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Recollections differ on how West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang's company secured a deal to provide deferred compensation benefits to county employees and administer the county's flexible spending account.

But at least one other local insurance company says Lang has no local competition.

In addition to Lang, county employees can purchase deferred compensation through a state plan or the County Commissioners' Association of Ohio.

County officials involved said former county auditor Kay Rogers — who resigned in March after pleading guilty to federal bank fraud charges — was pushing for Lang to get the contract in 1997. Rogers denies this.

All the commissioners who were sitting at the time said they had no knowledge of any favoritism or suspicious dealings.

When Lang did get it, it was with the understanding he wouldn't charge employees fees as long as no other companies could sell products to employees.

That changed in 2005 when Western and Southern Financial Group and Spurlock Insurance Agency were allowed to offer employees alternative health insurance programs. AFLAC also offers its products to employees.

Don Spurlock, also a prominent player in the Butler County GOP, said his clout didn't secure him the deal, but it didn't hurt. And he says Lang still has all the access.

"We've been trying awful hard just to compete with George Lang for years but we can't do it," he said. "We never got one piece of business out of it."

Since getting permission to sell products to employees, Spurlock said county officials have denied him access to talk to county staff, though Lang's company talks to staff every year during "open enrollment."

County Personnel Director Douglas Duckett said, "The piece that I blocked was any attempt to have employees called together to have sales pitches."

Duckett said the consultant the county is looking to contract will build a system so such questions don't arise.

"We certainly want to see greater accountability and transparency brought to that process," Duckett said.

Michael Fox, who was on the commission for both resolutions, said the party connections didn't give anyone a shoe-in, but they certainly help.

"Generally, you look for people who are qualified that have been your friends rather than your enemies," Fox said. "When you have the discretion to get something done, the first goal is to find someone who can do something capable and do something well ... you don't give high priority to people who've been your enemies."

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