New Ohio Secretary of state wants office audited (backlog of Blackwell sleaze)

[Kolesar]

Secretary of state wants office audited

Tuesday, February 06, 2007 Mark Rollenhagen
Plain Dealer Bureau Chief

Columbus- Ohio's new secretary of state asked for an audit of her office Monday, saying she is concerned about several discoveries since taking over from Ken Blackwell last month.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner requested a two-year review of the office and a narrow financial audit of the past six months, when she says Blackwell spent nearly 70 percent of the office's annual budget just midway through the fiscal year.

Brunner, a Democrat, made the request in a letter to Republican Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor.

"While the concerns listed below are not exhaustive, and we believe we may yet discover other concerns, I have provided specific instances for your consideration and further investigation," Brunner wrote.

In addition to the budget problem, Brunner said:

Blackwell paid $80,000 in bonuses to outgoing workers.

Shredding machines workers say were purchased by the office and used in the weeks after the November election disappeared.

A backlog of 50,000 letters to businesses whose incorporation papers were canceled because they failed to file state tax returns or pay their taxes - perhaps among the first cancellations in Blackwell's eight years in office - may result in a deluge of reinstatement requests.
...snip...

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1170755071259170.xml&coll=2

[jumpoffdaplanet]

1. Anything that Blackwell can be arrested for?

I hope, I hope, I hope.

[cmd]

2. Blackwell probably wore those machines out

and my favorite part:

As for the cancellation notices, he has previously said Blackwell had been systematically mailing them out in batches.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiig batches.

[Kurovski]

3. K&R.