Turnaround Ted's Record of Mismanagement

That Was Then

His own administration will set a higher standard of conduct, Mr. Strickland said,
starting at the top and holding others accountable. (Toledo Blade, 9/1/06)
 

This Is Now

Strickland's Public Safety Director, Henry Guzman, Resigned After An Investigation Uncovered “Thousands Of Illegal Immigrants” Registered Their Cars Illegally in Ohio:

• Ohio policy allowed thousands of illegal immigrants to register cars and get license plates, and the outgoing director of the state Department of Public Safety delayed a proposed crackdown for more than a year, a newspaper reported Sunday. Director Henry Guzman, whose last day is Friday, delayed the proposed crackdown after meeting with Latino business owners and those who profited by charging fees to falsify power-of-attorney forms to obtain registrations for illegal immigrants, The Columbus Dispatch reported.  (Associated Press, 09/14/09)
   
• "Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles is entirely justified to look into a case of policy paralysis at the Department of Public Safety that allowed illegal immigrants to obtain vehicle registrations and license plates fraudulently for more than a year.  Ohioans deserve to know what happened and who is responsible." (Editorial, The Columbus Dispatch, 09/17/09)

Strickland's Lottery Director, Michael Dolan, Resigned After Scandals Involving Lying To State Lawmakers And Giving Free Lottery Tickets To A State Trooper Who Pulled Him Over For A Traffic Violation:

• A report by the state watchdog says the Ohio lottery director sent 100 lottery tickets to a state trooper who stopped him for a possible traffic violation. Inspector General Tom Charles says lottery director Michael Dolan showed improper judgment when he sent the tickets to the trooper in January after the traffic stop. (Associated Press, 03/31/09)
   
• Additionally, there were questions about the truthfulness with which Dolan dealt with state lawmakers who were evaluating lottery contracts. (Associated Press, 08/04/09)

Strickland's Interim Economic Development Director, Mark Barbash, Resigned After Reports Of Major Tax Delinquencies:

• Mark Barbash is stepping down as interim director of the Ohio Department of Development effective today, after it was disclosed that he owes more than $150,000 in back taxes, penalties and fines. (Columbus Dispatch, 05/15/09)
   
• "Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher knew of Barbash's problem, as did the governor's chief of staff, John Haseley. Yet, neither said anything to Strickland, who found out only when Barbash told the administration he had received a foreclosure notice on his home.  The situation sends a couple of possible messages, neither of them good. One, the governor's staff keeps him out of the loop. Or, two, the governor doesn't pay attention to his own vetting process" (Column, Mark Naymik, The Plain Dealer, 05/19/09)

Strickland Refused To Fire HIs Director Of Job & Family Services After She Illegally Authorized The Use Of State Computers To Investigate A Private Citizen For Political Purposes:

• In 2008, reports surfaced that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services had conducted background checks into Joe ''the Plumber'' Wurzelbacher after his name was invoked numerous times during a debate between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Helen Jones-Kelley, the department's director, resigned after being placed on administrative leave. (Dennis Willard, Akron Beacon Journal, 9/12/09)
   
• "Gov. Ted Strickland accepts 'the inspector general's judgment' that Job & Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley did wrong. In return, Strickland wants Ohioans to accept his judgment that a one-month unpaid suspension takes care of it. No deal, Governor: Ohio needs someone new in her job." (Editorial, The Plain Dealer, 11/25/08)
   
• "This is the same Helen Jones-Kelley who earlier this year helped legislators, untroubled by facts, hide Ohio foster-care records from taxpayers -- ostensibly on grounds of privacy. The real effect will be to hide horrific mistakes by children's services bureaucrats.  As Strickland's suspension of Jones-Kelley underlines, when Columbus insiders are threatened by revelations, they protect one another -- not the public." (Editorial, The Plain Dealer, 11/25/08)

Strickland's Former Director of Faith-Based Initiatives Was Arrested On Prostitution Charges:

• Robert Eric McFadden, former director of Strickland's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, was arrested Wednesday morning in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. He has been charged with seven felonies, including pandering obscenities involving a minor, promoting prostitution and compelling prostitution, according to a Columbus Police Department spokesman. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 01/15/09)

Strickland's Public Safety Lobbyist Resigned After A Drunken Altercation With Police:

• The lobbyist for the Ohio Department of Public Safety resigned today after being charged with becoming intoxicated and scuffling with police officers at the Memorial Tournament. John W. Lang Jr., 33, was arrested yesterday at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin and charged with persistent disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Lang's lobbying efforts on behalf of the State Highway Patrol, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the department's liquor-law enforcement unit included a bill to toughen drunken-driving laws. His driving record reflects three DUI-related arrests, most recently on Feb. 9 in Grandview Heights. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/5/09)