Jason Williams | Cincinnati Enquirer

Wochit

John Minchillo, AP

I get it, you see "ECOT" in a Cincinnati.com headline, your eyes glaze over and you can't click somewhere else fast enough.

Don't do that anymore, please. Not if you care how your tax dollars are spent, and I know you do.

ECOT is not just another insipid, bureaucratic acronym. The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow is today's massive scandal, maybe the largest in Ohio history. ECOT is a four-letter word that represents the garbage dump Republicans have turned state government into.

Now they're all scattering like cockroaches, but Republicans can't get away from ECOT.

It's tough to succinctly explain this multi-layer steaming pile of poo. But our statehouse reporter Jessie Balmert does a great job breaking down all-things ECOT in this easy-to-read explainer.

Here's a brief breakdown:

ECOT, founded in 2000, allegedly fudged its enrollment for years in order to get more taxpayer money. The Republican-dominated statehouse turned a blind eye on oversight. GOP candidates had received more than $2 million in campaign donations through the years from ECOT founder Bill Lager and his minions. The state now is trying to recoup $80 million from the school, which shutdown in January because it was running out of money. Some 12,000 students were left out in the cold looking for a new school mid-year. The FBI is investigating ECOT, but it's not clear specifically what the feds are looking at.

"For the average Ohioan, they’re not fully appreciating just how big this story really is," said David Niven, University of Cincinnati political science professor. "Actual children were victims. Every taxpayer was a victim."

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Niven, a one-time staffer of former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, further explained: “It’s the school that’s everywhere and nowhere. If it were a high school in Cincinnati that you drove by every day, it would mean something. In reality, it is a high school in Cincinnati that affected Cincinnati students.”

PX column: Ohio returns to sobriety in first major post-Trump election

Some of the biggest names on the GOP ticket this fall previously received thousands in ECOT donations while running for other offices: Gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine and running mate Jon Husted; attorney general candidate Dave Yost; auditor candidate Keith Faber.

Fuming yet? There's more. Separately, Columbus Republicans are tied up in another scandal. The FBI, which might as well set up a satellite office at 1 Capitol Square, is looking into former Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger for his lavish trips abroad. He resigned last month.

Good time for a fresh start, right? Apparently not. Questions surround the candidates battling to replace Rosenberger. Larry Householder is an FBI investigation alumnus. Ryan Smith is Rosenberger's choice to succeed him.

Politics Extra is a middle man. But folks, this is what happens when one party dominates the entire government.

"It goes beyond one-party dominance," Niven said. "It's the product of the Republicans reducing the Democrats to near irrelevance and shrinking them to a point of almost cartoonish levels."

The big question is whether the scandals will resonate with voters in November. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper is on a media tour trying to educate voters on "Chartergate." He was in Cincinnati with state Sen. Cecil Thomas on Friday.

Democrats have a respectable gubernatorial candidate in Richard Cordray and are running candidates in every statehouse race for the first time since 2012. The Cordray-DeWine race could go either way, and the Democrat could ride a potential blue wave to victory. But statehouse districts are so gerrymandered, it'll take a miracle for the Democrats to gain a majority.

"I don’t even know if a post-Watergate election would swing them at this point," Niven said. "But just fielding a candidate in every statehouse race is a big step up."

MICROSCOOPS & MORE

• Insiders say Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority CEO Laura Brunner was a rockstar in that all-day meeting on Wednesday at City Hall between FC Cincinnati and West End Community Council officials. She spoke up at times it seemed things might be going off track and helped keep everyone focused on reaching a deal on the community benefits agreement. It's PX's belief the authority should have some role in every city development project. It has staff members dedicated to community engagement and inclusion, and the quasi-governmental agency has experience handling the sensitive issue of gentrification in Evanston and Bond Hill. Its board is appointed by City Council and Hamilton County commissioners and partially funded taxpayers.

• Sticking with FC Cincinnati, at one point some leaders asked the club to consider the new Uptown I-71/MLK interchange area to build a stadium. But Major League Soccer didn't go for it because there's not a built-out entertainment district nearby like there is in the West End, which is close to Over-the-Rhine bars and restaurants. The Oakley and Newport sites FCC originally considered also are within walking distance of entertainment districts.

• Cranley's Cincinnatus PAC continues to raise money and donate to candidates. The federal leadership PAC raised $36,250 in the first quarter, according to campaign finance reports. It donated to every statewide Democratic candidate except the one person running from Cincinnati – Rob Richardson Jr. That's no surprise, considering Cranley is locked in a battle over the Richardson-supported responsible bidder. Otherwise, the old poker-playing buddies have a cordial relationship. The PAC had $27,600 in the bank at the end of March.

• Tweet of the week comes from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, who posted: "Kimball Perry could be a pain in the a--, but here is the reality: He made us better public servants. I'll miss him greatly. God bless him." Well said, Joe. Condolences to family and friends of Kimball, the former Enquirer reporter who died on Tuesday. Please read Dan Horn's masterful tribute to our one-of-a-kind former teammate.

• Some positive news: Cincinnati City Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard will welcome more than 100 girls from across Greater Cincinnati to City Hall on Saturday morning for Girls in Government Day. The half-day event, sponsored by Kroger, is designed to educate students on different roles of government.

Enquirer file