Butler County Auditor: Bob Weber Information

We start outlining what we know of the candidates for Butler County Auditor today with this bit from WMD reader Bob Weber:

Republican Party - Statement of Intent – Robert S. Weber

Why do I want to become Butler County’s next auditor?

My rationale for desiring the auditor’s post is simple and to the point. As the local headlines indicate, 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, Butler 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 your auditor, I would put the needs of the voting citizens first and foremost, as this position should be filled with a strong-minded individual who can provide equal oversight, without being swayed by constant 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 loyal, 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. These honest and straight-speaking leaders of the party must step forward now.

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 malfeasance or corruption of the auditor’s office by her is also an initial task at hand. The second task is immediately identifying the numerous positive attributes of the auditor’s office 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 leadership – and rightfully so, considering recent events. 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 four-year 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/Communication 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) in Oxford. My administrative duties at OARS include helping faculty find funding sources for grant proposals, writing grant proposals and dealing with the myriad of federal and state regulations pertaining to grant facilitation. During my four year 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 that helped WSU business majors prepare to take the rigorous CPA exam. I also taught courses in leadership and business writing for the WSU Department of Management. During my second master’s program in Public Administration, I was a graduate assistant for the Center for Urban and Public Affairs at Wright State where I worked with GIS (geographical information systems) data analysis, created statistical reports and edited the Urban Affairs newsletter. My undergraduate education at Miami includes a geography major that focused on GIS, cartography, economic development, political geography 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. In addition, I was an auditor candidate in the 2006 primary and quickly stepped aside for the endorsed candidate. I was also a candidate for Butler County Board of Elections director in March 2005.

The election this fall will, in no way, be a cake walk for the Republican Party in Butler County. Global, 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 and non-conservative 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, Children’s Services director appointment and the sickening unethical retirement scheme for the previous county administrator. Consequently, the Republican Party needs an auditor candidate who will provide a measure of genuine appeal beyond its previous base and most importantly to the large number of independents tempted to vote against the status quo now in place.

Conclusion – personal appeal to the Republican Central Committee
Quite frankly, I will readily and proudly admit my own political ideals are decidedly moderate in nature, yet I fully embrace the Republican principles of creating smaller government, demonstrating unbending ethical behavior and demanding responsible fiscal conservatism at the county level. As the Butler County Republican Party responds to the changing times at hand, it might be the right moment to broaden its views and include new voices, fresh ideals and radically different methodologies - if we want to be successful in 2008. The same old faces, same old political slogans, same old double dip retirement plans and same old seat swapping plans won’t cut it in this critical national and local election. Obviously, the “same old” plan doesn’t work anymore. Because of the criminal activity of the previous auditor, this election for auditor should not be just about retaining the republican seat; it should focus on finding the correct candidate in terms of ultimate honesty and unwavering integrity. The 2008 focus must be on unequivocally proving to the public that they won’t ever again receive the poor level of integrity that Ms. Rogers’ never-ending régime represented. In my heart, I believe I am the true republican reformer Butler County needs as its next auditor.

Stay tuned for my endorsement in this race...because we still have two more candidates to talk about!