OHIO POLITICS Ryan, Latell get F's in disclosure

Most candidates, in and out of the Mahoning Valley, received A's from the reform group.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- When it comes to disclosing information about individual campaign contributors, state Sen. Timothy J. Ryan and state Rep. Anthony A. Latell Jr. got failing grades from a nonpartisan political reform organization.
Ohio Citizen Action gave F's to Ryan, of Niles, the Democratic nominee for the 17th Congressional District, and to Latell, of Girard, who lost to Ryan in the May primary.
Out of the 19 individual contributors to Ryan's state campaign last year, the senator identified the donors' employment information in only 11 cases, Ohio Citizen Action's report states.
Latell was even worse, though the number of his individual contributors was smaller. Latell listed donors' employment information in only one of the three contributions he received last year.
The worst dozen
Latell and Ryan are among the 12 worst state legislators identified by the organization for their financial disclosure statements.
Also, former state Rep. Ron Hood of Canfield, a Republican who still has an active state campaign fund, made the 12-worst list. He received six contributions and disclosed the employment information on only two of them.
State candidates are required by state law to listthe employers of individuals who give more than $100 to their campaigns. Ohio Citizen Action gave an F to anyone who identified less than 60 percent of the dollar amount of contributions from individuals who gave more than $100.
State officeholders and candidates who filed financial disclosure reports last year listed the employment information of 97.4 percent of their individual donors, according to Ohio Citizen Action. A large majority received A's for having reporting percentages of 90 or greater.
State Reps. John Boccieri of New Middletown, Kenneth Carano of Austintown, Dan Sferra of Warren, L. George Distel of Conneaut and Timothy Grendell of Chesterland, along with Senate Minority Leader Greg DiDonato of New Philadelphia, received perfect scores of 100 from the organization. All but Grendell are Democrats.
Too vague
But the organization pointed to Boccieri and state Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr., a Youngstown Democrat, as two legislators who received A's who should provide more meaningful information about contributors' employers. They identified employers by such generic titles as self-employed or consultant, according to Ohio Citizen Action.
Patton listed employment information on 10 of his 11 contributors.
State Rep. Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora, Ryan's Republican opponent in the November congressional election, received an A for having employment information on 116 out of 122 contributors.
Also, state Rep. Charles Blasdel, an East Liverpool Republican, identified the employers of 22 of his 24 contributors last year, and state Sen. Robert F. Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat, identified the employers of six of his seven individual contributors last year. Both received A's from the organization.
skolnick@vindy.com