Ohio Governor Bob Taft last week was fined $4,000 on 4 misdemeanor charges for failing to disclose golf outings, dinners and other fine gifts. In fact there were some 52 known occasions when the Governor received a gift worth more than $75, so the governor was not actually penalized; he was just ordered to pay the State the minimum value of what he had already received, which has been estimated to be more than $6,000.

Despite the carping of critics, Governor Taft insists that Ohio does not have a "pay-to-play" system of government. And I believe him on this. It would be better to call it a "play-to-pay" system, since you needed a round of golf or a dinner with the Governor in order even to discuss remuneration.

Governor Taft suggests that his golfing partners and dinner companions were all dear friends, even if an extraordinary number of them happened to be lobbyists or businessmen seeking "state money, deregulation, or policy change."

"These were recreational events with friends, primarily on the weekends, and we don't have a pay-to-play system," Mr. Taft told reporters.... "There is no connection between golf or contributions and state contracts in our administration."

The public has been misled by organizations such as the Center for Public Integrity and the liberal press into thinking that the Governor's associates did not desire a true friendship with him. In fact there was a lot of catching up on family news, which is what lobbyists and politicians do when they get together.

There was one golfing companion, however, who was a mystery to the Governor—Tom Noe, who managed the state's $50 million investment in rare coins.

"We didn't know who Tom Noe really was," said Taft, who received $22,000 in campaign contributions from Noe over the years. "He fooled people from one end of Ohio to the other, including me."

In fact, though Governor Taft has known Mr. Noe for 20 years, he said he didn't know that Mr. Noe had business with the state at all, which must have left him puzzled why Mr. Noe was out on the fairway.

Not only did Governor Taft not know of Noe's involvement with the state, he certainly knew nothing of any "rare-coin fund." The Governor has also suggested that Mr. Noe did everything he could to hide his involvement in state business from him.

So yesterday Mr. Noe took umbrance at the Governor's remarks and has demanded a "correction"—

Tom Noe yesterday asked Gov. Bob Taft to issue a public statement correcting his accusation Thursday that Mr. Noe "made a great effort to conceal" his role in the state's $50 million investment in rare coins.

If Mr. Taft does not acknowledge that he made a "simple mistake," then Mr. Noe "will help people to understand that it was incorrect," said Mr. Noe's attorney, William Wilkinson.

Now you can't get much clearer than that, can you?

Mr. Noe has been trying to phone and email the Governor without success. (I have had similar bad luck, as it seems the Governor is more and more away on the golf course.) But he is sharing with the public the content of his email—

"I saw your press conference on Thursday after your court appearance where you stated that I had 'made a great effort to conceal' my association with the coin funds," Mr. Noe wrote in a message released to The Blade through the coin-dealer's attorney. "We all know that is an incorrect statement."

He added, "I am requesting that you immediately correct your misstatement publicly," and signed the e-mail "Tom Noe."

There is concern as to just what the Governor should do in the face of such not-so-veiled threats—

David Mark, the editor of Campaigns & Elections, a Washington-based nonpartisan political magazine, said Mr. Taft is "between a rock and hard place."

He said Mr. Taft would be better off cutting his losses and issuing the retraction, rather than letting Mr. Noe's attorney jog his memory.

"Noe has a lot more to tell, whether it's to the media or prosecutors," Mr. Mark said. "It sounds like the governor's troubles are not over. His memory might very well get freshened up in the not too distant future."

Mr. Wilkinson said he and Mr. Noe will wait to see if Mr. Taft complies with Mr. Noe's request today. Mr. Wilkinson said he plans to talk to reporters tomorrow.

Tomorrow is today. Keep an eye peeled for what Mr. Wilkinson has to say.

Related posts
Ohio Republican Attorney General Petro has coins in his pocket (7/29/05)
Hope of the Day (7/21/05)