toledoblade.com --

COLUMBUS - Scandals within Gov. Bob Taft's administration came full circle yesterday when the "Mr. Fix-It" called upon in 2001 to fill the governor's first high-profile, scandal-related vacancy succumbed himself to scandal.

But Mr. Taft insisted these do not reflect a pattern within his administration of 6 1/2 years.

"All I can say is we insist on very high ethical standards in my administration," he said. "When someone doesn't live up to those standards, there are consequences. That's my job as governor. I have 23 cabinet departments. We have hundreds of boards and commissions.

"The record will show that, when wrongdoing or unethical behavior came to light, we took action, as we are taking action today," he said.

James Conrad's resignation as director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is the latest in a series of scandal-related resignations during Mr. Taft's administration. Some involved holdovers from the administration of former Gov. George Voinovich.

The resignations have included:

●Jacqui Romer-Sensky, the first director of the newly merged Department of Job and Family Services.

She resigned in 2001 after admitting the department had been withholding millions of dollars in past-due child-support payments from former welfare families rather than stopping to reprogram an automated support collection system. Mr. Taft accepted her resignation with "great reluctance," although it was revealed she had written memos to him advising him of what she'd been doing. Ironically, he named Mr. Conrad, characterized at the time as state government's "Mr. Fix-It," to the post temporarily to help right the ship.

● Randall Fischer, executive director of the Ohio School Facilities Commission, who resigned in 2002 after it was revealed he'd accepted free golf outings, meals, lodging, hockey tickets, and other gifts from firms that were awarded unbid contracts.

He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor ethics violations.

● Gino Zomparelli, executive director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, who resigned in 2002 under pressure from Mr. Taft after an inspector general's report said he and other high-ranking employees accepted free meals, gifts, golf outings, and sports tickets from companies doing business with the turnpike.

The fallout from the scandal led Mr. Taft to name Tom Noe to a vacancy on the commission.

● Rick Frenette, general manager of the Ohio Exposition Center, resigned in 2003 following an inspector general's report that he and his family had accepted sporting event tickets, clubhouse passes, parking passes, and other gratuities from firms and individuals with which the center did business.

● Geno Natalucci-Persichetti, who stepped down at Mr. Taft's request as director of the Department of Youth Services earlier this year after reports of sexual, verbal, and physical abuse of female inmates by male guards at the Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Mr. Taft has not been directly tainted by scandal, but he has found himself personally involved in ethically questioned activity. He offered seats in the governor's box at Ohio State University football games and invitations to receptions at the governor's mansion in exchange for secret contributions benefiting the state Republican Party's operating account.

He also made phone calls in 2000 to raise secret contributions for a business-backed effort to defeat Ohio Supreme Court Justice Alice Robie Resnick.

Although both activities were legal, he later vowed not to repeat them and signed on to a reform of Ohio campaign-finance law to require public disclosure of contributors under similar situations.

Contact Jim Provance at:
jprovance@theblade.com
or 614-221-0496.

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