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Published: Monday, September 25, 2006

Candidate isn't qualified, opponent says

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The GOP candidate defends her actions, saying she's protecting taxpayer dollars.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Richard Cordray, the Democratic candidate for state treasurer, said his Republican opponent in the race isn't competent to hold the office.

Cordray, of Grove City, Franklin County's treasurer, said Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien of Rome, the Republican nominee for the state post, isn't qualified to serve as treasurer based on a number of problems.

Most notably, Cordray points to state audits of Ashtabula County conducted by Auditor Betty Montgomery, a Republican, that determined that O'Brien's office didn't have the safeguards in place to detect the embezzlement of more than $40,000 by a subordinate. State audits also determined that O'Brien paid herself $1,500 more in salary in 2004 and improperly bought a vehicle in 2003 for her department.

Response

O'Brien, Ashtabula County auditor since 1995, said she was instrumental in uncovering the embezzlement, the overpayment was a minor error that was caused by her receiving less than her full salary in 2003 and doesn't remember if the vehicle issue was a citation in a state audit, which it was.

O'Brien said getting cited in state audits is not unusual, and Cordray would know that if he had a few years under his belt as Franklin County treasurer, a position he's held only since 2003.

"I look at citations as being a huge problem, and I haven't had any," Cordray said.

O'Brien has also had run-ins with other county officeholders over payment of local projects.

But O'Brien said when she finds "fraud and corruption" she doesn't write checks for the county, one of her main duties as auditor.

"I'm known as the watchdog of taxpayer money. I'm not going to apologize for doing the right thing."

When asked if Cordray was competent to be state treasurer, O'Brien said that is a decision voters will make Nov. 7.

O'Brien and Cordray met separately today with The Vindicator to discuss the campaign.

First bid

This is O'Brien's first bid for statewide office. She defeated Treasurer Jennette Bradley of Columbus, the Republican incumbent, in the May primary. O'Brien's primary victory surprised Cordray, who ran unopposed for his party's nomination.

Cordray raised about $1.5 million through Aug. 31 for this race compared with less than $25,000 in contributions for O'Brien. O'Brien isn't seeking re-election to her county auditor position, but said she wasn't planning to do so even if she didn't run for state treasurer.

"She doesn't recognize the importance of raising money because she didn't raise money in the primary and won," Cordray said. "It's different in the general election."

O'Brien doesn't see money as a huge factor.

"If money could buy the race, I wouldn't be here talking about" running for state treasurer, she said. "In every race I've run, I didn't have the most money."

She is unsure if the Ohio Republican Party will provide any money for her campaign.

The state treasurer's office employs about 110 to 120 and oversees $11 billion in assets. Cordray's office has 45 employees and handles $650 million in assets. O'Brien's office has 18 workers and doesn't handle the county's assets of about $25 million.

O'Brien doesn't see a difference between running the state treasurer's office and the job she's held since 1995.

Cordray disagrees.

"You have a person with a record of handling public finances and someone who doesn't," he said. "The contrast is pretty dramatic."

One issue the two agree on is few people focus on the "down-ticket" races such as treasurer and auditor.

This is Cordray's third statewide race, having lost the 1998 attorney general race and the 2000 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

skolnick@vindy.com

Monday, September 25, 2006