Akron Beacon Journal, 25May1999-1

Ex-prosecutor feels vindicated by Hartung verdict, backs record
By Steve Hoffman, Beacon Journal politics
Published Tuesday, May 25, 1999,in the Akron Beacon Journal

Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor, the former Summit County prosecutor, yesterday gave a strong defense of her law enforcement record here and left open the possibility of running for county executive or the Ohio Supreme Court next year.

O'Connor, a former member of the task force investigating corruption in Summit County government, said she was pleased with the conviction of County Executive Tim Davis' former chief of staff, William Hartung, on charges of bribery and conspiracy.

"It seems like I've missed all the excitement," O'Connor said yesterday at a meeting of the Greater Akron Republican Club.

O'Connor took over as lieutenant governor early this year after winning the No. 2 spot in state government with Republican Gov. Bob Taft.

"I remember when I was involved in that task force originally, how this was all O'Connor's scheme to discredit the Davis administration," she said, recounting criticism from the Democratic Summit County executive's office.

"I'm very pleased to see that justice was done there," she said.

O'Connor then defended her record as prosecutor, a record that was the subject of a recent Akron Beacon Journal series that used court data to suggest that the prosecutor's office over-indicted the accused in criminal cases. The practice included filing a large number of charges, giving rise to more negotiated plea bargains.

"I don't think that there is any job I've ever held that I've been more proud of," she said about being county prosecutor. She also praised her assistant prosecutors and the support staff.

"There seems to be a perception out there that the poor accused had too high a burden to bear," she said.

"It's much better to negotiate from a position of strength than one of weakness," she said about her approach to criminal indictments. "My job was not there to protect the accused; that's what defense attorneys are for. And my job was not there to kowtow to judges," she said.

O'Connor has been mentioned as possible candidate for Summit County executive next year, when Davis' term is up. And last week, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett mentioned her as a possible candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court.

"I've got a great job," O'Connor said about being lieutenant governor. But, she said, "I've never closed the door on an opportunity."

Besides her statutory duties as lieutenant governor, working with the State and Local Government Commission, O'Connor is also director of public safety. That post has wide-ranging authority over state law enforcement, including the State Highway Patrol, liquor enforcement and emergency response.