The Columbus Dispatch reports: State Senator Ray Miller (and former Senate Minority Leader)
was fined, again, for the Swiss cheese campaign finance reports he filed – two
years late.
Devoid of saying “the dog ate my finance reports,” Miller
paid his $1,000 fine and probably mentally noted that this one comes on top of
the $1,500 fine in February of 2008 and the $936 he was fined for having staff
run his political operation on state time.
Ohio Elections Commission Chair, Chuck Calvert, summed up
the situation well by saying:
“This
is not a committee or a first-time candidate who had no idea what he was
supposed to do. … It also concerns me that Sen. Miller (was) elected minority
leader in the Senate and therefore was involved with other candidates. He is a
leader, and in my opinion he did not set a very good example as a leader of
other candidates.”
In case you’re having trouble keeping up with Miller’s
improprieties, here is a quick review:
Failure to File Reports for “More than Two Years.” “The veteran lawmaker [Ray Miller]
was fined $1,500 by the Ohio Elections Commission in late February after he
went more than two years without filing finance reports required under Ohio
election law. Just before the commission hearing, Miller turned in reports
dating back to 2002, but many details remained missing.” (Editorial, “Details, details,” Columbus
Dispatch, 3/27/08)
The Secretary of State’s Office Sent Miller Nearly 100 Pages of
Material Regarding His Reports.“Efforts to straighten out Miller's
campaign-finance reports continued yesterday when the office of Secretary of
State Jennifer Brunner sent the Columbus Democrat a new 42-page audit letter
informing him that his filings still leave a number of unanswered questions,
which follows up a 51-page letter sent to Miller in April asking for more
information from his initial filing.” (Editorial,
“Details, details,” Columbus Dispatch, 3/27/08)
The Secretary of State’s Office Said $34,588 Worth of Campaign
Reimbursements Lacked “Sufficient Verification.” “The letter sent
to Miller yesterday said that between 2002 and 2007, he got 53 reimbursements
from his campaign totaling $34,588. ‘Many of the payments to Sen.
Miller lack sufficient verification needed to accept the expense as
legitimate,’ wrote J. Curtis Mayhew, campaign finance administrator for the
secretary of state's office.” (Editorial, “Details, details,” Columbus Dispatch,
3/27/08)
Miller Used “About $20,000 in Campaign Money With His Business
Operations.” “Ohio Senate Minority
Leader Ray Miller of Columbus, who, from 2006 to 2007,
mingled about $20,000 in campaign money with his business operations. That
includes rent for an office near the Statehouse.” (Editorial, “Details, details,” Columbus
Dispatch, 3/27/08)
A Joint Legislative Ethics Committee Investigation Found Miller Guilty
of Allowing Staff to Work for His Political Organization, “Reclaim Our
Democracy,” On State Time. “[T]he
[Joint Legislative Ethics Committee] accepted a letter
of apology and $936 in restitution from Sen. Ray Miller,
a Columbus Democrat who allowed a staff member to work on his private,
nonprofit company while she was on state time. The money will cover the aide's
salary for the time she worked for Reclaim Our Democracy, a political
organization run by Miller.” (Jim
Siegel, “Ethics failings get light penalty,” Columbus Dispatch, 12/14/05)
All this and Miller had the audacity to co-sign the letter
asking Marc Dann to step down from the Attorney General’s office, and who could forget that Miller served on the oversight
board for the BWC while it was investing in those pesky rare coins. Miller, “topped the absentee list,” (according
to the Columbus Dispatch, 6/19/05) for missed meetings on that board.
