Blackwell gives parting bonuses to SOS staffers

Before he left office this month, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell gave 19 staff members bonuses totaling more than $80,185, according to figures released by his successor.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat elected Nov. 7, questioned the spending by her Republican predecessor.

The parting payments from Blackwell, who lost the governor's race to Ted Strickland, ranged up to $7,923 for Assistant Secretary of State Monty Lobb.

Other Blackwell staffers receiving the largest bonuses were Chief of Staff Sherri Dembinski ($7,845), Chief Financial Officer Dilip Mehta ($7,765) who signed off on the bonuses and General Counsel Cassandra Hicks ($7,450)

"For a lot of the employees, it was almost like a golden parachute," Brunner told The Columbus Dispatch for a story today. "I just think that taxpayers' expectation of how the government operates is that bonuses aren't generally considered to be something that government does."

Brunner, who defeated Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann in November, said she learned of the payments after taking office Jan. 8.

The bonuses were appropriate and payments to 10 of the 19 senior staffers included agreements that they would resign, saving the office from paying unemployment, Blackwell's former spokesman Carlo LoParo said.

"I would just have to chalk (Brunner's comments) up to overall inexperience," said LoParo, who got a bonus of $1,702, according to payroll records.

Brunner said Blackwell spent too much of the office's budget, forcing her to ask the state Controlling Board in coming weeks for as much as $1 million to pay expenses until the next budget takes effect July 1.

Her office also has to pay a $225,000 settlement from a lawsuit filed against Blackwell and the Lucas County Board of Elections on behalf of voters who did not receive an absentee ballot and were not allowed to cast provisional ballots in the 2004 election.

Brunner's office was informed that the settlement was finalized in December but couldn't be paid until January, LoParo said.

As far as the office's budget, more was spent last year because of the election in which statewide races were decided, LoParo said.