Cordray makes case for attorney general job

LIMA - The battle for Ohio attorney general may not be the most talked about race this year, but Richard Cordray said it may be one of the most important.

Cordray, who is the Ohio treasurer and the Democratic candidate for attorney general, was in Lima on Thursday to make his case for the job. His selling points include clerking for two Supreme Court justices, 15 years in law and five "Jeopardy" wins. But the most important job may be his current one.

Given the national financial mess, having somebody with high-level investment knowledge will come in handy when it's time to prosecute those who brought the country to this point, Cordray said.

"We're going to need to call people to account who are to blame for this," Cordray said. "There are financial institutions who were greedy and not forthcoming with the public about some of the problems that were on their books."

Corday faces Republican Mike Crites, a Lima native now living in Columbus. The two are running for the unfinished term of Democrat Marc Dann, who resigned in May after he and his staffers were accused of a variety of misdeeds, including sexual harassment and, in Dann's case, an extramarital affair with an office subordinate.

This week, Crites released a television advertisement linking Cordray to Dann and accusing him of ignoring the office's scandals for 18 months. Cordray called the ad a cheap shot.

"It basically amounts to name-calling and guilt by association. I think I should be judged on my own accomplishments and that fact that I am a very different person from Marc Dann," Cordray said.

One of those accomplishments has been guarding the investments for Ohio and most of the counties, schools and other political subdivisions around the state. Despite chaos on the national market, Ohio's money is safe, he said.

"Our money is not invested in the stock market, it is in ultra-safe investments," Cordray said.

Former Allen County Democratic Chairman Gary Frueh said experience and job performance make Cordray an easy choice come November.

"He has more experience than his opponent and this man is dedicated. He's dedicated to making us a better state," Frueh said.