Mon Feb 08 2010
by Marc Kovac
Capital Bureau chief
Columbus -- The race to complete former Attorney General Marc Dann's term is a three-way contest involving the current state treasurer, a longtime prosecutor and a nonpartisan challenger.
Democrat Richard Cordray, Republican Mike Crites and Independent Robert Owens all have campaigned to bring integrity back to the statewide office. And all say their backgrounds would serve the state well.
Cordray looks to 'stand up for Ohioans'
Cordray (online at www.cordrayforohio.com) has been an attorney since 1987 after earning his law degree from the University of Chicago. He served as a clerk for two U.S. Supreme Court justices (one from each major party) and worked for about five years for one of the state's large law firms, he said.
Afterward, Cordray did stints as a state Representative, the Franklin County treasurer and, under former attorney general and current Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the first state solicitor.
He ran for attorney general in 1998, losing to Republican Betty Montgomery. He defeated Republican Sandra O'Brien in 2006 to become state treasurer.
Cordray and his wife, Peggy, have two children. They live near Grove City, south of Columbus.
Cordray said he did not intend to seek the attorney general's office so soon after becoming state treasurer.
"I didn't expect to be doing this -- nobody expected to have a race this year," he said. "I did run for the office 10 years ago. I know it's a terrific office that has great capacity to affect the lives of families in Ohio."
The office would allow him to continue working on many of the same issues he has as treasurer, including financial security for Ohioans, Cordray said. Plus, the ongoing financial crisis "begs for an attorney general to stand up for Ohioans and sort through it," he said.
Crites wants to 'restore integrity' to office
Crites (online at www.critesforohio.com) is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who holds a law degree from the Ohio Northern University School of Law.
He is a Navy Captain who served in Vietnam and was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2000. He was nominated as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio by President Ronald Reagan and served in that position from 1986-93. He currently is a managing partner at a Columbus law firm and has served as law director/prosecutor for the communities of Granville, Thornville, Commercial Point and Orient.
Crites and his wife, Maureen, have three children.
This is Crites' first run for statewide office. His only other elected position was on the school board of a suburban Columbus district, though he did consider running for attorney general in 1994 (he opted against that decision in deference to Betty Montgomery).
Crites said he decided to run this time for one reason: To clean up the mess created during Dann's administration.
"I see a need to restore integrity to that office, because it is so important in terms of the functions that it provides to state government," he said. "I think we're at a time when we have to have someone that's in the attorney general's office that's not planning to use that as a stepping stone."
Owens says he offers independent view
Owens has a private law practice in Delaware, about 20 minutes north of downtown Columbus. This is the second time he's sought public office (the first being an unsuccessful run for a city council seat).
Owens is currently registered as a Republican -- he said he voted that side of the ballot during the presidential primary to back Ron Paul's candidacy, but has "voted for both parties."
According to biographical information compiled by his campaign (online at www.owens2008.com), Owens is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and holds his law degree from Capital University Law School. He also spent time studying at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Owens served as a clerk for a federal judge in U.S. District Court, Eastern Division, and practiced as part of a large firm in Columbus, according to his Web site. He has practiced in Delaware for the past five years, served as prosecutor in nearby Sunbury and was part of the city of Delaware's charter review commission.
He and his wife, Teri, live in Delaware.
Owens said the state's attorney general operates independently of the two major political parties, which is why he decided to seek the office without partisan backing.
"I think this is a very unique election, in that both major political parties have been involved in significant scandals in this particular office ... the Republicans with Coin-gate and the Democrats with the Marc Dann debacle," he said. "And as a result of that, I think we have a much higher floor to work off of than would be the case for most other independent candidates running a state race."
Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.
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