COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s Democratic Party chairman
criticized how the lieutenant governor has handled two staffers’
resignations, claiming Thursday that relying on the state’s inspector
general, who used to work for her, was not the best response.
Republican
Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor’s chief of staff and the administrative assistant
to the chief of staff resigned last week after irregularities were found
in their timesheets.
Taylor’s office discovered the timesheet
problems while responding to a public records request made in April by
the Democratic-leaning blog Plunderbund. The blog asked for payroll
records, timesheets and parking logs.
The documents showed the two
women’s reported working hours and their parking garage and building
entry logs did not match, according to Taylor’s office.
Taylor referred the matter to the state’s inspector general and the State Highway Patrol to review.
Democratic
party chairman Chris Redfern told reporters at a Thursday news
conference that relying on Inspector General Randall Meyer to
investigate the issue was "not a credible response," because Meyer
worked for Taylor when she was state auditor.
Taylor spokesman
Chris Brock declined to comment further on her actions, saying only of
Redfern’s charge: "I’m not sure what he means by that."
Meyer served as chief investigator at the auditor’s office from 2007 to 2011, while Taylor was at the
helm.
A
spokesman for the watchdog’s office said it does not discuss the
complaints it receives until after an investigation is completed.
As
to Meyer’s objectivity, spokesman Carl Enslen said, "He is sworn to be
impartial and will be in any of the matters that he addresses."
Taylor and Gov. John Kasich are running for re-election this fall.
Republicans
have previously accused Kasich’s Democratic challenger, Ed FitzGerald,
of politicizing the Cuyahoga County watchdog’s office. FitzGerald serves
as the county’s executive.
The county inspector general reviews
FitzGerald’s campaign receipts against the county payroll and a list of
appointees to boards and commissions, flagging conflicts for automatic
return. The GOP has said that amounts to campaign work on the taxpayer’s
dime.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Republican Party threatened to sue
FitzGerald to obtain his county key-card records, detailing his comings
and goings.
The county denied a public records request for the records from the Northeast Ohio Media Group, citing
security concerns.
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