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Carney to challenge Yost for state auditor
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Democratic state Rep. John Carney ended months of speculation Tuesday and confirmed his intent to challenge incumbent Republican state Auditor Dave Yost in 2014.
Carney made the announcement in a firefighters union hall packed full of supporters, including former Gov. Ted Strickland and a handful of minority party members of the Ohio House.
“I’m here today because I’ve grown increasingly concerned that the average working taxpayer in Ohio is being forgotten,” he said. “State government, unfortunately, seems to fail to recognize what needs to happen in order for access to the American dream to be available, and that access is being diminished, unfortunately.”
The Ohio Republican Party responded to Carney’s announcement with questions about what the lawmaker knew about a federal probe of the state auditor’s office under Kevin Boyce, the Democrat who held that seat before his later appointment to the Ohio House.
“Ohio voters deserve an auditor with a proven record they can trust,” Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges said in a released statement. “Unfortunately, Carney’s record shows he can’t be trusted to be the state’s top fiscal watchdog. He’s been running for auditor for the past 18 months, launching the Democrats’ political attacks while ignoring corruption in his own party. Voters could never trust him to do his job in a fair and impartial manner.”
Carney said such comments were among “a number of ridiculous statements” from the GOP.
Carney is a Cleveland native with a law degree from Ohio State University. He has served in the Ohio House since 2009, representing a Columbus-area district, and was eligible to seek another term before opting for the auditor’s race.
He has been vocal in his criticism of Gov. John Kasich and JobsOhio, the private nonprofit that is spearheading the state’s economic-development efforts.
Carney also has worked as an attorney, with a practice focused on the health-care industry.