Taylor raises $142K in bid for Ohio auditor

Mahoning County Treasurer John Reardon has been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- State Rep. Mary Taylor, a Summit County Republican who's seeking the GOP nomination next year for state auditor, has raised more than $142,000 so far for her bid, campaign finance reports filed Friday say.
According to its filing with the secretary of state's office, Citizens for Mary Taylor reported raising $142,625.50 so far this year and has $103,063 in cash on hand.
The semi-annual report covers money raised from the beginning of the year through the end of June, said James Lee, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office.
Taylor, in her second two-year term in the Ohio House representing a district that includes portions of Summit and Portage counties, announced her candidacy for state auditor in May.
Other than Taylor, no other Republican has yet announced efforts to succeed GOP state Auditor Betty D. Montgomery, said Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. Montgomery has indicated she's seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2006.
Taylor couldn't immediately be reached to comment Friday, but in May she said she has been criss-crossing the state lining up support from key Republicans. Taylor has been in more than half of Ohio's 88 counties so far, campaign officials said.
Taylor's credentials
Before being elected a state representative in 2002, Taylor was a director in the firm Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & amp; Co., an Akron-based regional accounting and consulting firm.
A former council member in the Summit County city of Green, Taylor defeated Democrat Jane Tabor-Grimm this past November for re-election to the Ohio House.
Taylor defeated Democrat Michael Grimm in the 2002 election.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Dennis L. White said he's talked to several potential candidates for state auditor next year including Mahoning County Treasurer John Reardon and Ohio House Minority Leader Chris Redfern, D-Catawba Island.
The state auditor's office is responsible for auditing state government departments, counties, townships, cities, villages and school districts.
Candidates for statewide office in 2006 won't have to file nominating petitions until early in the year, according to the secretary of state's office.
Republican and Democratic political observers say a statewide political campaign could cost more than $1.5 million to run.