Mallory contribution was wrong, party chair says

Greg Harris, the two-time Democratic cannon fodder for the First District congressional seat, was outspent almost 6-1 in campaign against incumbent Republican Steve Chabot last year. Just 5 percent of his funding came directly from the Democratic party.

So Harris (above) concedes he's a little sore about the support he got from party leaders. But when he learned that the Hamilton County Democratic Party contributed $12,500 to the campaign committee of its co-chairman last year, he was really sore.

That co-chairman: mayoral candidate and state Sen. Mark Mallory.

"He knew he was going to run for mayor when he got that money. People who gave to the county party didn't give for that purpose," Harris said. "That money was for the 2004 election. I was at all the events where it was raised."

"The county party chair stuck his finger in the cookie jar," he said. "It's just despicable."

Mallory's co-chairman, Timothy M. Burke, said the contributions were in line with a longstanding policy of helping those candidates who most help the party.

Still, he said, he regrets that the last chunk of the $12,500 -- a $4,000 contribution made in November -- came after it was clear that Mallory could have Democratic competition from David Pepper and Alicia Reece in the mayor's race.

Neither Pepper nor Reece received any money from the county party. Mallory stepped down as party chairman after the 2004 election, in part because of concerns about a conflict of interest in running against other Democrats.

"Frankly, I wish there were no contributions after he announced he was running for mayor," said Burke, now sole chairman of the party. "He was part of that decision. In retrospect, given that we have made a position of neutrality as a party -- in retrospect -- that contribution was not appropriate to happen."

Mallory said the last contribution came after he was no longer co-chairman and before he filed petitions for mayor. He did contribute $500 back to the party earlier this year, according to campaign finance reports.

"Those contributions were made almost a year ago now, and if anybody had a problem with it, they should have said something a long time ago," Mallory said.

Should the party make an equal contribution to Pepper's campaign? Mallory, who's trailing Pepper in fund-raising by a 3-to-1 ratio, said no.

"Doesn't David Pepper have enough money?" he said.