DeWine calls on Cordray to allow public access to state pension funds
Lead Summary

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Mike DeWine, Republican candidate for Ohio Attorney General, called on incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray to end his standoff with the Ohio News Organization and advise Ohio’s pension systems to make non-personal information about the funds available to the public.
“Ohio newspapers, or any other member of the public, have a right to know how their tax money is being spent,” DeWine said. “But incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray doesn’t think the public's right applies to Ohio’s pension funds.”
All five of the state's public employee pension funds denied a request from the Ohio News Organization, a collaboration of the state's largest newspapers, to provide details about service time, pay and benefits for each of their 400,000 recipients. Identifying names would have been excluded.
The State Teachers Retirement System and the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund have asked the state Legislature for increased taxpayer contributions to keep the funds solvent.
Last week, both John Kasich and Ted Strickland agreed and took the public position that Richard Cordray was wrong to advise keeping pension fund records secret. Throughout the process, Richard Cordray has refused to offer any explanation as to why anonymous information about pension funds isn’t available to the public.
“This issue is not about politics, it’s about transparency,” DeWine said. “I call on Richard Cordray to join me, John Kasich and Governor Ted Strickland in advising the pension funds to release this public information.”
Mike DeWine, Republican candidate for Ohio Attorney General, called on incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray to end his standoff with the Ohio News Organization and advise Ohio’s pension systems to make non-personal information about the funds available to the public.
“Ohio newspapers, or any other member of the public, have a right to know how their tax money is being spent,” DeWine said. “But incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray doesn’t think the public's right applies to Ohio’s pension funds.”
All five of the state's public employee pension funds denied a request from the Ohio News Organization, a collaboration of the state's largest newspapers, to provide details about service time, pay and benefits for each of their 400,000 recipients. Identifying names would have been excluded.
The State Teachers Retirement System and the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund have asked the state Legislature for increased taxpayer contributions to keep the funds solvent.
Last week, both John Kasich and Ted Strickland agreed and took the public position that Richard Cordray was wrong to advise keeping pension fund records secret, DeWine said. Throughout the process, Richard Cordray has refused to offer any explanation as to why anonymous information about pension funds isn’t available to the public.
“This issue is not about politics, it’s about transparency,” DeWine said. “I call on Richard Cordray to join me, John Kasich and Governor Ted Strickland in advising the pension funds to release this public information.”