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| An Ohio Tax Lien Against An Enquirer Editor |
Hamilton County court records list several debt-related lawsuits filed against Ray Cooklis, the Enquirer's deputy editor who is in charge of its editorial pages. There are at least two state liens for unpaid Ohio taxes totaling nearly $19,000. Those taxes help pay for law enforcment, economic development, schools -- hard to believe a deadbeat has been responsible for editorials about government finances and Issue 2. But Cooklis either writes or supervises the writing of endorsements and helps set the paper's policies. He doesns't seem to have been very forthcoming about his own financial condition, so we'll see what happens now that the liens are public knowledge. By the way, anybody can look them up by visiting Hamilton County Clerk of Court Tracy Winkler's website and doing a simple search of the public records there. Just look under the editor's name.
[UPDATE 10:19 a.m. -- The Bellwether's e-mail to Enquirer editor-in-chief Carolyn Washburn has been answered by a robo reply that she is out of the office today. So it is not likely there will be anything added from the newspaper's top echelon immediately. Perhaps later?]
[UPDATE 12:18 p.m. -- There are records of federal tax liens being filed against the editor in the Hamilton County Recorder's Office, including this one for $37,990 that dates back to November 1995. Some of the liens have been released, indicating they have been paid off or settled. A link to the data is available here.]
[UPDATE 4:51 p.m. -- An e-mailer has sent The Bellwether bankkruptcy court records showing the editor filed a Chapter 7 petition in June 2003. It was assigned Case No. 1:03-bk-14902 and Ramon Arthur Cooklis acted as his own attorney. Judge Jeffrey Hopkins granted a motion of dismissal on Dec. 22, 2003. From the filings, here are the creditors who were owed money:
ALLIANCEONE INC, 4797 RUFFNER ST, SAN DIEGO CA 92111-1519
ALLIED INTERSTATE, 3000 CORP EXCHANGE DR, COLUMBUS OH 43231
ARROW FINANCIAL SERV LLC, 21031 NETWORK PLACE, CHICAGO IL 60673-1210
ASSET ACCEEPTANCE LLC, PO BOX 2036, WARREN MI 48090-2036
CAPITAL ONE FINAN CORP, PO BOX 85015, RICHMOND VA 23285-5015
CINERGY CG AND E, 3300 CENTRAL PARKWAY, CINCINNATI OH 45225-2307
CITIBANK, 100 CITIBANK DRIVE, SAN ANTONIO TX 78245-3202
FNCB INC, 3631 WARREN WAY, RENO NV 89509
LAZARUS FED FACS GROUP, 9111 DUKE BLVD, MASON OH 45040
MIDLAND CREIDT MANAGEMENT, PO BOX 939019, SAN DIEGO CA 92193-9019
NAFS INC, 165 LAWRENCE BELL DR, SUITE 100, WILLIAMSVILLE NY 14221-7896
PNC FINANCIAL SERV GROUP, USX TOWER 600 GRANT ST, PITTSBURGH PA 15219
PROVIDIAN NATIONAL BANK, 201 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94105
SEARS ROEBUCK AND CO, 3333 BEVERLY ROAD, HOFFMAN ESTATES IL 60179]
[UPDATE 11/07/ 9:40 a.m. -- Tom Blumer at Bizzyblog links to The Daily Bellwether today and notes that the Enquirer still hasn't said anything publicly about its Washington correspondent Malia Rulon's apparent political donation to America Coming Together, a liberal PAC. He reported earlier this year that she is the only person who can explain what seems to be a conflict of interest. The reporter's name appears in a Federal Election Commission report.]
Is the Fish Wrap's editor running for political office? Is the editor responsible for voting on issues in regards to financial matters? Terrible comparison Bill, although not surprising coming from you.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Fishwrap try to influence opinion? Is the editor telling people how they should vote? Sounds like fair game to me. No different than a talk show host in the public eye. We heard about Rush's drug problem, Air America flop. So why not this
ReplyDeleteSince Cooklis is the sole remaining full-time editorial editor/writer at the Enquirer, he is the de facto thought leader for the city's largest information outlet. Generally, big-city papers like the Enquirer have editorial staffs made up of people who reflect the diversity of the local populace. If you're going to boil down the job to one person, that person had better be above reproach. Readers deserve better than to have someone who filed bankruptcy and has federal agents chasing him over $38,000 in unpaid taxes dictating how the city should manage its money, no more than people would want a perve or a drunk dictating morality laws. It's befitting the Enquirer that this is the best it can do.
ReplyDeleteHow was it OK for the Enquirer to write about Randy Michaels last month and not OK for Bill to write about an Enquirer editor? Remeber what the paper said about Randy?
ReplyDelete"More details emerged in a report by Gannett’s Cincinnati Enquirer. It quoted the Middletown PD report as saying an officer found Michaels’ car stuck in mud and water in a construction zone. He stayed in the car until a tow truck pulled it out of the construction area. The officer then smelled alcohol and noticed that Michaels was unsteady on his feet. He was arrested after failing field sobriety tests and refusing a breathalyzer test. In addition to the drunken driving charge, Michaels was also charged with driving on a closed road.
"While Michaels doesn’t currently own or operate a station in Cincinnati he is a well known media figure for the many years that he ran locally-based Jacor Communications and then Clear Channel Radio. Prior to starting Merlin Media, which bought three stations in New York and Chicago, Michaels had been CEO of Tribune Company, where he was forced out a year ago."
Dear Enquirer
ReplyDeletePay your taxes and say whatever you want. Say taxes are too high. Say anything you want about government workers. Keep your mouth zipped otherwise. Thanks for pointing this out Bill.