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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > November > 21 > Entry
Four more workers disciplined in “Joe the Plumber” snooping case
Four more senior staffers in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services got taken to the state woodshed on Friday, Nov. 21 in the “Joe the Plumber” snooping case. Two were suspended without pay - one for four weeks, a second for two weeks.
The action comes a day after Gov. Ted Strickland suspended department director Helen Jones-Kelley of Clayton for a month without pay. Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles found that Jones-Kelley improperly authorized searches of state databases to get information on Samuel Jospeh - “Joe the Plumber” - Wurzelbacher and improperly used her state e-mail account to raise money for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The staffers and their punishment, handed out by Jan Allen, acting department director:
*Fred Williams, assistant director
Two weeks unpaid suspension
Specific professional development counseling
Agency-wide ethics training
*Doug Thompson, deputy director of child support
Four weeks unpaid suspension
Specific professional development counseling
Agency-wide ethics training
Paul Fraunholtz, deputy director of family stability
Written reprimand
Specific professional development counseling
Agency-wide ethics training
Judi Cicatiello, deputy director of unemployment compensation
Written reprimand
Specific professional development counseling
Agency-wide ethics training
In his report, Inspector General Charles said that Williams and Thompson, who like Jones-Kelley formerly worked in Montgomery County, met with Kelley before she decided to authorize searches on child support, unemployment compensation and public assistance.
Thompson also “orchestrated” and e-mail to the department chief privacy officer in an attempt “to deceive as there was no agency function or purpose for accessing Wurzelbacher’s records,” the report said.
Fraunholtz and Cicatiello oversaw two of the confidential databases accessed to collect information on Wurzelbacher, the report said, and were responsible for “ensuring that access to these databases is limited to the furtherance of the agency’s functions or purposes.”
State Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, who is preparing legislation to clamp down on government snooping, said Williams and Thompson should be fired.
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Comments
By Ice Bandit
November 28, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this
Let me see if I got this right. A bureaucrat uses the full force and technology of the state to blackmail a Joe Sixpak citizen and members of the Obama personality cult are defending it? Perhaps the McCainites dark forecasts of four years of the Great Helmsman are not just sour grapes and paranoid ramblings…..By Gregory
November 27, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this
Bush exposed a CIA agent and spied on Americans phone and e-mail service. What the office workers did to the fake plumber is an isolated incident they should be punished, but Bush should be impeached!By Thomas D. Porter
November 25, 2008 11:49 PM | Link to this
All of the additional staffers were in supervisory positions in their respective departments, had knowledge of the rules & regulations governing their behaviors in these situations. All need to be terminated immediately and have the forfieture of all their OPERS Service Credits.By Rob
November 25, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
Just curious - what ever came out about Mr. Wurzelbacher that constituted an invasion of his provacy?By Ron
November 25, 2008 6:43 AM | Link to this
They should all be fired. They tried to influence a election. That is the bottom line.By mwm
November 24, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
And so was the outing of a CIA agent. Seems that was dismissed by Bush. Even though, it is a felony.By Ethel S.
November 24, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this
Wasting time on the job, exposing a person’s private information, and playing politics on a government job (the Hatch Act) destroys confidence in the Strickland administration. We deserve better and so does the person hurt by these illegal acts. A sad day for all of us.By mwm
November 23, 2008 5:42 PM | Link to this
It was joe the whatever he is, the guy that is not a plumber, that is not named joe, that was not going to purchase a business and who owed back taxes. So what. So he was discovered as the fraud that he is. A little internet research of Joe, the not plumber, not buying a business, and owing back taxes would show that the guy was a stooge of the McCain campaign. Besides, Joe the whatever he is, comments about the immoral war in Iraq and showing “freedom” to Iraqis as being the same as a person accepting Jesus was just another right wing facsist ploy.By Rob
November 23, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Not perfect is so right. Republicans ALWAYS get harsh treatment when their errors come to light. Like that time Jon Husted shook down NCR for their company jet to fly to the Alamo Bowl - I think he got like twenty years or something. That poor boy is still sitting in prison. And state Senate President Harris, when he took $3 grand from his campaign fund to pay for a country club membership - I think he still is under house arrest. And when Gov. Taft got impeached for failing to report gifts? Id that had been Strickland - he’d have gotten off with a nasty IG report. man. white guys who are Republicans ALWAYS get the shaft!By To not perfect and wrong
November 23, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
The governor is an elected official. He can’t be fired, he must be impeached or recalled, whatever the process is called for this position. However, removing the governor in this case is not appropriate nor in the best interests of the people of Ohio.By Stump
November 22, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this
Re: Doc - Stump agrees with you, we are on the same page here. She should pay a heavy price, What she did was wrong and it hurt everybody, Joe of course, but democracy too. Fire her. I know that Joe the plumber did not ask for this, it came to him. And he said what a lot of people would have said. He asked a legit question. What happened to him was terrible.By not perfect, just right!
November 22, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
Any of those involved, including the gvoernor, should be fired immediately. If it were a republican in office doing this oh how different the coverage and descipline would be! This is just the beginning of how the new democrat administration will deal with political and personal rivals. Brace yourself for more of the same in Columbus and Washington DC.By ricardo
November 22, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this
Your tax dollars at work.By Anthony
November 22, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
How can the administration only suspend Director Helen Jones-Kelly? She dispatched a letter to staff in October regarding ethical/ allowable campaigning activities, then commits the acts to which she states are not permissible. With the current economy & poor conditions in this state, how can any of her employees and constitiuents respect her or anyone else who has basically sent the message that she received a “slap on the wrist” for such unprofessional, unethical and borderline illegal activities?By mark
November 22, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this
It’s plain to see that these people took it upon themselves to go into areas that had nothing to do with their office or their jobs. And I’m quite certain that they knew that they were not supposed to be doing that. It would be like a policeman choosing to drive 100 mph. He knows he isn’t supposed to do it, but does it anyway. As for their punishment, it’s a joke. Ethics re-education training and suspension is meaningless and only intended to allow the agency to keep these people on board. They can say, publicly, that they’ve addressed the situation. What they should do to address the situation is to fire these four, who knew full well what they were doing and that it was wrong. Strickland needs to step up and fire them. This will set the tone for anyone else in gov’t positions that is contemplating doing anything below board. People need to be held accountable for their own actions.By L Berry
November 22, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this
As I remember it, Gov Strickland ran for Office on a platform to reform the Government corruption of his predecessor. First we have AG who abused office and later resigned without any criminal charges. Now we have Dept heads that not only abused office but also violated an individual’s Civil Rights to Privacy. They get unpaid time off at the Holidays. Sure looks like business as usual Govie.By Barry
November 22, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
hanging is to good for them cut the state budget, fire them and do not refill their positions. if they had the spare time on their hands then we do not need themBy So typical of those people!
November 22, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
FYIBy daniel
November 22, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
wonder how many are black and if that is why they are not fired for something like this??By daniel
November 22, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
THEY SHOULD ALL BE FIRED !!! IS THIS THE ONLY THING AND THE ONLY TIME THEY HAVE DONE WRONG ?? IVE HEARD PEOPLE THEY KNOW GET WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS THAT SHOULDNT !! YET THIS IS NEVER CHECKED !!!!By Unfair
November 22, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
It is unfair to claim the entire office of Job and Family and Child Support are involved in this type of unethical behavior. Shame on these top officials for destroying the reputations of their entire staff.By Unfair
November 22, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
It is unfair to claim the entire office of Job and Family and Child Support are involved in this type of unethical behavior. Shame on these top officials for destroying the reputations of their entire staff.By john
November 22, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
This is not “Government Abuse” of power. Rather it is abuse of office by people incorrectly feeling empowered as a result of their placement in a position of trust. We have a Government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” So “they” is “us.” They betrayed themselves, us and the Government. What to do with them? Fire them AFTER they watch “Mr Smith Goes to Washington,” 100 times…By Doug
November 22, 2008 8:21 AM | Link to this
Now,I understand how child support was run in Montgomery County corrupted and it still isBy barking bulldog
November 22, 2008 6:42 AM | Link to this
Just another example of governement abuse of power. People - wheather dems or repubs most government employees are grossly overpaid political hacks with little real world skills who hide in government building their little kingdoms in order to screw you and me. This is just another daily example of “GOVERNMENT DOESN’T DO THINGS FOR YOU - THEY DO THINGS TO YOU”By panman
November 22, 2008 6:08 AM | Link to this
It comes as NO SURPRISE to me that Family and jobs employees were involved in this. THEY ARE UNETHICAL in every way. ESPECIALLY the Child Support PEOPLE.By Tim
November 21, 2008 11:07 PM | Link to this
me nosy more than nosy. They should all be fired.By doc 6212
November 21, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this
Stump posted something at 605 - in response, Joe did not shoot his mouth off at all. Obama was doing a photo op, canvassing his neighborhood. Joe simply asked a legit question, and Obama stepped in it. That made national news and all these hack,grossly overpaid, political appointees tried to dig up some dirt. This doesn’t even qualify as getting their hands slapped. I hope Joe sues gov. Ted for zillions for invasion of his privacy.By Concerned Citizen
November 21, 2008 8:53 PM | Link to this
Doug Thompson—how the mightly have fallen. If he would have abused client files at his former employer—DPL (where he was a manager in various departments,would have been fired before lunch-Shame on you Doug!!!By jak3611
November 21, 2008 8:17 PM | Link to this
They should be fired. All they got was a slap on the hand. Nice job DemsBy Joe
November 21, 2008 8:00 PM | Link to this
Lets look at this situation pragmatically. Had Helen been a white male in a state law enforcement agency, and said white male used government data bases to dig up dirt on a citizen of this state that was political in nature, said white male would have been FIRED. The double standard and lack of trust we now have in our Gov. is dishearteningBy menosy
November 21, 2008 6:44 PM | Link to this
I’m nosy and I will look up whoever I wanna including various email address from these posters.By menosy
November 21, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
I’m nosy and I will look up whoever I wannaBy stump
November 21, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
Good but the person who started it all should be fired. I know it rough but the larger issue is being able as a citizen to exercise your freedoms. And yes for the record I am a Dem and voted a straight ticket. This stuff works both ways. It was stupid, short sighted and really did not help anyone’s campaign. It was an attempt at destroying Joe’s reputation. He did not do anything wrong. He just shot off his mouth like the rest of us do every single day. Nothing wrong with that.By Jim
November 21, 2008 5:54 PM | Link to this
There’s no excuse for this type of behavior from state officials. I guess they felt the need to flush Joe out. Joe was a guy they didn’t need to worry about. Joe was nothing more than a political gimmick, just like Sarah Palin.