STATE GOVERNMENT Gov. Taft appoints Lt. Gov. Bradley as new state treasurer

Bradley says the appointment is a step toward restoring the office's image.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Gov. Bob Taft appointed Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley as state treasurer on Tuesday, which Bradley says is a step toward sweeping an air of scandal from the office that's responsible for keeping track of about $140 billion.
After Bradley's appointment, Taft bestowed the lieutenant governor title on his development director, Bruce Johnson. Bradley, a former banker, also served as the state's director of commerce. Taft said he hoped to announce a new commerce director next week.
GOP keeps a grip
The latest shuffle also guarantees the Republicans will keep their 10-year grip on statewide executive offices heading in to the 2006 elections. Three Republican executive officeholders have moved from one job to another in that stretch.
Bradley, 52, will replace fellow Republican Joseph Deters in January when he leaves to become Hamilton County prosecutor, a seat he won as a write-in candidate last month.
The treasurer's office oversees state finances, including processing tax payments, investing state money and managing state debt.
Deters' departure with two years left in his term came after two one-time aides pleaded guilty to misdemeanors last summer. One stemmed from preferential treatment given to some brokers doing business with Deters' office. The other was an election law violation for soliciting a contribution from now-imprisoned broker Frank Gruttadauria that was funneled to the private operating account of the Hamilton County Republican Party.
No evidence
Prosecutors who presented evidence to a grand jury in the case said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Deters, and no charges were filed against him.
Bradley said she's determined to clear the air in the treasurer's office. The case involved only two of about 150 employees and she's confident the staff is eager to repair the agency's image.
"The treasurer's office has been under a cloud for some time now," Bradley said. "We'll emerge out of it."
Bradley gave up a spot as the lone Republican on Columbus City Council and a high-profile executive job with Huntington National Bank to become Taft's running mate in 2002.
In addition to holding the title of the state's No. 2 officeholder, Johnson will remain development director, a job he's had since 2001. Johnson, 44, of Columbus, was a state senator from 1994-2001 and sponsored the long-debated bill that restructured Ohio's $11 billion electric power industry.
Taft said Johnson's new title will help in negotiations with businesses considering investing in Ohio's economy.
"They will deal personally with not only the development director but also Ohio's lieutenant governor," Taft said.
Won't break logjam
Taft's appointments did little to break a likely GOP logjam when candidates file for statewide office in 2006. Attorney General Jim Petro, Auditor Betty Montgomery and Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell all are running for governor.
Recent speculation around the Statehouse had Taft appointing a higher-profile lieutenant governor, then resigning to take a position in the Bush administration, leaving the Republicans with an incumbent to run for the top spot on the 2006 ticket.
"I have no intention of going to Washington at all," Taft said. "I enjoy the opportunity to get things done at the state level."
Bradley, however, could face primary opposition because she supports abortion rights.
State Sen. Jim Jordan, an Urbana Republican re-elected Nov. 2, has made no decision about 2006 but said he has been approached by anti-abortion Republicans about a possible run against Bradley.
"I think our party is a pro-life, pro-family party that believes in a set of traditional values," Jordan said. "Individuals in our party in statewide office should reflect those values."
Jordan has bucked the party before. In 2000, he won in a race against Jim Buchy, the party-backed GOP candidate for state Senate.