BY JON CRAIG
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS: A public advocacy group yesterday said Ohio's campaign financial disclosure requirements are too lax when it comes to identifying employers of major contributors.

In its 1998 ``disclosure report card,'' Ohio Citizen Action gave an ``F'' to state Treasurer Joseph Deters and to Deters' opponent last fall, Summit County Treasurer John Donofrio.

Thomas Moyer, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, received a ``C,'' according to the analysis, which can be found at the group's Web site: www.ohiocitizen.org. A campaign finance reform law passed in 1995 requires candidates to name the employers of contributors donating more than $100. When candidates cannot name an employer or occupation, they are asked to report they made a ``best effort.''

Laura Yeomans, research director with Citizen Action, said Deters, a former Hamilton County prosecutor, failed to report the employers of 765 people giving more than $100 to his campaign, while Moyer's campaign failed to identify the employers of 143 donors.

``When your best effort brings you to 57 percent, it's just not good enough,'' Yeomans said of Deters' disclosure rate.

Spokesmen for Deters and Moyer said their campaign committees did the best they could, but pledged to improve their reporting efforts.

Donofrio, who failed to report the employers of 121 campaign contributors, said he ``would never have a reason to hide something. There's no willful intent not to put something down.''

Most statewide and legislative candidates followed the law, Yeomans said, reporting employer details for 95 percent of the big-money contributors.

Sheldon Taft, treasurer for Moyer's campaign, said requests for employer information were sent with thank-you notes to contributors, but ``next time, if there is a next time, we'll try harder.''

Citizen Action said several candidates failed to identify even well-known Ohio businessmen. These included Michael and Wayne Boich of Boich Cos., who gave a total of $5,000 to Deters; David Brennan of Brennan Industries, who gave $1,000 to Rep. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, and to former Rep. Gary Suhadolnik, R-Strongsville -- now director of the Department of Commerce; Thomas Rumpke of Rumpke Waste, who gave $1,000 to losing gubernatorial candidate Lee Fisher and $1,500 to Suhadolnik; and Ward Timken of Timken Co., who gave Moyer $1,000.

Doug Preisse, a spokesman for Deters, said Boich Cos. was identified on some of the contributions, but not others. He said most people should recognize the Boich family name.

Citizen Action listed Rep. Bryan Williams, R-Akron, and Senate President Richard Finan, R-Evendale, on its list of ``legislators who need to improve.''

Dana Walch, elections director for Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, said Citizen Action's report illustrates why Ohio should join 40 other states in requiring computerized financial disclosure reports.