Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce: Corrupt, Cowardly & Incompetent

This year, it's especially important that we elect good progressive Democrats. Reactionary lunatics are going to win a lot of races around the country, that much is sadly inevitable. Yes, Christine O'Donnell will be able to take her performing dog act on the road and won't be in the U.S. Senate but plenty of candidates just as fundamentally bad-- if less flamboyent-- will be in the Senate and in the House and in offices high and low. As we’ve been discussing here for a long time, better Democrats are what matter, and wasting any time or effort to protect the bad ones, well, it would be more useful to spend your time mastering new gardening techniques or learning to speak Pig Latin... literally.

We have no better contrast than in the perennial swing state of Ohio. There have been some great Progressives elected over the past few cycles, including Congresswomen Mary Jo Kilroy and Betty Sutton, and this cycle we have a special opportunity to oust Big Tobacco Bag Man & cadmium-colored Sun King John Boehner and replace him with a hardworking, progressive West Point graduate, Justin Coussoule.

Yet, there are other Democrats in Ohio who would benefit us most by just disappearing, such as one of our least favorite Blue Dogs Zack Space, whose woman-hating, gun-loving, healthcare-despising record is just enough to make you puke just a little in your mouth, at the thought of even voting for him.

But I’d like to talk about another terrible, corrupt Democrat today, one who has not received the attention he deserves. I am speaking of Appointed City Councilman/Appointed Treasurer Kevin Boyce. I wouldn’t be surprised if Boyce agrees with right wingers who want to repeal the 17th Amendment (direct election of US Senators) as he can’t seem to actually get himself elected to anything, unless you include a 2-3 person ballot of insiders who know they can count on him to do whatever they want.

But Boyce’s record goes well beyond just his ability to hold office without running for it. Boyce is as corrupt as a Democrat gets, hiring his high school buddies, church friends and political cronies to fill key positions in Ohio’s Treasury, while wasting thousands upon thousands of taxpayer dollars to put his name on things like water bottles and hand sanitizer (which might be necessary for absolution after shaking his hand).

Boyce has also played corrupt games with campaign contributors and lobbyists, handing out, as though he were a Republican, state contracts for campaign contributions, and hiring a bank that defrauded the states of California and New York to do state business, because a friend of his Deputy Amer Ahmad was their lobbyist (this lobbyist's only client) and the lobbyist’s wife was Ahmad’s assistant.

Boyce is also a notorious coward, ready to throw any other Democrat under the bus at a moment’s notice to protect his own arrogant hide. When he was busted for spending taxpayer money on himself, his reaction was to attack Democratic Attorney General and former Treasurer, Rich Cordray, saying at least he wasn’t as bad as him.

More recently, when it became clear what a nightmare his office was, such that, among others, his Campaign Manager, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Director of Community Affairs, Finance Director, Information Technology Director, Executive Assistant, Director of Community Education, Director of Technology, Deputy Legal Counsel, both Deputy Communication Directors, the Deputy IT Director, etc. and so forth had all left his employ in less than 18 months in office, he, in his cowardly way tried to lay the blame at their feet, saying he fired them.

Of course when the Cleveland Plain Dealer called them to find out what really happened, he changed his story. But he still did, laughably, get offended this his "integrity" was being questioned, which would be like David Vitter getting offended that his chastity would be questioned.

Additionally, I have heard some even more distressing stories about Boyce's intolerance. He once sat in a senior staff meeting while one of his staffers made a comment about “working harder than a Hebrew slave,” and when other senior staffers expressed dismay, simply chose to ignore it. He also once referred to his opponent at a fundraiser, Josh Mandel (another loser), as a “rich Jew,” after making sure there were no Jews in the room. Never one for the high-ground, when Mandel put out a a lame ad insinuating Boyce is somehow sympathetic to Muslims, Boyce struck back with an ad that seems to insinuate that being "a good Christian," he's more qualified to be Treasurer than Mandel. Too bad Ohio doesn't have "None of The Above" as an option!



Members of the gay community have told me of his disgust for them and unwillingness to reach out, and he was even caught referring to one of his female staffers as a “loud, white woman.”

Ohio is an important state for a strong, progressive coalition going into the future. The corrupt, cowardly and incompetent Kevin Boyces of the world only degrade, water down, corrupt and destroy any chance we have of making that a reality. So get out there and vote for great progressive candidates, but if you are progressive, leave the Treasurer’s line blank. It will help the movement in the long run, and weed out another charlatan from those who will be there with us to fight the important fights. Remember, if this clown does get elected, it puts him in a position to run for governor or senator one day-- and we have enough problems without adding that one!