A recent analysis in The Plain Dealer asks this question: Did Yost, DeWine Dawdle on ECOT? After a rather detailed history lesson – the analysis gives us this answer: YES they did.
Let’s look at Auditor David Yost, now running to be Ohio’s next Attorney General.
Among the most incriminating evidence against Auditor Yost centers on his decision to negotiate the boundaries of his investigation into ECOT – with ECOT.
Critics are quick to note that the man who wants to be Ohio’s top cop should not have a history of letting those he investigates set the parameters for investigations into them.
As the PD tells us, Yost failed to take appropriate action when a former ECOT employee informed his office in 2014 that the school was playing games with its attendance.
“Yost’s office told ECOT it wanted to see detailed attendance and class participation records. ECOT objected, pointing to a 2003 ‘contract’ with ODE basing funding only on enrollment and educational opportunities “offered,” not whether students take them.
Yost accepted that contract as valid and backed down.’’
Soon after Yost backed down, his transition account received $7500 from ECOT officials.
Yost’s campaign accounts received a total of $29,000 from ECOT officials, gave them record-keeping awards and spoke at ECOT graduation ceremonies – facts featured in a new ad by his opponent, former federal prosecutor Steve Dettelbach, as evidence of Yost’s cozy relationship ECOT founder and major GOP donor William Lager.
Yost has defended the awards and speeches. But can you imagine Yost fawning over a chronically failing school that didn’t shower him with campaign cash? And had Yost acted sooner, Ohio taxpayers could have saved millions of dollars and lots of students could have been spared time in the chronically failing school.
While Yost is relatively well known on the statewide stage, Dettelbach is a making his first run for public office. He is best known as serving for six years as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
In its endorsement of Dettlebach, the Akron Beacon Journal wrote:
“He knows organization and how to set priorities. He won praise for his conduct of the office, among the steeper challenges the federal effort to repair the Cleveland police department. In this campaign season of talking tough about the drug companies and their contribution to the opioid epidemic, he actually prevailed against the drugmaker Omnicare.’’
And then there is ECOT.
The Beacon Journal said that the ECOT baggage Yost carries burdens his candidacy, noting both the money he received from ECOT and his failure to act sooner.
“ECOT is an immense scandal. It is not easily looked past,’’ The Beacon Journal Wrote, “There is a better choice on the ballot, Steve Dettelbach.’’
ELECT pro-public education candidates.
