A Pox On Mary Taylor (CPA) and Rothenberg...

I'm throwing Rothenberg in on this one just for good measure since he broke the story I was saving for this morning last Friday.

Auditor Mary Taylor (CPA) seems to be getting her hands a little dirty serving as the standard bearer for the Ohio Republican Party - but I guess it's understandable, Chairman Bennett's got high expectations for her to revive her party singlehandedly. In her final days as a State Representative she helped pass HB 694 which put significant limitations on the fundraising activities that our elected officials can engage in when dealing with state contractors.

Now, only a handful of days later, Mary Taylor (CPA) seems to have forgotten that law. Last month Taylor (CPA) violated provisions of HB 694 and sent out invitations listing herself as a sponsor for a fundraising event at her house to benefit Green Mayoral candidate Dick Norton. However, after talking with her lawyer, Don and Mary Taylor (CPA) decided that it would be best (and clearly within the spirit of HB 694) for only Don to sponsor the event. Taylor (CPA) made sure to send a letter out to potential donors clarifying the ambiguity that even though the evet is being hosted at her home, with her husband, and she will be attending, in no way is does she want to give any impression that she is sponsoring it.

Thanks for clearing that up there Mary...of course you're not breaking the law.

On a side note, I have yet to hear back from the good Auditor regarding any ethics policies she will be implementing in her office. For the record, all other state office holders have implemented new, comprehensive ethics policies.

Also, it's fun to note that this fundraiser (which the Auditor is clearly not sponsoring - no, no) is held in Green, Ohio on a Thursday at 5:30pm. It's funny, but for some reason I think we've had problems with Auditor Taylor shilling for campaign donations on the state clock before. Even if the Auditor got off work at 4:30pm, the only way she could make it back to Green from Columbus is if she chartered a plane. Is the auditor's office paying for one of those now? Don't mind me Mary, of course I've got not no problem paying your state salary while you work to raise money for the GOP's comeback. I don't mind that at all...

If you're up for some fluffy language and want to break out your decoder rings, check out Rothenberg's post at Progress Ohio for a little more dirt.