Ney's Role in Lobbying Scandal Casts Long Shadow Over Race
    By Sabrina Eaton
    The Cleveland Plain Dealer

    Tuesday 18 April 2006

    Washington- Few certainties exist in the southeast Ohio congressional district where five candidates want to oust Republican Rep. Bob Ney from the job he has held since 1994.

    Looming over all else is the prospect that Ney may be indicted for his role in a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal that contributed to the resignation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Ney's legal problems emboldened four Democrats and one Republican to take on the entrenched incumbent, who has coasted to victory in recent years.

    Court documents filed in several cases say that Ney took official actions on behalf of lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for perks including sports tickets, meals and a golf trip to Scotland. Ney hasn't been charged and insists he has done nothing wrong. Only Justice Department prosecutors know whether Ney will be indicted, and they're not talking.

    Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Brian Rothenberg believes that regardless of whether Ney faces criminal charges, the congressman's problems give Democrats a "very good shot" at picking up the seat. He says an indictment would significantly improve those odds.

    Ohio Republican Party spokesman John McClelland calls such talk "wishful thinking." He expects Ney to be re-elected because of "tremendous support" in the 18th District that backed President Bush with 57 percent of the vote in 2004. Ney got 66 percent of the vote. McClelland wouldn't discuss how an indictment might alter that scenario.

    "We will cross any bridges when we reach them," he says.

    Ney, 51, of Heath, hasn't talked much to the media since his ties to Abramoff surfaced in late 2004. His spokesman, Brian Walsh, says the congressman is maintaining his usual heavy schedule of local events and isn't taking his Republican primary challenge from political newcomer James Brodbelt Harris particularly seriously. Harris recently moved to the district and is running a low-budget race.

    "We expect the campaign to really begin after the pri mary is over," Walsh says. Ney stresses his re cord of securing federal money for the district, his conservative stances on social issues, and his opposition to trade agreements that have cost jobs in his district.

    Harris, a 36-year-old financial planner who lives in Zanesville, is attacking Ney's support for pork-barrel spending and his votes against trade bills. He urges Republicans to back him instead of Ney because he's a "real Reagan Republican."

    "I feel the true scandal in the Capitol is government obesity and overspending," Harris says. "As I get my information out there about policies, I'm getting a good reception."

    It takes stamina to campaign in Ohio's largest congressional district, which spans multiple media markets and takes 30†5 hours to cross by car. The rural district is dotted with regional hubs like New Philadelphia, Chillicothe and Zanesville that have seen their fair share of Ohio's economic woes.

    Democrats seeking the nomination to run against Ney are Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer, Dover Law Director Zack Space, Ohio Board of Education Vice President Jennifer Stewart and retired Columbus engineer Ralph Applegate.

    Sulzer and Space have both raised more than $100,000. Each focuses on Ney's ethical woes and presents himself as having the best chance of beating Ney in November.

    Sulzer, 58, points to his experience as mayor and Ohio representative, as well as his service in the Vietnam War. The district's high unemployment rate and cuts in veterans benefits are among the issues he highlights.

    "We failed to have a congressman who paid attention to his district because he spent most of his time worrying about keeping a rich lobbyist happy," Sulzer says.

    Space, 45, says that the district needs a "change in priorities" and that problems like the loss of manufacturing jobs, the health care delivery crisis, education, and the war in Iraq "aren't being addressed because of the role special interests are playing in the decision-making process."

    "It all ties in with the corruption issues," says Space. "Regardless of what happens with respect to an indictment, Bob Ney's image has been tarnished significantly."

    Stewart, 55, of Zanesville, is a former high school Spanish teacher. Her campaign stresses the importance of education in preparing a well-trained work force to meet the needs of economic development.

    "I am hearing from Democrats and Republicans that there is a real interest in new representation for the district," says Stewart, whose campaign has raised about $15,000. "People really want a fresh start and new leadership."

    Applegate, 74, of Columbus, has repeatedly run for Congress in several districts. He complains that federal spending is out of control. He also needles his rivals. Pointing out that Space and Sulzer are both attorneys, he says they shouldn't be elected because "it seems to be the common thinking of a lot of Americans that lawyers, basically, can't be trusted."

    "I don't have a campaign platform," he adds. "They are all a bunch of lies. They make all these promises of what they are going to do, and they never come around."