Thread: OH-OSP Retiree Says Gov Blocked Hiring Probe

OSP Retiree Says Gov Blocked Hiring Probe

Published: February 27, 2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A former official with the State Highway Patrol says the governor’s office tried to stop an investigation into a company accused of hiring illegal immigrants.

Former Lt. Col. William Costas, who retired this month, tells The Columbus Dispatch that Gov. Ted Strickland’s top legal advisers questioned the patrol’s authority and tried intimidation.

Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst says the lawyers’ were making sure the patrol had proper jurisdiction. She says the questioning was appropriate and that the investigation was never stopped.

The case centers on whether Anchor Companies tried to cover up the use of illegal immigrants to work on an office building leased by the state prison department. A Franklin County prosecutor is reviewing the case.



http://www2.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/ar ... obe/32637/

Ohio Governor Strickland: incompetent or corrupt?

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry (Profile)

Saturday, February 27th at 11:40AM EST

3 Comments

The scandals just keep coming from the Strickland administration:

A state investigation of an alleged scheme to cover up the use of illegal immigrants to remodel a state-leased office building is now in the hands of the Franklin County prosecutor’s office.

But state troopers say they had to stand their ground to ensure the case reached the prosecutor.

Former State Highway Patrol Lt. Col. William Costas, who retired this month as the agency’s No. 2 leader, said investigators had to defend their authority to investigate the case under questioning from the top two lawyers to Gov. Ted Strickland.

Two points stand out to me:

•Prosecutor Ron O’Brien finds the questioning by the governor’s lawyers odd, saying it was clear the patrol had authority to investigate and serve search warrants in the case.
•An investigation by The Dispatch found that the meeting came after a lobbyist close to Strickland met with Markus on behalf of the company under criminal scrutiny. The two men met two days before the patrol began its probe.
Correlation does not equal causation and all that but this is fishy to no end.

Oh, you want a little insight into how Democratic politics works? Here you go:

Andrew Fries, the lobbyist’s son, is a $41,273-a-year aide to Strickland. Another son, Thomas Fries Jr., makes $100,178 annually as executive director of the Ohio State Racing Commission, the board of which is appointed by the governor. Fries Sr. and his wife, Mary, have donated $23,750 to Strickland’s gubernatorial campaigns since 2005.

If you add up all the various scandals and missteps of this administration there are really only two options: incompetent or corrupt. Either Strickland is incapable of finding people of integrity to work in his administration or he is playing politics with the law and seeking to reward/protect cronies.

http://www.redstate.com/kevin_holtsberr ... r-corrupt/