Report shows what officials are worth

Strickland was among those congressmen without big stock portfolios.
STAFF/WIRE REPORT
WASHINGTON -- Ohio Republican Bob Ney of Bellaire had a run of good luck last year during a brief trip to London: He won $34,000 gambling at the Ambassador's Club casino.
Ney's winnings were disclosed as part of his annual financial disclosure statement released Wednesday. The forms, which show outside sources of income beyond the lawmakers' $154,700 salary, also list assets, debts, gifts and vacations paid for by interest groups.
For example, the forms showed that Democrat Sherrod Brown of Elyria still makes money off his 1999 book, "Congress from the Inside." He received a royalty check for $325 from publisher Kent State University.
The forms also showed that Cleveland Democrat Dennis Kucinich was paid $1,000 to appear on both the "Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn and the "Bill Maher Show." Kucinich donated his earnings to the NAACP of Cleveland.
This annual inventory of elected officials' personal finances is designed to prevent conflicts of interest. Generally, the forms show that House members are less wealthy than senators, whose forms came out Monday.
Savings and debt
Reps. Steven LaTourette of Madison, R-14th, and Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, were among those without large stock portfolios in 2003. LaTourette, a former county prosecutor, listed as his biggest asset a savings account worth between $15,001 and $50,000. LaTourette, whose district include a portion of Trumbull County, also listed a credit card debt of between $10,001 and $15,000.
Strickland, a former teacher and minister, listed a savings account and retirement account, both of the same amount, between $15,001 and $50,000. He received between $1,001 and $2,500 in income from the retirement account, and between $201 and $1,001 in income from the savings account. He didn't list any debts. His district includes Columbiana County and portions of Mahoning County.
Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, disclosed he has stock in Cisco and Panera Bread, worth between $1,001 and $15,000 each. He listed his dividend income from each stock between $1 and $200. Ryan, who is serving his first term in Congress, purchased the stock Dec. 10, 2003.
Ney, who chairs the House Committee on Administration, listed as his major asset a savings account worth less than $1,000 that earned interest less than $200. But Ney also disclosed that he reduced a debt on two credit cards -- once totaling between $30,000 and $100,000 -- to below $10,000.
Travel
On his London trip, Ney, of St. Clairsville, bet $100 in a three-card game of chance. He won a modest amount in an initial round, bet his winnings in a second round and won the $34,000.
The reports also showed the delegation's most frequent traveler for 2003: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Cleveland accepted 10 free trips to places such as the Bahamas with Carib News, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment.
Ryan and his wife accepted one trip to participate in a two-day Faith and Politics seminar in Potomac, Md., a short distance from Washington, D.C., in September 2003.
Strickland accepted one trip in 2003 to Mexico from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The four-day trip in November was to border towns to see the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on Mexicans.