Plain Dealer - Redfern questions Petro endorsement of Montgomery

(Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Democrat questions Petro endorsement of Montgomery

Columbus - Jim Petro says he put a stop to "Tammany Hall-style" politics in the Ohio attorney general's office - a system that he said allowed Summit County Republican Party boss Alex Arshinkoff to reward cronies with lucrative legal work.

Petro's accusation appears to hit squarely at fellow Republican Betty Montgomery, an Arshinkoff ally who held the attorney general's job for eight years before Petro took office in 2003.

So why does Petro enthusiastically support Montgomery's campaign to win the job back?

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern asked the question Thursday.

The Petro campaign's answer: "This is about Alex Arshinkoff and his Summit County machine."

As Petro - a Cleveland-area Republican - combats assertions that he tied state legal work to political donations, Redfern and other Democrats have stepped up efforts to embroil Montgomery in the scandal.

Redfern also wants to know why Petro didn't go after Montgomery if he believes she tolerated a corrupt scheme.

"This is about Alex Arshinkoff and the Summit County machine," repeated Petro campaign adviser Bob Paduchik.

Petro, who wants to be governor, quickly endorsed Montgomery for attorney general after she dropped out of the governor's race in January, citing her "very distinguished record as attorney general." At the same time, Petro has maintained that she allowed Arshinkoff to dictate which lawyers should be awarded outside state legal work, known as special-counsel contracts.

Petro says he fired those lawyers to help curb Arshinkoff's influence. He also insists that lawyers who say they were fired because they did not give to Petro's campaigns are lying.

The FBI has begun to interview the lawyers, and newly released records show that one of the changes cost the University of Akron an additional $246,842 in legal fees.

Redfern cited a portion of Ohio law that "imposes a duty upon any person who has information regarding the commission of a felony to provide that information to the appropriate law enforcement officer."

If Montgomery allowed Arshinkoff to steer legal business to favored firms, then Petro had a duty to turn her in, Redfern said.

Montgomery could not be reached for comment, but spokesman Mark Weaver said Montgomery's predecessor, Democrat Lee Fisher, is the one who presided over Tammany Hall.

He cited a 1995 Plain Dealer analysis that showed Fisher awarded special-counsel work almost exclusively to Democrats during his time as attorney general. Once Montgomery took over, she shifted about 60 percent of the work to Republican lawyers.

The analysis did not examine political donations from special-counsel lawyers because Fisher stopped taking money directly from them midway through his term. He is the lieutenant governor running mate for U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, the Democrats' presumptive nominee for governor this year.