Auditor: OEC Finds Probable Cause That Taylor (R) Lied About Owning Construction Company

The Ohio Democratic Party is reporting that a panel of the Ohio Elections Commission today unanimously found probable cause that state auditor candidate State Rep. Mary Taylor (R-Green) made false statements to voters about owning a construction firm, Welty Building Company. The hearing in front of the full Commission is on Monday.

ODP Chair State Rep. Chris Redfern (D-Catawba Island) filed the complaint after Welty’s lawyer claimed that Taylor “owns no interest in her husband’s business, and has not since December 31, 2004.” The letter from Welty’s lawyer was surprising given that Taylor claimed on her website that “Taylor and her husband Don own and operate a construction management firm in the Akron area.” An additional press release quotes her as saying she is a “small business owner.”

Taylor's opponent is State Rep. Barbara Sykes (D-Akron). Campaign manager Samantha Herd told me tonight she is not surprised by the finding because the case seemed pretty open-and-shut when it was submitted. "Taylor had said that she owned the company in seventeen press releases as something that gave her some sort of extra credentials in the race," Herd commented. "Now it seems clear that she has not owned the company for quite a while. It just adds to the larger questions about Mary Taylor's judgment and credibility."