Treasurer’s Office Has Not Provided Requested Records Despite 3 Requests Spanning Nearly 10 Months; Also Ignored 9 Consecutive Requests For His Official Schedule
Hypocrisy Alert: Mandel Claims It’s Important To Comply With Information Requests, Presumably Forgetting His Previous 14-Month Refusal To Disclose Staff Resumes Related To Cronyism Scandal
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Today the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) filed its third public records request with the Ohio Treasurer’s office in its nearly yearlong attempt to obtain records of official dealings and contracts involving the Treasurer’s office during Josh Mandel’s tenure.
The request follows Josh Mandel’s 14-month refusal to fully disclose the resumes and qualifications of staffers he hired in the Treasurer’s office. He didn’t fully reveal the resumes until ODP filed its ninth public records request for them.
It also follows Mandel’s ridiculous comments about – of all things – the importance of complying with information requests. Mandel told the Sandusky Register, “…we need to have common sense disclosure and access to public records,” despite the fact that he has also ignored nine consecutive requests for his official schedule since June of this year.
Today’s request marks ODP’s third request for the same information since November 3, 2011, a period of nearly 10 months. To date, the Treasurer’s office has not provided the requested records.
View ODP’s three public records requests for records of Treasurer’s office business dealings, including today’s letter, HERE.
View ODP’s nine public records requests for Josh Mandel’s schedule, HERE.
“Josh Mandel’s refusal to disclose public records of his business dealings in the Treasurer’s office only amplifies his problems with the truth and is consistent with him blowing off billion-dollar investment meetings, hiring unqualified campaign workers and friends and skipping work to raise money from payday lenders in the Bahamas,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Andrew Zucker. “Josh Mandel refused to disclose the resumes of unqualified Treasurer’s office staffers that he hired for 14 months, he’s ignored 9 consecutive requests for his official schedule and his nearly 10-month refusal to come clean about official dealings and contracts he’s steered from the Treasurer’s office only cements his reputation as a politician Ohioans can’t trust.”
Complete Text From The Letter Sent To The Treasurer’s Office Today Is Below
August 20, 2012
The Honorable Josh Mandel
Office of the Ohio Treasurer of State
Mr. Seth Metcalf
General Counsel and Director of Legal and Legislative Affairs
30 E. Broad Street, 9th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Re: Public Records Request
Dear Mr. Metcalf:
This is our second follow-up letter and third overall correspondence regarding the public records request below. We first sent the request on November 3, 2011 and again on December 20, 2011 after not receiving a response to the original request. To date we have not received the requested records.
This is a request pursuant to Ohio Revised Code § 149.43 for the following specific records:
- A list, whether electronic or in hard copy, of all financial services companies, banks, outside managers and custodians that have a contract with the Treasurer of State’s office currently or have had a contract with the Treasurer of State’s office anytime since January 10, 2011 as well as any entity that had a contract or performed investment-related services, directly or indirectly, for the treasurer’s office since January 10, 2011.
- Copies of, whether electronic or in hard copy, all compensation paid by the Treasurer’s office to the above entities whether paid directly, indirectly, in-kind or off-setting balances or any other compensating balances.
- A list, whether electronic or in hard copy, brokers who directly or indirectly were involved directly or indirectly in, or acted as agent for the treasurer’s office, in the purchase, sale , or deposit of any assets if not included above and whom received compensation in commissions, brokerage fees or direct or indirect compensation.
Please produce the requested records within a reasonable period of time. We anticipate that many of these records will be easy for your office to produce, and request that you produce them on a rolling basis as you are able to copy or otherwise reproduce them. We do not wish to wait until you have gathered all of the requested records before you produce them. Please let me know when you anticipate producing records.
If there is any information that will be excluded or any materials that will be redacted pertaining to our request, we want to know those categories and under what privacy law or other provisions they are withheld or redacted.
Should any portion of this request be denied, in part or in whole, the law requires written justification for its denial, along with a citation of the appropriate Open Records Act exemption that applies for each record, or portion thereof, that is withheld or redacted.
If you have any questions concerning this request, please contact Michael Carrozzo at (614) 376-7463 or at mcarrozzo@ohiodems.org.
Sincerely,
Chris Redfern
Chairman
Ohio Democratic Party
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