n the complaint, Wellborn, 46, said she was visiting the Hopper Road home of friends when O’Brien arrived there about midnight. O’Brien lives on the same street as the friends. Wellborn said she had met him on one previous occasion.When are politicians going to learn that this sort of thing is going to get out?
At about 1 a.m., the complaint said, Wellborn offered to drive O’Brien to his home – about 200 yards away –because it was raining.
The complaint said that once they were in his driveway, he asked her to dim her car lights. She said in the complaint that O’Brien put his hand on her leg. She objected and told him to get out of the car. He refused and, she reported, began masturbating. He finally got out of the car and she returned to the friends’ home.
You might notice that the word "Republican" is in quotes in the headline of my post. That is because of something that Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou said on Facebook:
This man was never endorsed by the Hamilton County Republican Party. In fact, I personally called for his resignation when he was first elected and the information about his financial improprieties surfaced. He can claim to be a Republican because we can't prevent anyone from saying they are Republican, but the Republican Party has NOT endorsed or supported his candidacy in any way.For insight in to the "financial improprieties" we return to the Enquirer story:
O’Brien was elected trustee in 2009, two months after he was banned for life from the securities industry by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. That followed an allegation that he had misappropriated more than $300,000 from a client, which O’Brien denied. No criminal charges were filed. In December, the Ohio Division of Securities found that he had acted as a financial investment adviser without a license, a violation of state law.This guy is bad news all around. A ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. Leave it to the good people of Anderson to elect such an upstanding citizen.....
UPDATE: More from Chairman Alex:
On December 30, 2009, the following statement went out about Mr. O'Brien:
****Media Statement****
"Kevin O'Brien Should Not Serve As Anderson Township Trustee"
"Holding elected government office is a high honor and privilege that should be reserved for those qualified to serve.
The recent allegations about Kevin O'Brien, the Trustee-elect in Anderson Township, leave me deeply concerned about his ability to serve with the faith and confidence of the citizens of Anderson Township.
Recently, the Cincinnati Enquirer has reported about Mr. O'Brien's business dealings. The Enquirer reports that, "his stock brokerage license was revoked permanently because of allegations that he misappropriated for his own use some of the $378,000 he transferred from a client's account, according to a report from the agency that regulates securities markets in Ohio."
An industry newsletter called Investment News, reports it this way: "The story of Kevin Obrien shows that a broker who gets kicked out of the securities business can find new life in the financial arena - and a very public arena at that."
There have been some reports that Mr. O'Brien is a Republican. Although he may personally identify with our party, he was not an endorsed Republican candidate in this Trustee race. The GOP endorsement process is governed by the laws of the State of Ohio and the Anderson Township elected Republican Party did not endorse Mr. O'Brien.
Doing the work of the public requires that the public have confidence in the elected officials who serve them. Given Mr. O'Brien's troubling work history, he should not serve as Trustee and he should step aside immediately."
