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Friday, September 18, 2009
Campaign donation to McLin questioned by commission candidate
By Joanne Huist Smith Staff Writer
Dayton City Commission Candidate David Esrati, on his blog, accused Mayor Rhine McLin of accepting campaign contributions from dead people.
Esrati referred to a $50 check listed on a finance report dated July 31, contributed by Selma Ohlmann, who died in February. She was removed from Montgomery County voter roles as being deceased on April 2.
A copy of the check, provided by Friends of McLin, shows the contribution came from an account belonging to Walter or Selma Ohlmann. The signature on the check is illegible.
Mayor McLin said the check was from Mr. Ohlmann.
Only one person, typically the one who signed the check, can be listed in a contributor box on a Campaign Finance Report. McLin’s treasurer listed Mrs. Ohlmann.
Betty Smith, Montgomery County’s deputy elections director, said she compared the couple’s signatures on their voter registration cards, and determined the signature on the check to be that of Walter.
“I see no crime, no foul. I think it was a clerical error,” Smith said. “ (McLin) should amend the report.”
The mayor has two years to amend the report, Smith said. McLin’s opponent Gary Leitzell said a member of his campaign copied the Esrati post onto a Twitter page that carries his name without the candidate’s knowledge. “I don’t even have a cell phone,” he said.
Leitzell considers the error by McLin’s campaign a “non-issue.”
“You would think that after all her years of collecting campaign contributions, (McLin) or her treasurer should have had enough experience to question the signature,” Leitzell said. “I’m not saying a crime has been committed. Someone should have had the foresight to eliminate the problem before the check was cashed.”
Esrati, while agreeing this mistake was not a big deal, questioned whether there could be other errors on McLin’s finance report.
“She doesn’t check her facts,” said Esrati, adding the reports should be posted on the Board of Elections website in a searchable database so all citizens can access them.
Mr. Ohlmann said William Shakespeare aptly named a play that describes this situation, “Much Ado about Nothing.”
More about the Dayton mayoral candidates and this year’s election.
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Local Ohio Republicans plan announcement
Four Ohio Republican legislators will hold a news conference about an as yet unspecified topic on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, 1 Chamber Plaza, Dayton.
State Reps. Jarrod B. Martin, R-Beavercreek, Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering and Terry Blair, R-Washington Twp. are expected to be in attendance.
