(Republican) Coroner to receive pay AND pension

[gmoney]

DAYTON | Montgomery County Coroner James Davis stood for re-election in November while planning to retire at the end of the year and then resume his job as coroner Jan. 1, simultaneously collecting his pay and pension.

The voters, however, who last month elected Republican Davis to a seventh term, didn't know of his plans, nor did Democratic Party officials when they chose not to field an opponent against Davis.

That's because last December, when Davis notified the county board of elections of his intention to retire, elections Director Chris Heizer, also a Republican, filed away Davis' letter and said nothing to the elections board, nor to Deputy Director Steve Harsman, a Democrat.

<snip>

The move, which is legal under state law, allows him to collect his $107,477 annual salary and a pension totalling about $85,000 a year.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/1217coroner.html

[shesemsmom]

1. I can tell you in Indiana it can be done only if you are out of that

office for 30 days and then you are rehired. I assume that Ohio doesn't have the same law.

[liberalnurse]

2. I think he was un-opposed.......

I did see a petition for an independent physician, Mark McNeely, going around but I do not recall his name on the ballot.

I would of voted for Davis even if he never showed up for work before i would ever let my vote go to McNeely. He has a scandalous history.....One even a die-hard liberal would cringe about.

[AngryOldDem]

3. He was

And that is part of the controversy. The Dems say that if they had known he was planning to retire, they would have found a candidate.

Legal or not, minor office or not, this whole thing is damned shady. Davis and the MontCo GOP should have been upfront about his plans. I found it amusing that in the Dayton Daily News story on Friday, Davis said he was "not relishing" the idea of a story about this. Gee, I wonder why.

I also found it funny that he was justifying his salary and pension by saying he took a big financial "hit" when he sold off his private practice to be full-time coroner. :nopity:

Give me a break.