For many years I have been proud to work with you as an elected member of the Butler County Republican Party Central Committee. It’s our commitment to service that means more than winning an election. What it really means is that we are dedicated to achieving victory for our Republican Party, one of the greatest organized and respected in Ohio and the nation.

With your support, I am seeking the open position of Butler County Auditor. This is an important presidential year and with the circumstances being what they are, this position will appear on November’s ballot. It is critical that our Party make the right decision for our future.

I have the proper and pertinent qualifications for auditor. While some point to the financial end of the office, most people understand that the Real Estate section of the office requires the most attention. In 2008, the Auditor’s office will be completing a county-wide reappraisal. It is on this issue that the democrats will again hammer home in this year’s election. We had better be prepared!

I have extensive knowledge and background in real estate. While only 7 of Ohio’s 88 County Auditor’s hold a CPA, most have qualified experience in real estate. This is the true nature of the job.

No matter who gets the appointment, we can count on a strong effort by the democrats to go after this seat. I respectfully remind this committee that I have received overwhelming endorsements numerous times by the Party, and have won 5 county-wide elections to serve as your Butler County Commissioner.

How did I do in county wide general elections? I received over 67% of the vote both in 1994 and 1998, and achieved 61% in a three-way race in 2002. Moreover, in 2002 I received 71.6% of the West Chester vote and 73.3% in Liberty Township! I know what it takes to win and maximize our Republican base vote. This campaign will be tough and hard fought, but with your help, I am battle tested and ready for the challenge to win this seat for the Butler County Republican Party.

As a State Representative, I have won overwhelmingly in both of my general elections in the 54th House District which includes Hamilton, Fairfield, and Ross. I have never lost a county-wide election. For those who complain about “seat switching”, their argument holds no merit — my election results prove that it just isn’t an issue. The public wants a name they can trust in office, and that is now more true than ever. They also want a candidate and a campaign they can respect. My track record speaks for itself.

(Committee member), I ask for your vote for the appointment to Butler County Auditor. This office is just too important to lose. Please join me in my commitment to hold this seat and bring trust and stability back to the office. You know my experience, my ability to win and my reputation for integrity. Most of all, you know my desire for a unified Republican Party. Let’s work hand in hand together to make it happen!

Sincerely,

My rationale for desiring the auditor’s post is simple and to the point, we need a new level of integrity and a true measure of reform in all levels of our local county government. With the previous Republican leadership in place, county citizens have received the exact opposite of what the Republican Party should stand for - instead of honest, steady, fiscally conservative and fair representation for all citizens, we have received corrupt officials (as the previous auditor and previous treasurer represent), outright nepotism, blatant favoritism and constant deal-making, unethical job retirement schemes, a bigger, bloated county government and good-old boy politics at its best. All citizens of Butler County be they Republican, Independent or Democrat deserve better governance, and they deserve it now. As auditor, I would put the needs of the citizens first and foremost, as this position should be filled with a strong-minded individual who can provide equal oversight, without being swayed by political pressures.

What will I bring to the position?

As the true dark horse candidate, I can provide a new level of trust, as I am not connected to any previous powerbrokers of the Republican Party. I have a firm and steadfast independent streak, yet am open to hearing all sides of an issue before taking any concrete action. The auditor’s office is in dire need of organizational reform that precludes the repetition of the same type of extreme partisanship that was put in place for years. It created a fractured organization that was not held in esteem by citizens and led directly to a lack of confidence in local party leadership. I firmly believe I’m not the only Republican who feels this way, and I still believe in the background that there are many honest and ethical local Republican Party leaders who are pressuring for real and proactive reform, and not just pandering or giving political lip service to appease the public.

How can I restore trust to the auditor’s position?

First and foremost, the next auditor must clean up the mess made by Ms. Rogers and her alleged still to be identified accomplices. Discovering any additional corruption of the auditor’s office by her is also an initial task at hand. The second task is immediately identifying the positive attributes of the staff now in place and restoring some sense of professional dignity. The third and most important task is getting on with the daily business of the auditor’s office and proving to the voting public that changes have been made to ensure equity for all citizens. This will not be easy, as most hard-working and honest citizens now have a very cynical view of our county government - and rightfully so. In some sense, cleaning up the outright betrayal of the public trust by the former auditor will be the most difficult task the local Republican Party will face in this decade.

Credentials that apply to the position

As a Miami faculty member and employee, I must say that my experience teaching and also working in an administrative capacity at MU have been invaluable and easily applicable to the duties as auditor. Learning to respect and value my students is the same process that should be employed by county government. We need to add a new level of respect for each person utilizing the services of the auditor’s office. My recent experience and past education is ample and directly related to the duties of the auditor. I hold a master’s degree in public administration from Wright State (94), along with an earlier master’s degree in English from Wright State (92). As a loyal Miami Redhawk, I am proud to state that I am 1990 honors graduate with dual majors in English and geography. My current employment at Miami includes teaching English and Journalism half-time at the Hamilton Campus and half-time employment as a proposal facilitator for the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS) at MU. My duties at OARS include helping faculty finding funding sources for grant proposals, writing grant proposals and dealing with the myriad of federal and state regulations pertaining to grant facilitation.

During my tenure at Wright State University, my assistantship duties included two years with Wright State’s College of Business and Administration. I ran a CPA review program for the Department of Accounting and also taught courses in leadership for the WSU Department of Management. In addition I taught business writing and first year English composition. During my second master’s program, I was a graduate assistant for the Center for Urban and Public Affairs at Wright State where I worked with GIS (geographical information) data analysis, created statistical reports and edited the Urban Affairs newsletter. My undergraduate education at Miami includes a geography major with emphasis in GIS, cartography, economic development and urban studies - all directly relate to the auditor’s post.

In terms of my political background, I ran for Hamilton City Council twice and ran for Butler County auditor in 2002 as an independent against Kay Rogers, the now criminally indicted ex-auditor. During that race in 2002, I gained over 26,000 votes. A side note to that race includes the fact that I spent approximately $3000 to gain 26,000 votes, which is probably the best vote to dollar spent ratio of any recent candidate. In the last auditor’s race, the opposing democratic candidate spent well over 100K and could barely double my total number of votes. In 2002, I ran a clean campaign that focused on my qualifications and not on Ms. Rogers’ numerous and well-documented misdeeds in office. Engaging in negative campaign tactics is not, nor ever will be, an option for me.

The election this fall will in no way be a cake walk for the Republican Party in Butler County. National and regional economic issues are directing the election away from the hot button issues of previous years. Because of the local economic demise, many county voters are dismayed and disgusted with the parade of unethical fiscal decisions made by our current republican county leaders. Therefore, with the current political climate, it’s a very simple formula this time. The core registered republican voters that the party depends on to provide victory will not be enough. As of March 3rd, 2008 our county board of elections list the number of registered republicans at 45,711, democrats at 21,640 and no party affiliation or independent at 176,837.

However, during the recent primary, Butler County officials report the ballots requested for Tuesday, March 4, as 48,991 were for Democrat, and 39,747 for Republican, according to the elections board. Did Butler County truly turn democratic? This topic is open to debate. Yes, many republican voters did pull democratic ballots due to the pressure of talk radio hosts, etc. However, this factor alone does not adequately explain the entire political shift. In addition, in previous elections, the vast number of Butler County independents consistently voted republican.

In 2008, this trend could change quickly and the independent voters could walk away from the local Republican Party due to the Rogers scandal. Consequently, the Republican Party needs an auditor candidate who will provide a measure of real appeal beyond its previous base and most importantly to the large number of independents tempted to vote against the status quo we now have in place.

Conclusion - personal appeal