Outgoing Dem AG Richard Cordray Sending $4.1 Million In State Contracts To Law Firms: Cincinnati Gets Small Slice Of Special Counsel Deals

Sugar Plums For Upstate Law Firms

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- For Cincinnati lawyers, it's not the dance of the sugar plum fairy.  Most of the unbid special counsel work is headed to law firms in Cleveland and Columbus.  Only two Cincinnati firms -- with $315,000 total -- are on the list of retroactive and renewed contracts.  The deals have been submitted to the State Controlling Board for approval at its last meeting of the year.  It is also the last session with Democrats in control of state government.  Richard Cordray was beaten by Republican Mike DeWine, and the special counsel contracts  -- if approved -- will be in force during much of 2011.  In the past, special counsel contracts have been a political plum for the attorney general, and often controversial.  Not this time, at least not yet.  Traditional campaign fodder includes accusations of lawyers making political contributions in exchange for work -- something that did not occur during Cordray's brief tenure.  He was elected to replace Marc Dann, who resigned in a sex scandal.  Cordray finished out Dann's unexpired term.

In Cincinnati, Ulmer & Berne is getting a $175,000 increase in its contract to represent the University of Cincinnati in construction litigation matters.  The current contract is for $75,000,  Ulmer & Berne is a downtown firm with 336 employees in Ohio.  State records show 8% are minorities and 50% are women.  Wood Herron & Evans, another downtown law firm, is set to receive a $200,000 increase to handle patent matters for Ohio State University.  Its current contract is worth $60,000.  State records show Wood Herron has 112 Ohio employees -- 6% are minorities, 50% women.

Mike DeWine vs. David Pepper for State Auditor: The Buzz is Building in Columbus

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republicans are speculating today that former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine could abandon his comeback race for Ohio attorney general and switch to the contest for state auditor. That would put DeWine up against Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, who apppears to have the Democratic nomination locked up. But here's the twist: Current State Auditor Mary Taylor is seeking reelection and for DeWine to run she'd have to go somewhere else. Where? Taylor reportedly is being courted as the lieutenant governor running mate for John Kasich. She is the only Republican who holds a statewide non-judicial office.

Third Base Politics, a right-leaning blog that is not friendly to Ohio's Democrats, raises what it believes are some possible ramifications of a Kasich-Taylor ticket, and notes effects down the line:

". . . if Kasich selects Taylor, a serious candidate must be chosen to run for Auditor. With Pepper only able to raise about 140k a month in his first two months of running, he isn't a threat to spend his way to victory - especially considering the Pepper family funded a little over 1/5 of his slight fundraising haul. So a Republican able to quickly raise money, or self-fund the race, seems essential. That leaves someone like Josh Mandel moving over from the Treasurer's race or DeWine moving over from AG to take over. Either would be ridiculously difficult for Pepper to beat." Of course, that last bit about the GOPers being difficult to beat should be taken with a grain of salt. Without having to face an incumbent on the ballot for auditor, Pepper's chances actually improve.