Gov. Strickland defends head of school facilities

August 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is defending an official whom the state watchdog said abused his authority in handing out construction contracts.

Strickland rejected the inspector general’s findings that Ohio School Facilities Commission chief Richard Murray gave unions favored status and joined labor representatives in “arm-twisting sessions” with local school districts.

The report said Murray backed a union-friendly project-labor agreement worth $37 million. That agreement, over work that would take place at schools for the deaf and blind, would result in payments to a union to which Murray still belongs, according to the report by Inspector General Tom Charles.

But Strickland said Friday that Murray did not personally benefit from any of his decisions.

“I support Mr. Murray,” Strickland said. “I think he’s done nothing wrong.”

The governor’s defense of Murray comes after Ohio Senate President Bill Harris, a Republican, called on Murray to step down or for Strickland to fire him.

Murray also has criticized the report and said his conduct was professional.

The School Facilities Commission hands out more than $1 billion a year for school construction. It was created in 1997 to work with local districts on school renovation and construction projects.

Strickland appointed Murray to the position after the governor’s previous pick, former state Sen. Michael Shoemaker, was forced out of the position.

The governor denied firing Shoemaker to ensure continued union support and financial backing.

But Shoemaker said he was fired because of union pressure and added that the governor’s office is using him as a scapegoat to take away from the Inspector General’s report.

“It seems we’ve got a lot more problems than to run over me again,” Shoemaker said.

Strickland said he picked Murray not because of union pressure but because he received complaints about Shoemaker’s job performance.