Petro keeps promise to Valley

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro has earned the respect and gratitude of the Mahoning Valley's residents for demonstrating that public trust is, indeed, the root of all politics. Given the corruption that has permeated government in this region, Petro's refusal to roll over in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District cases should be viewed as a much-needed cleansing.
A crooked former congressman, James A. Traficant Jr., epitomizes all that is wrong with politics in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. "So what, everybody does it," was the reaction from a disturbingly large number of residents to the charge that Traficant used his public position for personal gain. But as Petro has shown, being in public office is not tantamount to being a crook.
His disgust with what Edward A. Flask Jr. of Poland and Frank DeJute of Niles did while serving as directors of the MVSD, a quasi-public entity responsible for providing drinking water to 300,000 customers in the two counties, is genuine. His commitment to not letting Flask and DeJute slip through the cracks in the criminal justice system is unyielding.
That is why Petro, former state auditor, state legislator and Cuyahoga County commissioner, will be in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Wednesday arguing for a reversal of a lower court ruling that, in effect, let DeJute, Flask and the Gilbane Co. of Rhode Island off the hook for the $2.5 million the company received for work it never did.
Legal setbacks
The findings for recovery of the money were issued by Petro during his tenure as state auditor; the legal setbacks occurred during Betty Montgomery's term as attorney general. Petro and Montgomery switched offices in the last statewide election, and he inherited the MVSD cases.
Petro never had any doubts about the solidness of the special audit of the MVSD and made it clear during his run for attorney general that the case would be one of his top priorities if he were elected.
A couple of months after he was sworn in, he made the following statement to reiterate his often-stated position that individuals in positions of public trust must be held to a higher standard of behavior in the conduct of their jobs than the common person.
"By no means do I believe that these cases are over yet," he said. "We are continuing to pursue them." The $2.4 million is money that belongs to the MVSD, and by extension, the people of the Valley. DeJute and Flask, by virtue of their position as directors of the water system, had the responsibility to protect the money as if it were their own.
The idea that Gilbane did not have to return the money even though the company did nothing to earn it was expressed by a federal judge in an asinine ruling. The judge contended that the contract Gilbane signed did not spell out specific duties it had to perform to be paid and, therefore, it could not held responsible for the fees it received.
But Petro refuses to accept that public dollars can be spent so frivolously. And, he is adamant that DeJute and Flask must be held responsible for entering into such a contract.
And lest anyone think that the attorney general is on some ego trip or is personally handling the appeal before the 6th U.S. Circuit as a publicity stunt, consider the fact that he has spent many, many hours preparing this case and that cameras aren't allowed in the federal court.
Honest politician
This isn't about an officeholder seeking glory or someone with a vendetta against two Valley residents. It's about an honest politician who believes that this region has been punished enough by public officials who have turned government into a sleazy operation.
Win or lose, Petro has shown the courage of his convictions. He has been a breath of fresh air in the putrid atmosphere called politics in the Valley.
As a reporter for a national newspaper wondered during Traficant's ethics committee hearing before his expulsion from Congress, "What kind of people live in your area?" Translation: How could the residents keep electing a moral degenerate like Traficant?
For their part, most of the members of the ethics committee went to great lengths to distance themselves from the things their colleague admitted he had done, such as asking his staff to bale hay on his farm or do maintenance on his houseboat.
But light has begun to shine through the Mahoning Valley's politically dark tunnel -- thanks to officeholders like Petro.