Democrats' state candidates stump in Kenton

KENTON — Three candidates for state office showed up to campaign in Kenton Saturday. All three have one thing in common: They are running for political office with a promise to keep politics out of the office.

Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, candidate for secretary of state, David Pepper, candidate for state auditor, and Eric Brown, who’s running to be chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, all spoke during the Hardin County Democrats’ annual Presidents’ Day Dinner. The three Democrats are all running for their first statewide position with promises they will keep party mudslinging out of the office.

“This is not an office that should be politicized,” said Pepper, currently a Hamilton County commissioner. “Lately, the Auditor’s Office has been politicized. That really hurts the ability to do the job. I want to really get the politics out of the office.”

Pepper is unopposed in the Democratic primary, but is keeping a close eye on an increasingly interesting Republican battle. Earlier this month, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost dropped his bid for the attorney general spot to take on state Rep. Seth Morgan for the party’s nomination for auditor. That move angered Tea Party Republicans who had supported Yost over party favorite and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine.

“It’s going to be interesting to watch. Both the candidates seem to want to continue the direction of the current Auditor (Mary Taylor) and I think it needs to change,” Pepper said.

Like Pepper, O’Shaughnessy is uncontested in the primary, but she likely will face a serious contender in the fall in former Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted. Husted faces former Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O’Brien in the Republican primary, but is expected to win handily.

But it seems to be former Secretary of State Ken Blackwood that O’Shaughnessy is really running against.

“The person in this office has to be fair and impartial. We can’t have someone leading the elections process who is also leading the charge for campaigns, as a former secretary of state did,” said O’Shaughnessy, currently Franklin County Common Pleas Court clerk.

Brown, a judge on Franklin County’s Probate Court, is challenging Republican Maureen O’Connor for the chief justice spot. He said his election would help balance the court. Although Supreme Court races are officially nonpartisan, the seven-person court is currently made up entirely of Republicans.

“One of the major reasons I am running is to bring some balance to the court. Any deliberating body needs to have a mix of ideas, someone to challenge the ideas and perceptions of the others,” Brown said.

Beyond politics, Brown touts a variety of experiences he would take to the court, including years as a local school board member and as a small business owner.

“It’s that experience you bring to the court with you, that’s what helps you really represent the people,” Brown said.