Key Republicans jump on bandwagon for full disclosure

Wednesday, April 19, 2000

By Joe Hallett
Dispatch Politics Editor

Stung by revelations about his offer to exchange access for big donations to the Ohio GOP, Gov. Bob Taft yesterday called for the full disclosure of all contributions to political parties.

Taft was joined by Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery and House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, both Republicans, in advocating that money kept secret from the public in party operating funds should be reported to Ohioans.

Meanwhile, David J. Leland, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, voluntarily released a report detailing contributions to his party's operating fund, increasing pressure on the state GOP to follow suit.

"One way you end cynicism in politics is to let people know what's going on through free and open disclosure,'' Leland said. "I don't think there should be a candidate or a party receiving any contributions that are not reported.''

A spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party said the party has no plans to release its operating fund or name the members of its exclusive "Team Ohio'' club.

"We obey the law,'' Gary Abernathy said. "If somebody wants to change the law, we'll obey that law.

"We're not going to violate the trust of folks who donated under (the current) law.''

The calls to reform Ohio's campaign-finance laws continued to intensify after reports of a plan by Taft and the Ohio GOP to use taxpayer-owned facilities to lure large contributions.

In a letter dated Sept. 10, Taft invited Republicans to join Team Ohio by donating $25,000 to the party. Among perks offered to such donors were invitations to a party Oct. 8 at the Governor's Residence. A Team Ohio donation of $50,000 earned a seat in the governor's box at Ohio Stadium for the Ohio State- Purdue football game Oct. 9.

Taft has assured that he never again will take part in such a solicitation, acknowledging that it gives an appearance of impropriety.

Much of the money from Team Ohio members -- whose ranks the GOP hopes to double this year to 30 donors -- was put in the state party's operating fund. Although Ohio law requires all contributions to candidates and campaigns to be publicly reported, it allows political parties to keep secret donations to funds used to operate parties and pay salaries.

Ohio GOP Chairman Robert T. Bennett has refused to release the names of Team Ohio members.

Leland said that the more the GOP gets from big donors for its operating fund, the more money is freed for campaigns.

"They've been putting potentially millions of dollars in a secret fund that they're not reporting,'' he said.

Brian Hicks, Taft's chief of staff, said yesterday that the governor thinks state law should be changed to require the disclosure of party operating funds.

"He supports full disclosure,'' Hicks said. "To the extent that current law is inadequate to ensure full disclosure, then the law should be changed.''

Hicks said Taft will support efforts revealed Monday by Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to change the law to require disclosure of operating funds.

Montgomery, too, favors opening "the operating funds of parties to disclosure,'' said Chris Davey, the attorney general's spokesman.

Separately, Davidson said, "I think we need to take a look at it -- why were (operating funds) never required to be reported before?''

Political experts agree, Davidson said, that full disclosure of political contributions is the correct course.

"Disclosure, immediate disclosure in a way that's clear to the public,'' she said.

Leland yesterday released his operating fund activity back to Jan. 1, 1998, showing donations of $19,781, a small percentage of the roughly $13 million the party raised during the past 2 1/2 years. The biggest contributor to the fund was the 1998 Ohio Supreme Court campaign of G. Gary Tyack, a Franklin County appeals-court judge, which donated about $7,100.

"The money we've put in there is hardly enough to buy Gov. Taft a hot dog at an OSU football game,'' Leland said.

Blackwell, through spokesman Carlo Loparo, said Leland could be withholding a full accounting of the party's operating fund, and the only way to rectify that is to require disclosure of such funds by law.

Abernathy said he welcomes discussion on changes to campaign-finance laws as "a great opportunity to look at what else needs to be disclosed,'' including contributions to labor unions that overwhelmingly back Democrats.

"Our position is going to be that if somebody's going to start crafting legislation on this, let's do it all, let's include unions and do it all at once,'' Abernathy said.

He added that Leland is being hypocritical on the issue of full disclosure, noting that Senate Democrats last week used a loophole in Ohio election laws to avoid filing a post-primary election-campaignfinance report.

"The chairman of the Democratic party is blasting us on the issue of full disclosure, and yet his own Senate Democratic caucus fails to file a report at all,'' Abernathy said. "Leland needs to pick up the phone, give them a call, and repeat to them what he's saying about us.''