Ted Strickland creates one job.

This has been in the news for a bit, but a recent discovery by the Cincy Enquirer puts this story in the headlines.

E-mails between the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and a top lawyer in Gov. Ted Strickland’s office indicate the governor’s staff was more active in helping Cincinnati Councilwoman Laketa Cole land a high-paying state job than previously reported – a move that averted a Democratic primary the party wanted to avoid.

For instance, a Feb. 4. e-mail from Christine Emch Thompson, deputy legal counsel in the governor’s office, sent to PUCO and three other state agencies, read: “I am interested to know if you have anything in your agency around 70-80 k range based on the attached (Cole) resume?”

In a March 1 e-mail – four days before the deadline for Cole to get out of the primary – Thompson persisted: “Any word back on this?” Thompson wrote to Kathleen C. Madden, an administrator with the Department of Administrative Services. “We really want to move it along.”

Obviously, the Governor's office was using their position to create a job so as to avoid a costly Democratic primary for an Ohio House seat in Cincy.

Everyone knows this. It couldn't be more transparent.

Ok, maybe it could. If the e-mails had said this...

From: Ted@undermydesk.oh.gov
To: PUCO
Re: HELP!

To Whom It May Concern,

Please tell me you have a job for Laketa Cole so she can get her butt out of the Ohio House race and avoid a costly primary.

Seriously.

Thanks,
Ted

Fortunately, the Enquirer is doing the right thing and making this the story it should be. We've all heard of political patronage, but this takes things to a brand new level.

But as a friend said, maybe this could be the solution to our chronic unemployment...everyone without a job should just run in a legislative Democratic Primary.