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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2011 > March > 14 > Entry
Editorial: Ohio gets lesson in how not to name a highway
One theory holds that if you want a politician to behave, you should name a school after him or her. How many people, after all, are going to misbehave after having their names immortalized as a role model for the young?
Another theory, however, holds that you should never, never, never name anything after an active politician, no matter what. Because you never know.
So now comes Michael Fox.
Drivers on Interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincinnati come to State Route129, which leads to Hamilton. When it was built in 1999, it was named the Michael A. Fox Highway, in honor of his work to get it built.
Five years later, however, the legislature changed the name to the Butler County Veterans Highway. A small section in Hamilton is still named after Mr. Fox.
Now the former state rep, Butler County commissioner and county director of Children Services has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and filing a false tax return.
He agreed to serve up to four years in prison. He could get less.
He was charged with receiving $460,000 to help a company get a fiber-optics contract with the county. Another charge was soliciting campaign donations as part of the deal. He didn’t plead to those charges.
The case involved Mr. Fox’s vision for creating a different kind of highway. He wanted an online highway to spur economic development. The goal is still an important one, as a draw for good high-tech jobs.
But lives have been shattered, careers have been destroyed, tax dollars have been wasted, and faith in local political leaders has been badly damaged. Auditor Kay Rogers was also convicted.
After an errant loan bill caught the attention of the county commission’s office, Commissioner Charles Furmon alerted the FBI. That triggered a long investigation. Millions of dollars in bank loans were fraudulently made in the county’s name.
Voters shouldn’t have to rely on political in-fighting and officeholders policing each other in order to have accountable government.
Now that a sordid chapter is concluding, county officeholders should share with the public the steps they intend to take to safeguard against future fraud and misconduct.
Meanwhile, a storied career has come to a sad end. First elected to the legislature at 25 in 1974, Rep. Fox was brimming over with ideas, good and bad. A Republican, he managed to be effective when the House was under the control of Democrats.
But he lost an appointment in 1991 because of bounced checks. He was censured by the Ohio House for ethics violations in 1997.
And, in a post-legislative career in Butler County, he developed high-profile feuds with fellow Republicans. Those feuds were a factor in the renaming of his highway.
The original naming of that highway may be what brings Mr. Fox his greatest and longest fame away from home. It stands as a cautionary tale to be noted whenever living politicians are up for such an honor.
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