" Ethical Bob" Taft has some splainin' to do

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The Daily Bellwether
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Ohio Workers Comp: Taft Campaign Refunds 27Gs

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- When Republican Gov. Bob Taft left office earlier this month, his "Friends of Governor Taft" campaign committee quietly filed its finance report with the secretary of state's office. But there was a $26,844 bombshell that lay unnoticed in the Jan. 8 spending report. The expenditure of that sum is labeled a ''contribution refund" to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation from Taft's campaign acount.

Assuming that the report is correct -- and it was prepared by an accounting firm paid by Friends of Governor Taft -- the entry strongly suggests a branch of state government made an improper political donation to its boss's campaign committee. The refund was made on Nov. 16, 2006, not long after Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland beat Ken Blackwell and ended 16 years of GOP control of the state's highest office.

Some may wonder: Isn't it unethical for a state government agency to use public money to finance campaigns? The answer: It is.

Interestingly, there does not seem to be a record showing that the OBWC made any financial contributions.

The expenditure report is available HERE on Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's campaign finance site. The Daily Bellwether found the refund today when 2006 campaign finance fundraising and spending reports were due.
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link to Brunner's report: http://www1.sos.state.oh.us/pls/portal/PORTAL_CF.CF_QRY_CAND_EXPAND_DETAILS.SHOW?p_arg_names=report_key&p_arg_values=91956