PX column: In Mike DeWine vs. Rich Cordray Ohio governor's race, what scandal really matters?

Jason Williams | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Who wants to be Ohio's next governor? Ohio will pick its next governor on Nov. 6. See who is running.

Last week, Politics Extra looked at key issues in the Aftab Pureval-Steve Chabot congressional race and determined what is and isn't a political scandal.

This week: The Ohio governor's race.

Here are three issues that have been raised in the tight race between Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Rich Cordray: (And, sorry, but we won't be addressing the toxic algae that's been such a slimy issue in the Battle of Boring.)

More: Why Donald Trump is so concerned about Elizabeth Warren's 'far-left disciple'

E-SCHOOL

ISSUE: State audits the past few years revealed the now-shuttered Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow charter school was fabricating enrollment numbers in order to get more taxpayer money. As the state's largest charter school, ECOT received more than $104 million of your money in 2016-17. The school, founded in 2000, closed in January because it was unable to pay back $80 million in overpayments to the state.

VERDICT: Scandal.

REASON: For years, ECOT was bilking tens of millions of dollars while the GOP-controlled state government turned a blind eye. Many GOP officials received big campaign donations from ECOT's disgraced founder Bill Lager and his cronies. Among those Republicans turning a blind eye/receiving donations: DeWine and his running mate, Jon Husted. DeWine has tried to distance himself from the ECOT embarrassment in the governor's race.

Too late, at least for the taxpayers and thousands of ECOT students who were left in the cold mid-year without a school. DeWine has been state attorney general since 2011, but he just started taking action against ECOT this year at a politically opportune time. He donated $12,532 in ECOT campaign contributions to a charity. In August, DeWine filed a lawsuit against Lager and his business interests to try to recoup $60 million.

Question is, why hasn't Cordray been hammering DeWine and the Republicans harder on this scandal? Perhaps it's not resonating with voters. It's a very complex issue that involves a wonky acronym – potentially making it difficult to clearly boil down into a message that voters can understand.

More: ECOT scandal 101

BULLETPROOF VESTS

ISSUE: Officials with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is overseen by the attorney general, warned DeWine for more than a year that agents were using expired bulletproof vests. In May, a union representing BCI agents filed a grievance. Records from the AG's office showed that 50 vests had passed the five-year expiration date set by the National Institute of Justice, according to the Associated Press. “I WILL NOT ALLOW MY FOLKS TO GO THROUGH A SINGLE DOOR!!!,” one BCI supervisor wrote in an email, summing up multiple concerns about sending agents out to execute search warrants. DeWine's office spokesman said the vests were on order after the union complaint and news stories surfaced.

VERDICT: Not a scandal.

REASON: Nothing illegal or immoral was done here. This is flat out office mismanagement and negligence – and it's inexcusable. Law enforcement agents rely on standard equipment such as bulletproof vests to protect their safety. Again, what was DeWine waiting on? Thank goodness no agent has been injured – or killed, heaven forbid – because of a problematic vest. PX isn't trying to overstate this, but if an officer's safety is at risk then that means the public's is, too.

More: Who is Mike DeWine?

More: Who is Richard Cordray?

RAPE KITS

ISSUE: Cordray is the former Ohio attorney general, having lost the seat to DeWine in 2010. When DeWine took over the office, he discovered a massive backlog of untested rape kits. DeWine has since tackled getting more than 13,000 rape kits processed.

VERDICT: Not a scandal.

REASON: This could be considered office mismanagement and a lack of urgency for Cordray, who spent two years as AG. But it's not as simple as replacing 50 bulletproof vests. Cordray inherited a backlog of untested rape kits, which includes DNA evidence taken from a victim. At the time, Ohio didn't have a standard process for testing rape kits. Thus, the state lacked the resources to test the evidence in a timely manner. Cordray didn't have eight years to tackle the issue like DeWine has.

Cordray didn't simply neglect the problem. In 2010, he asked lawmakers to develop a statewide testing protocol. In his final months in office, Cordray formed the Ohio Sexual Assault Kit Testing Commission and said the state would receive robots to help speed up DNA testing, according to Politifact. But Cordray also made those moves at a politically opportune time, having been immersed in a close AG race against DeWine.

Listen to Jason's weekly podcast "That's So Cincinnati." Twitter: @jwilliamscincy. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com