political culture that has Ohioans so upset.

The Ohio two-step is a difficult dance that all Republicans are trying to master this year.

Reach Copley Columbus Bureau Chief Paul E. Kostyu at (614) 222-8901 or e-mail: paul.kostyu@cantonrep.com