Ohio GOP leaders should heed Blackwell's advice

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Dan Brady, a Cleveland Democrat, that would require political parties to open up their operating accounts to public scrutiny deserves more than a "Dead On Arrival" label from Senate President Richard Finan, a Republican from Cincinnati.
Finan, his colleague in the House, Speaker Larry Householder, a Glenford Republican, and Republican Gov. Bob Taft should talk to Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, who told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Ohioans deserve to know who is contributing to Ohio's political parties."
We applaud Blackwell's commitment to open government. It is important to point out that he is one Republican in state government who has long urged the General Assembly to reform Ohio's campaign finance laws so that transparency is the order of the day.
Indeed, about a year ago, the governor promised to work with the secretary of state to persuade the GOP-controlled legislature to pass a measure that would give the people of Ohio the ability to scrutinize the financial dealings of the political parties. Taft's commitment came on the heels of news reports that major donors to the Ohio Republican Party's operating account -- $25,000 or more -- were promised access to the governor and other high-ranking administration officials. Under state law, the operating accounts of the political parties at the state and county levels are shielded from public view. In other words, they are secret.
'Team Ohio' The political firestorm that resulted from the exposure of "Team Ohio," as the state GOP fund-raising initiative was called, prompted Taft and other Republicans to jump on the reform bandwagon.
But as the Plain Dealer noted in a news story Thursday, the reform bill that Blackwell, with Taft's support, was pushing received one hearing and then died in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Now, Sen. Brady is again trying to bring the issue to the forefront -- his action was prompted by a Plain Dealer investigative report that has turned the spotlight on the Hamilton County Republican Party -- but he faces an uphill battle.
Senate President Finan isn't in any hurry to amend existing law, saying, "We have disclosures for legislators because that enables your constituents to determine whether you have a conflict of interest in how you vote."
Finan is conveniently ignoring the fact that money from the parties' secret accounts go to officeholders or candidates, which means that the recipient can claim ignorance as to the source of the money. It's money laundering, pure and simple. And that's unacceptable.
If Republican leaders don't want to go along with a Democratic legislator, that's their right. But, they should at least heed the advice of one of their own, Secretary of State Blackwell.