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The Columbus Dispatch : Records searches anger Joe the Plumber

Records searches anger Joe the Plumber

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 4:15 PM
Updated: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 04:54 PM
By Randy Ludlow


The Columbus Dispatch
"Joe the Plumber" has contacted a lawyer, but is uncertain if he will pull the trigger on lawsuits over government workers rummaging through his records on state computer systems. "When I first found out, I was pretty angry and I still am," Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher said today in Columbus during his first campaign appearance on behalf of Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
The Toledo-area man, who was elevated to fame after he challenged Democrat Barack Obama over his tax policies during a street-side chat, formally endorsed McCain at The Flag Lady's Flag Store in Beechwold.
Authorities in Toledo and Cleveland confirmed today that workers accessed Wurzelbacher's driving record and vehicle information through state computer systems in checks uncovered by The Dispatch.
"It bothers me greatly," Wurzelbacher said as he joined former Republican Congressman Rob Portman and small-business owners on a bus tour to back McCain and attack Obama's tax policies.
"I'd like to see justice done. That's just for other people who dare ask their elected officials a question. They shouldn't have to go through the scrutiny that I've gone through," he said.
The Toledo Police Department announced today that a civilian employee improperly pulled Wurzelbacher's information on behalf of a reporter for a Toledo television station shortly after the Oct. 15 presidential debate.
The employee has been charged with gross misconduct and faces a disciplinary hearing, said Chief Michael Navarre. He declined to identify the TV station, but said the reporter confirmed asking for a check on Wurzelbacher's address.
The Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency also said an employee's computer was used to improperly access Bureau of Motor Vehicles records on "Joe the Plumber." The employee denies involvement.
Another access of Wurzelbacher's information, by an outside contractor who had access to an attorney general's office test account, is being investigated by the State Highway Patrol.
Inspector General Thomas P. Charles is investigating why the director of Ohio Department of Job and Family Services approved a check on Wurzelbacher through the state's child-support computer system.
Director Helen Jones-Kelley said that after a "team meeting," she OK'd the check because the department often runs inquiries to check for unpaid child support when people are thrust into "the public spotlight."
Wuzelbacher said he has custody of his 13-year-old son and neither pays or receives child support, leaving him puzzled why he would be run through such a check.
Jones-Kelly said there were no political motivations behind the check. The Democrat appointee has contributed the maximum $2,500 to the Obama campaign this year, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Ohio Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland wrote Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland today, saying he was disturbed by Jones-Kelley's actions and statements. He asked for records and an explanation.
"Ohioans are once again questioning the stewardship of their information," Harris wrote. He also said he did not share Strickland's confidence that there were no political overtones to the Wurzelbacher check.
Calling her reason for checking on Wurzelbacher meritless, State Rep. William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, today called on Strickland to place Jones-Kelley on leave until the investigation is complete.
"No Ohioan should be subject to a 'witch hunt' on the whim of a public official," said Batchelder . He said that by Jones-Kelley's standard, "the mere appearance of one's name in the newspaper would warrant 'taking a look.' "
"I believe that Ohioans need to be reassured that their personal information is safe from frivolous and perhaps politically motivated investigation," he wrote.