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Many county Republican Party chairmen across Ohio - those responsible for filling campaign coffers, recruiting candidates, and glad-handing at fairs and church festivals - say they are angry at Gov. Bob Taft over his criminal conviction on four misdemeanor ethics violations.

"Our base is not energized by seeing our governor on the front of the newspaper in a municipal courtroom having to answer to charges," said Rob Frost, GOP chairman for Cuyahoga County, where the Democratic stronghold of Cleveland is located.

But like most of the county GOP chairmen reached for comment in the aftermath of Mr. Taft's conviction, he stopped short of calling for the governor's resignation.

Mr. Taft is known for setting high ethical standards for his staff, Mr. Frost said, and must decide for himself whether apologizing for his actions is enough. "I think he needs to consider what he wants his legacy to be," Mr. Frost said.

Mr. Taft pleaded no contest Thursday to charges that he violated financial disclosure laws by failing to report dozens of golf outings, sports tickets, meals, and gifts he received from lobbyists and businessmen. Among those gifts was a golf outing with Tom Noe, a former Maumee businessman and Republican fund-raiser for President Bush and others, who is facing multiple investigations into allegations that he stole millions of dollars in state investment money.

Governor Taft's violations involved Ohio laws that require the governor and other state officeholders to disclose the source of any gifts valued above $75.

"He should've played golf in Paulding County; it doesn't cost $75 to play here," quipped Tony Langham, chairman of the Paulding County Republican Party.

However, Mr. Langham, who is also the director of a nonprofit community development corporation, was much more serious about what he thinks Mr. Taft should do next. He called for the governor to resign for the sake of the party and the state.

"Any time you have somebody making blatant mistakes, it's going to hurt the party," he said. "We need to focus on the quality people coming out."

J. Richard Hornstein, chairman of both the Ashtabula County GOP and the county's elections board, agreed that the state GOP would be better served in 2006 if the governor stepped down immediately.

"I think [that] if things don't get straightened out, we're going to take a hit in the governor's race," said Mr. Hornstein, a retired furniture store owner.

Angry and concerned

The Blade attempted to call Republican Party chairmen in each of Ohio's 88 counties. Among the 45 who responded to requests for comment, there was division over the effect the governor's conviction would have on the 2006 election for state offices and the party itself.

Most chairmen said Mr. Taft's actions were not dire enough to demand a resignation, but their reasons for why he should remain in office varied.

"I'm just mad as hell, if you want to know the truth," said Jim Westfall, a retired agribusiness executive who chairs Union County's Republican Party. "I think it will hurt us. I don't think [a] resignation will clean it up."

"There's a lot of decisions Taft made that have made a lot of Republicans very angry," Pike County Chairman Doug Miller said. "In 2006, I think with a lot of the independents and even some Republican voters, it will affect their vote. We're going to have to go out and do a lot more grass-roots [efforts]."

Last week, the Ohio Roundtable, a Cleveland-based organization that promotes several Republican causes, and state Sen. Jay Hottinger (R., Newark), said the governor should resign.

Mr. Hottinger said that he and his fellow Licking County Republicans agreed during a June GOP meeting that Mr. Taft should leave office.

"There wasn't a raised eyebrow," he said. "No one came up to me and disagreed."

The Ohio Republican Party and others, however, stood by the governor. They defended him by calling the criminal offenses minor and blown out of proportion or lauding him for his quick willingness to accept responsibility.

Mr. Taft apologized for his actions, telling Franklin County Municipal Judge Mark Froehlich that he has "personally failed" to live up to the high ethical standards that he expects from public employees. After pleading no contest, he was fined $1,000 on each of the four charges but was spared jail time by the Democratic judge.

Many Republican leaders, such as Roger Claus, a land surveyor and chairman of the Monroe County Republican Party, said they felt the violations were honest mistakes rather than intentional misdeeds.

Mr. Claus said a man as wealthy as Mr. Taft would not need to try and "get something for nothing." He labeled the governor's actions as "bad judgment," but not worthy of his resignation.

"If we're going to get someone to resign because of bad judgment, we wouldn't have anyone in government," Mr. Claus said.

Clark County's Dan Harkins, an attorney, praised Mr. Taft for his quick response to inquiries about his ethics.

"I know this was very painful for him, but the governor, in his actions, said no one's above the law, and if we make an error, we have to pay the consequences," Mr. Harkins said. "I think the governor should be congratulated for acting promptly and bringing it to a quick resolution."

Gary Grant, Putnam County Republican chairman, said the resignation of a governor so late in his term would cause Ohioans more harm than good. "I think that would cause more chaos to have him quit. He's only got a year left," he said.

Terry Lowe of Ottawa County pointed out that if the governor were to resign - a decision he as Republican Party county chairman disagrees with - Mr. Taft would be leaving the governorship to a man who has not been elected by Ohio residents. Bruce Johnson, who has not been embroiled in either an ethical investigation or the Bureau of Workers' Compensation investment scandal, was appointed lieutenant governor earlier this year after Jennette Bradley was named state treasurer.

"Ask the people who the lieutenant governor is and they probably wouldn't know," said Mr. Lowe, who owns consulting and training business. "If we're going to ask him to resign, shouldn't we look at the qualifications of the person who would take his place?"

Owen Hall, the chairman of the Mercer County Republican Party, agreed.

Mr. Hall said Mr. Johnson has not had much experience as the lieutenant governor and wonders if he would be ready for the job. A longtime political operative in the western Ohio county, Mr. Hall said he just doesn't believe the charges are serious enough to call for Mr. Taft's resignation and the potential they create for further turmoil in the state.

The damage, said Hal Yoder, Preble County GOP chairman, has been done. "Resigning would make it worse than it has already been."

George Vincent, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, said Mr. Taft's conviction "is a sad thing for him. It's a sad thing for Ohio." But he said whether to resign or stay, "that's his decision to make."

Moving on

Almost all county Republican chairmen agreed on one point: How history will write its chapter on Mr. Taft will largely depend on his actions in the coming months.

Some, such as Robin Beekman, Fayette County GOP chairman and a Jeffersonville, Ohio, flower shop owner, said they just wanted to get back to work.

The issues facing the state - such as the economy, schools, and jobs - far overshadow golf outings and other gifts, said Ms. Beckman, whose deliveries recently included flowers for a memorial service for an area serviceman killed overseas.

Mr. Taft's court appearance on misdemeanors, she said, was as important as it was fleeting.

"It's over with. Let's go on. We have work to do," she said.

Doug Hayman, chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, agreed it is time to move on.

"I would have preferred to not have spent the last few weeks worrying about the governor's social situation but instead moving forward," he said. "Now it's up to Republicans to decide how we go forward."

Curt Braden, owner of a Canton paint manufacturer and chairman of the Stark County Republican Party, said he is confident Republican voters will remain stalwart despite the governor's criminal conviction.

"Republicans are a hearty bunch," he said. "They stand by their principles."

Blade Staff Writers Erica Blake and Tad Vezner contributed to this report.

Contact Robin Erb at: robinerb@theblade.com or 419-724-6133.

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