Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, talks to plumber Joe Wurzelbacher in Holland, Ohio, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008.
According to the First Amendment Center, the governor of Ohio has placed Helen Jones-Kelly, an agency director of thntere Ohio Department of Job and Family Services appointed in December of 2006, on paid administrative leave. This comes as a result of controversy surrounding state computers being used to find personal information pertaining to Samuel J. Wurzelbacher aka “Joe the Plumber”. The governor claims this leave is not a result of speculation involving “Joe the Plumber.” Reports from his office insinuate rather, that she has been suspended due to the possibility that a state computer or e-mail account was used to assist in political fundraising.
Jones-Kelly admits the records held by the Department she directs were reviewed just after October 15 but in a “routine manner”. State Inspector Tom Charles is investigating if Jones-Kelly in fact improperly acted in authorizing the search of Wurzelbacher records. When writing to State Senate President Bill Harris, Jones-Kelly stated that records had been checked due to Wurzelbacher’s suggestion that be may buy a business and it was determined he owed back taxes. As a result, Jones-Kelly claims that she along with the department wanted to be sure that appropriate actions be taken if it was concluded that Wurzelbacher owed child support, received public assistance or owed unemployment compensation taxes. The state employee asked to run the computer background check is said to have believed Wurzelbacher himself had requested them. In an article published by the First Amendment Center they note that these records were never made public or released to the media.
For the Full Story; http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=20866
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