3 Days Left -- Help Us Fend Off Desperate Attacks

We knew they were worried, but this is ridiculous.

The Ohio Republican Chairman took the great Ohio news that Shaquille O'Neil was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and . . . used it as an excuse to publicly attack my candidacy for auditor. Strange, but true. Columbus politics at its best.

However bizarre, the lesson is clear. As the race heats up, equally desperate attacks will no doubt be coming, and we need to be prepared to answer all of them. That's why your help now will make such a a difference.

Please make your contribution of $50, $100, $250, $500 or whatever you can afford today! To Donate, click here.

Only three days to go.

And go Shaq!

David Pepper Announces Run for State Auditor

Final Week of June Fundraising Drive

One week to go in our June fundraising drive. Please click here to donate today.

In states across the country, the best auditors work at all levels and across party lines to identify and implement savings, reforms and efficiencies that save taxpayer dollars, enhance competitiveness, and improve performance. And they root out waste, fraud and abuse--reducing the cost of government and ensuring that every tax dollar collected is put to good use.

As you know, I have spent my career in government pushing for just these types of reforms and improvements.

And I will do so without being blinded by partisan politics. Perhaps more than any other job, the Auditor office must stay out of the mud of partisan fingerpointing and attacks.  But as an article in the Auditor's hometown newspaper made clear on Sunday, that's all we've seen lately.

Every dollars counts. Please make your contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or whatever you can afford today!  Donate today by clicking here.

Thank you again for your interest and ongoing support.

ABJ--Taylor's CPA: "Calculating Political Animal"?

June 21, 2009--An article in today's Akron Beacon Journal takes Auditor Mary Taylor to task for having brought partisan politics to the Auditor's office.

While she held a special press conference just to attack the Governor's budget proposal for using one-time dollars to get through the current fiscal crisis, when the proposed Senate (Republican) budget bill did the same thing, she "suddenly developed a case of fiscal laryngitis."

"Taylor decided to focus on the Senate Republicans' decision to implement Medicaid savings of $100 million annually, and she did not bring any attention to the potential $8 billion structural deficit in the Republican budget, as she did with Democrats."

"[H]er silence makes one wonder whether CPA doesn't stand for calculating political animal."

On the other hand, as the article notes, the Pepper campaign launched with a clear message of doing things differently, promising "not to play partisan games as state auditor, to remain neutral, independent, and to avoid being a political tool."

Hamilton County Wins Six 2009 National Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties

County recognized for efforts in Environmental Services, Human Resources, and Human Services.

(June 17, 2009 -- Hamilton County, Ohio) Today, Hamilton County Commissioners recognized six county programs being awarded 2009 Nation Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). These awards honor innovative programs that enhance county government by modernizing and streamlining processes while increasing services to residents. This year, NACo honored only 13 programs from Ohio, and 6 of those programs came from Hamilton County departments.

The programs honored at today’s ceremony include Recycling at Work from Environmental Services, Hamilton County Innovates from Human Resources, and the Library Initiative, Everyday Heroes, REAL Dads, and Sheriff Commissary Account Seizures, all out of Jobs and Family Services.

Highlights from the programs include:
Everyday Heroes - 100 new foster homes
Sheriff Commissary Account Seizures - $33,000 collected in owed child support
Library Initiatives - over 3500 residents accessing services
Hamilton County Innovates - $50,000 in savings

“Hamilton County always takes pride in the great services it provides to its citizens, and it’s especially rewarding to have those services recognized on a national level.” Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper said while presenting the awards. “Especially at a time when we all are being asked to do more with less, these awards are also a testament to the amazingly talented work force and dedicated employees that serve our residents every day.”

The award winning programs will be listed as “Model Programs” in the NACo national database and will be recognized at the association’s annual conference in Nashville on July 26.

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