Inspector General Tom Charles will take over the Department of Public Safety in the John Kasich administration – less than a year after investigating that agency for an aborted sting involving contraband being delivered to an inmate working at the Governor’s Residence. At the time, Charles had asked Republican senator Tim Grendell to stop hearings into the situation. But those hearings continued, and culminated with the rejection of interim Public Safety Director Cathy Collins Taylor. Grendell says Charles is an excellent choice to lead and clean up that agency.
“Tom Charles will get it. I’m sure the new superintendent will get it. And I think the people of Ohio will be much better off and safer next year thanks to Gov.-elect Kasich’s genius idea of appointing Tom Charles to the head of public safety.”
Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern uses a different but similar word.
“It’s ingenious.”
Redfern’s criticism of Charles goes back to his still-unfinished investigation into Tom Noe, the Republican fundraiser and coin dealer serving time for stealing millions from the fund he managed for the Bureau of Workers Compensation. And he says the so-called Troopergate probe showed once again how Charles operates.
“This particular issue really dramatizes what Tom Charles is about, how he uses his office in a bullying way to advance his own personal agenda.”
And on the Troopergate topic, Redfern blasts Grendell as well.
“Tim Grendell was actually leading a political witch hunt, and those aren’t my words. I’m paraphrasing the words of Tim Grendell, who just recently sent a letter to Kevin DeWine, the Republican chairman, committing his support for the Republican Party and pointing out that he was one of the reasons why John Kasich won because of the investigation that Tim Grendell led.”
Grendell defends the hearings, saying they weren’t politically motivated, but he says the people who created the scandal were.
“In fact, we went out of our way to try to keep politics out of the process. I mean, you can’t deny the facts. A criminal drug operation, sting operation was cancelled after the Governor’s political folks and lawyer got involved. You know, I think people scream politics when they get their hands caught in the cookie jar.”
In his investigation, Charles blasted another key figure in the scandal, State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. David Dicken. Dicken has now stepped down and will take a voluntary demotion to captain, clearing the way for Kasich and Charles to appoint a new head of the highway patrol. As public safety director, Tom Charles will replace Tom Stickrath, who was appointed public safety director just seven months ago, and will soon head up the state’s crime lab in the office of incoming Attorney General Mike DeWine.