No improprieties found in hirings of 2 for turnpike jobs

12/21/2012

Ohio Turnpike hirings early this year of a former turnpike commissioner and a contributor to Gov. John Kasich's 2010 election campaign to executive positions were handled appropriately, the state Inspector General's office has concluded.

Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, filed a complaint Feb. 24 alleging improper hiring practices in the selections last winter of Adam Greenslade as the turnpike’s director of government affairs and Dale Perram as its chief of operations.

Ohio Inspector General Randall J. Meyer reported this week that Mr. Greenslade resigned as a turnpike commission member on Jan. 12, five days before applying for the $93,000 government affairs director position, as required by state ethics law.

Mr. Greenslade, who was paid $5,000 annually as a turnpike commissioner, further complied with the law by not discussing the position with other commissioners once he learned of its availability, Mr. Meyer found.

Mr. Perram, meanwhile, was invited to apply for the open chief-of-operations job, rather than actively seeking it out, Mr. Meyer said.

The inspector general said he could find no way to “directly connect the [campaign] contribution to the job opportunity,” noting that the donation occurred nearly two years before.

“The Office of the Ohio Investigator General finds no reasonable cause to believe wrongful acts or omissions occurred in these instances,” Mr. Meyer concluded.

The pay for Mr. Perram’s turnpike job was not disclosed in the report.