Integrity at issue in state race

COLUMBUS — The campaign for state treasurer — traditionally one of the more sleepy contests — is heating up early with accusations flying about hypocrisy, integrity and dirty campaign money. The combatants are Democrat Kevin Boyce, the incumbent appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland; and Republican Josh Mandel, a state representative and Iraq war veteran.

Boyce made headlines last summer when he hired politically connected people into his office, spent state money on self-promoting swag and held a political fundraiser sponsored by bank officials who had just landed a treasury contract. This year, Boyce awarded another state contract to a bank that hired an inexperienced lobbyist who happened to be a friend of Boyce’s deputy treasurer, Amer Ahmad. Boyce’s office also hired the lobbyist’s wife as a secretary.

Mandel, a disciplined and aggressive campaigner, pounced on these issues in the media, sending out fundraising appeals to supporters with titles such as “Help Me Fight Corruption.”

Now the Boyce campaign is hitting back, saying that at the same time Mandel pushed Ohio’s public pension systems to divest from companies that do business in Iran or Sudan, Mandel invested his own money and spent campaign funds with the very same companies.

Mandel sponsored a bill in 2007 that would have forced the five retirement systems to divest money invested in companies that do business in Iran or Sudan. The legislation did not pass, but Mandel received media attention for the effort.

The campaign team for Democrat Kevin Boyce combed through Mandel’s financial disclosure statements and campaign finance reports and now says Mandel isn’t practicing what he preached.

“Mandel has personally and politically benefited from 13 companies that wouldn’t be eligible for pension investments under his own legislation. The issue is not whether these companies should receive investments or donate to campaigns — the issue is Mandel’s hypocrisy,” says the Boyce campaign. “If he can’t follow his own standards, how can Mandel lead the treasury?”

Mandel countered: “All of this is a lie. The entire statement is a not true.”

The list of companies the Boyce campaign is using includes companies banned by federal law from doing business in Iran, Mandel said. The maker of the list has been discredited, he said.

Boyce campaign manager Bryan Clark disputes the allegation and says it is the same list used by the Ohio Retirement Study Council when it analyzed Mandel’s bill.

Meanwhile, the Mandel campaign has a bone to pick with one of Boyce’s largest individual donors, attorney-lobbyist Robert Crowe. Crowe lobbied for foreign banks that tried to hide assets from Holocaust survivors and attempted to lobby for Sudan, according to news reports.

“Josh is simply trying to detract from his hypocrisy by raising this issue yet again,” Clark said.

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About the Author

Laura A. Bischoff

Laura Bischoff is our Columbus bureau reporter and covers politics and state government. She keeps a close eye on elected leaders, public employees and taxpayer money. Bischoff tries to write stories that inform voters, hold leaders accountable and strengthen democracy.