Bainbridge: Timken Lacks Moral Courage, Integrity to Represent Ohio in the Senate

Jane Timken

The certified public accountant, who is one of the five members of the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee suing the state party and its chairman, told The Ohio Star and The Star News Network former state party chairwoman Jane E. Timken does not have the moral courage nor integrity required to represent Ohio as a senator.

“If she could not effectively run an organization like the Ohio Republican Party, I do not believe she could be an effective senator or have any understanding of the federal budget or the complicated issues faced by a U.S. senator,” said Mark A. Bainbridge, who retired from Ernst & Young after a three-decade career there as a partner.

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Bainbridge: Jane Timken Committed a ‘Serious Breach of Ethics’ Handling Ohio GOP’s Failed Audit

Jane Timken For U.S. Senate

A dislodged member of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee’s Financial Review panel told The Ohio Star and The Star News Network the former chairwoman of the state party and now a candidate for Senate, Jane E. Timken, violated professional ethics when she concealed that her family’s accounting firm was chosen to audit the Ohio GOP books.

“Jane Timken had a fiduciary responsibility to disclose her conflict of interest related to her personal relationship with the CLA accounting firm,” said Mark A. Bainbridge, who was removed from the Financial Review Committee by Timken’s successor Robert A. Paduchik after the certified public accountant asked about up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in unaccountable funds.

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Ohio GOP Leaders Call for RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to Help Fix State Party

Two leaders of the Ohio Republican Party told The Ohio Star and The Star News Network Thursday that it is time for Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to get involved in reforming the Ohio GOP. “I don’t understand why Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the national Republican committee hasn’t…

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The Ohio Star Podcast for Feb. 21, 2022

In this episode of The Ohio Star Podcast, host Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, spoke to Star reporter Peter D’Abrosca about his story covering “Sex Week” at Ohio State University, and the two journalists discussed the trucker protest in Ottawa.

The next guest is conservative activist Scott Presler, who called in from his car tour of Ohio, giving speeches and meeting with conservatives in support of former congressman James B. “Jim” Renacci’s challenge to Governor R. Michael DeWine in the May 3 GOP primary.

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Paduchik Rules: The Ohio GOP Central Committee Votes 36-26 to Endorse DeWine, Others Unlocking Party Support Before May 3 Primary

The embattled chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, Robert A. Paduchik, successfully oversaw a contentious 3.5-hour meeting Friday of the state party’s central committee held at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center here, culminating in the committee voting 36-26 in a secret ballot to endorse Gov. R. Michael DeWine, along with the other statewide Republicans incumbents as a slate.

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State Chair Paduchik Denies The Ohio Star Credentials to Cover Friday’s Ohio GOP Central Committee Meeting

The chairman of the Ohio Republican Party denied press credentials to The Ohio Star and its national political editor Neil W. McCabe for Friday’s Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee meeting at Lewis Center’s Nationwide Conference Center.

“I sent your request to Chairman Paduchik, and he asked me to send you this response on the record: ‘Your request for credentials to attend the meeting as a journalist have been denied because The Ohio Star is fake news and you’re not a journalist,’” said Daniel J. Lusheck, the 30-year-old party spokesman and Marine Reserve veteran.

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Controversy Erupts over Claims by Ohio RNC Committeeman Jim Dicke That Documents He Circulated to ORP Is ‘Full Audit Report’ Which Explains What Lawsuit Says Is $3 Million in ‘Missing Funds in Financial Statements’

A controversy over the financial records of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) erupted in the days leading up to Friday’s meeting of the ORP State Central Committee (ORPSCC), the party’s 66 member governing body, at Lewis Center’s Nationwide Conference Center.The committee is widely expected to endorse Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) at that meeting in his bid for re-election in the contested May GOP primary.

Fork truck billionaire James F. Dicke II (pictured above), one of Ohio’s two National Committeemen on the Republican National Committee, ignited the controversy last month when he sent a message to all 66 members of the ORPSCC. Critics on the ORPCC, led by retired Ernst & Young partner Mark  A. Bainbridge , say Dicke’s message materially misrepresents the nature of the financial report, known as an Agreed Upon Procedures report, produced for the ORP by Compass Pointe, a small Indiana accounting firm.

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New Poll Shows Ohio GOP Voters Have Walked Away from DeWine as Ohio GOP Central Cmte. Poised to Endorse the Unpopular Governor

Mike DeWine

A new poll of 626 likely Republican primary voters conducted by Public Policy Polling, and commissioned by the Democratic Governors Association, has brutal implications for Ohio Gov. R. Michael “Mike” DeWine, showing his Favorable/Unfavorable rating six points underwater.

The poll shows Republican primary voters are divided over DeWine’s job performance, with 40 percent approving of the job he is doing and 41 percent disapproving,” wrote Minami Yoshizawa, a PPP polling associate, in her analysis memorandum for the DGA.

“His approval rating when it comes to handling the Covid-19 pandemic is also underwater by four points, 40-44,” she said of the poll that was conducted Jan. 25 and Jan. 26. The poll carries a 3.9 percent margin of error.

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New Poll Shows Ohio GOP Voters Have Walked Away from Gov. DeWine — As Ohio GOP Central Committee Poised to Endorse DeWine

Mike DeWine and Jim Renacci

A new poll of 626 likely Republican primary voters conducted by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has brutal implications for Ohio Governor R. Michael “Mike” DeWine, showing his favorable/unfavorable rating six points underwater.

The poll shows Republican primary voters are divided over DeWine’s job performance, with 40 percent approving of the job he is doing and 41 percent disapproving,” wrote Minami Yoshizawa, a PPP polling associate, in her analysis memorandum for the DGA.

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The Ohio Star Podcast for February 3, 2022: Hear Mark Bainbridge Tell Why He Is Suing the Ohio Republican Party, Why He Wants to Find the Missing Millions

The new episode of The Ohio Star Podcast, hosted by Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor for The Star News Network, dropped Thursday.

McCabe interviewed Star reporter Peter D’Abrosca about his interview with Mount Vernon attorney Scott A. Pullins, who is now a candidate for state representative. Pullins is also the attorney for Blystone campaign whistleblower Sarah Chambers.

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GOP Rebel Bainbridge, Retired E & Y Partner, Details ORP’s $3 Million in Missing Equity, Blasts Party Treasurer Johnson, Who ‘Is Silent and Provides No Explanation’

  The retired Ernst & Young partner and Ohio Republican Party (ORP) central committee member, leading a lawsuit against the Ohio Republican Party and its Chairman Robert A. Paduchik and the party’s Treasurer David W. Johnson over questions in the party’s governance and books, responded to the December 30 “Open…

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Paduchik Gavels Short Unruly Ohio GOP Central Committee Meeting; Two Resolutions Left Unaddressed

The Ohio Republican Party chairman gaveled shut the December 3 meeting of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee held at the Nationwide Conference and Hotel Center here roughly 90 minutes in, leaving two resolutions unaddressed on the agenda.

“We are taking a recess until the hall is cleared,” said Robert A. Paduchik, who took over leadership of the state party from Jane E. Timken in February, shortly after 11:30 a.m., after members of the committee complained that individuals in the public gallery participated in voice votes.

The public gallery had two dozen chairs in a roped-off section in the back of the room for the roughly 100 people who showed up for the open to the public meeting. A handful of protesters held signs and during the meeting and burst into applause or cheers.

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Ohio Republican Party Central Committeeman Bainbridge: I Am Not Working with ‘Dark Money’ Group, I Did Not Force Ohio GOP’s Timken-Conflicted Audit Firm Off Account

The retired Ernst & Young partner and member of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee responded to charges from the party chairman Robert A. Paduchik and his supporters that he is ignorant of non-profit accounting and that he delayed the resolution of the party’s books by forcing the party’s audit firm to resign.

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Ohio GOP Chairman Paduchik Rebukes: Bainbridge Makes ‘Crazy Accusations’ and ’Coordinates with ‘Dark Money’-Funded Groups to ‘Destroy the Ohio Republican Party’

The chairman of the Ohio Republican Party sent a Nov. 30 open letter addressed to “Interested Parties,” denouncing State Central Committeeman Mark A. Bainbridge for his criticism of how party finances are handled.

“Quite simply, Mark is making crazy accusations of fiscal malfeasance to damage the State Central Committee,” said Robert A. Paduchik, who took over the party’s reins in February, succeeding Jane E. Timken, now a candidate for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.

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Lawsuit: Five Ohio Republicans Claim Ohio GOP Missing $3 Million; Demand Court-Ordered Forensic Audit, Funds Claw Back

A band of five members of the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee filed suit against the Ohio Republican Party, Party Chairman Robert A. Paduchik and Party Treasurer David W. Johnson November 29 at the Franklin County Courthouse petitioning for the court to grant their four requests:

– An injunction against Paduchik and or a temporary restraining order stopping him from reassigning members of the party’s Central Committee from their subcommittees or otherwise reorganizing the Central Committee outside the process set out in the party rules;
– Production and recovery of financial documents for a court-ordered forensic audit of the party’s books going back to the party’s fiscal year 2017, or going back as far as necessary to track down impropriety and illegality;
– Accountability and transparency sufficient to make auditable books and records that the petitioners claim has not been accomplished in 12 years, leaving the party with entirely corrupted and un-audited financial records; and
– The party’s adoption of the necessary management and officer accountability and an investigation towards the recovery of funds illegally transferred or converted from the party.

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Ohio GOP State Committeeman, a CPA, Calls on DeWine to Force Out Party Chairman Bob Paduchik

A retired partner from Ernst and Young, one of the Big Four international accounting firms, sent a November 24 letter to Republican Ohio Gov. R. Michael DeWine requesting the governor pressure Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Robert A. Paduchik to resign for his failure to respond to Ohio Republican State Central Committee member questions regarding missing funds from the party’s balance sheet.

“As a follow-up to my letter to you of November 8, 2021, enclosed is a letter I sent to members of the Ohio Republican State Central Committee related to unexplained ORP Net Worth Decrease of $270,600 in 2021,” wrote Mark A. Banbridge, who left Ernst and Young in 2009, before establishing his business advisory firm in Columbus.

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