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NRI, Subodh Chandra for Ohio attorney general's race

Shaker Heights, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2006
Ashok Malhotra

Subodh Chandra: Why I am running...

Most Ohioans can't name anything recent attorneys general have done for them. That's because the A.G.s have not done much. The scandals plaguing our government finally help us understand why: they have been lookouts at a bank robbery whistling away while their friends loot the bank. They are there to do as little as possible. And in doing so little, they stole our future. Or they tried, anyway.

Attorneys general have whistled away while

"pay-to-play" campaign-contribution corruption runs rampant at the highest levels of state government,
elderly people lose their homes to lenders' scams,
sexual predators stalk children on the internet,
medical-liability insurance rates skyrocket without investigation,
fraud and price-gouging drug companies cost taxpayers millions of health-care dollars,
absentee fathers fail to support their children, and
consumers get ripped off generally.
Why I am running.

I am a former federal prosecutor who cleaned up corruption in the health-care industry. As Cleveland Law Director and Prosecuting Attorney, I helped clean up corrupt schemes at City Hall. I will end the culture of corruption and cronyism in state government--and then marshal the office to fight for Ohioans.

We need to make it possible for Ohio's children, including my triplet sons, to live and thrive in Ohio when they grow up. America and Ohio were built on the promise that each generation would be better off than the previous one. Because our statewide-elected officials tried to steal our future with their misbehavior, that future is in jeopardy.

The culture of corruption and cronyism.

Here's just what's been reported so far:

Ohio's Governor gave Republican fundraiser Tom Noe a contract to invest $50 million of workers' compensation premiums--the money for Ohio's injured workers that Ohio's struggling businesses pay. Noe invested the money into rare coins, autographed baseballs, beanie babies, and other such speculative investments.
Some of the money Noe took is missing. Noe has been federally indicted for laundering illegal contributions to the Bush campaign.
Some of the rare coins were used to purchase fine wine sitting in the Colorado home of a Noe business associate. Sheriff's deputies raided the home and took away thousands of dollars in rare coins but left the wine. Then, the associate claims, burglars broke in and stole the wine.
Our government officials forked over another $215 million of injured workers' money to another politically well-connected firm that lost most of it in other risky gambles. The officials were asked to give the company "a break."
Officials also left millions of dollars with another politically well-connected investment "advisor" for over 18 months--even after he had been federally indicted for cheating other investors. The officials allegedly told one newspaper they didn't plan on doing anything about it.
A federal grand jury has indicted Noe for laundering money illegally into the Bush campaign.
The governor's former chief of staff stayed at cut rates at Noe's Florida vacation home and was convicted of an ethics violation.
The governor was convicted of four ethics violations because he golfed numerous times over the years at the expense of Noe and others and didn't report it.
But Ohio's job-trading current and former Republican attorneys general deserve scrutiny too:

The state auditor, Betty Montgomery (who used to be the attorney general), and the attorney general, Jim Petro (who used to be the state auditor), both seeking promotions to the job of governor, took big campaign contributions from Noe. They missed losses in the hundreds of millions.
Montgomery stayed at a vacation home purchased by interest-free loans from Noe to a former aide of the governor.
Petro failed to advise state officials that state contracts should provide for disputes to be resolved under Ohio law. So now Ohioans may have to fight over $215 million in Bermuda and go up on appeal to England.
Petro rejected an early warning by the Securities Exchange Commission that politically connected investment brokers were getting excessive fees from the Worker’s Compensation Bureau.
It's time to clean up and take our government back.

Ohioans deserve to have their elected officials more concerned about public service than serving their political patrons. I slashed spending in Cleveland on outside attorneys by 88%, saving taxpayers millions. Once we clean up our state government's mess, we will then fulfill the full creative potential of the office.

Please invest and volunteer now.

If you invest now, volunteer, and ask your friends to do so, you'll build the momentum for us to take our government back and move Ohio forward. And you'll let those who have abused their power know that we are coming to clean up, mops in hand.

Best regards,

Subodh Chandra



 

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Subodh Chandra



  • Subodh (rhymes with "abode") Chandra (rhymes with "tundra") just completed service as Director of Law of the City of Cleveland, a billion-dollar corporation. Chandra led the work of an 82-lawyer department with both criminal and civil divisions. He also served as acting mayor in the mayor’s absence. As Cleveland’s general counsel, Chandra slashed by nearly 90% spending on outside counsel, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Under Chandra’s leadership, Cleveland handled legal work in-house, and moved vigorously through in-house investigations to clean up corruption, including bribery schemes involving city inspectors and purchasing officials. With a relentless focus on excellence and accountability, Chandra restored the reputation the department, and attracted top performers who helped make it the most diverse law firm of its size or larger in Ohio.
  • Chandra was hailed for his imaginative handling of Green v. City of Cleveland in way that was both just and spared the city from huge potential liability. In that case, Michael Green was wrongfully convicted of rape in part because of the false testimony of a Cleveland forensic analyst. Green, an African-American, served thirteen years in prison until DNA evidence exonerated him. In an unprecedented move, Chandra agreed to re-examine over 100 similar cases to ensure that no others were wrongfully convicted. In exchange, Green agreed to a modest civil settlement, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
  • Previously, as federal prosecutor, Chandra successfully fought health-care fraud and corruption—winning recognition from FBI director Robert Mueller