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Trumbull engineer targeted in probes
DeChristofaro’s political activity under scrutiny
WARREN
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the state ethics commission will investigate the potential misuse of county equipment, resources and labor for political activity by Trumbull County Engineer David DeChristofaro.
The $171.85 in expenses for letters and cards sent to Democratic precinct committee members and political supporters by DeChristofaro was reimbursed by the engineer’s campaign committee, according to a letter sent Thursday by county Prosecutor Dennis Watkins to county Auditor Adrian Biviano.
Biviano had asked Watkins’ office Jan. 6 to give an opinion “regarding the legality” of DeChristofaro’s “reimbursing the county engineer’s fund with campaign money.”
Also, the money paid by DeChristofaro’s campaign to the county doesn’t appear to include the reimbursement of labor costs, Watkins wrote.
Because the prosecutor “has a clear conflict of interest to investigate and represent the county engineer’s office at the same time,” Watkins asked the two state agencies to review this matter. Both agreed to investigate.
In the five-page letter to Biviano, Watkins wrote: “These activities and reimbursement as outlined in your submissions appear to indicate to me that various statutes of Ohio may have been violated.”
The prosecutor also wrote: “Please be advised that this office deems it inappropriate for an officeholder to use at any time county equipment, personnel and/or any of its resources for political purposes which appear to be the case with regard to the enclosures herein. The after-the-fact reimbursements to the county with campaign committee money for using county property/resources in any political activity does not bootstrap that activity into an authorized activity.”
Watkins declined to comment Friday to The Vindicator because this is an open investigation.
DeChristofaro is out of the office till the first week of February and couldn’t be reached to comment. Also, David Rouan, his director of administration who submitted an invoice for the largest expenditure, was out of the office late Friday afternoon and couldn’t be reached to comment.
County Commissioners Paul Heltzel and Frank Fuda said they were aware of the investigation into DeChristofaro but didn’t know the details. County Commissioner Dan Polivka, who also is county Democratic chairman, said he didn’t know much about the investigation and declined to comment.
All the officeholders are registered Democrats.
The potential misuse occurred between April and December 2010, according to Watkins’ letter.
Rouan submitted an invoice April 9 for letters generated at the engineer’s office using government-owned equipment, stationary, envelopes, color printing and use of a public-owned postage meter to send many of the 262 letters to precinct committee members.
The Committee to Elect David DeChristofaro wrote a check April 20 for $139.83 for use of county property and resources for political activity.
DeChristofaro’s political campaign committee also paid $32.02 to the county for the mailing and printing of Christmas cards and cards thanking those who attended his annual Columbus Day campaign fundraising dinner, Watkins wrote. But there is nothing “to indicate whether county labor was involved or reimbursed” for the work, Watkins wrote.
Watkins also wrote that the “use of county property/resources/personnel not authorized by law for political or private purposes is prohibited. Hopefully with this opinion, compliance with the law will follow.”