Brunner questions Blackwell spending

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has questioned spending by her predecessor, including more than $80,000 in bonuses Ken Blackwell gave to 19 top staffers she did not retain.

The payments from Blackwell, who lost the governor's race Nov. 7 to Democrat Ted Strickland, ranged from $1,044 to nearly $8,000 for the Republican's assistant secretary of state.

''For a lot of the employees, it was almost like a golden parachute,'' Brunner told The Columbus Dispatch for a story Wednesday. ''I just think that taxpayers' expectation of how the government operates is that bonuses aren't generally considered to be something that government does.''

Brunner, a Democrat who defeated Republican Greg Hartmann in November, said she learned of the payments after taking office Jan. 8.

The bonuses were appropriate and payments to 10 of the 19 senior staffers included agreements that they would resign, saving the office from paying unemployment, Blackwell's former spokesman Carlo LoParo said.

''I would just have to chalk (Brunner's comments) up to overall inexperience,'' LoParo said.

Brunner also said Blackwell spent too much of the office's budget, forcing her to ask the state Controlling Board in coming weeks for as much as $1 million to pay expenses until the next budget takes effect July 1.