Ohio Treasurer Mandel Practices Fiscal Responsibility from the Top Down

By Tara Dodrill | Yahoo! Contributor Network

COMMENTARY | Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel has been attacked by liberals who claim he has paid more attention to campaigning than his daily office duties. A quick look at all the cost saving and fiscally responsible new policies enacted by Mandel already, easily disproves Democrat claims. Ohio's treasurer produced $400,000 in savings by the end of the fiscal year and is just getting started.

Making the office run more efficiently and economically for the benefit of the taxpayers is an ongoing goal for Mandel. In one fell swoop he saved approximately $100,000 per year when he updated the antiquated office deposit procedure. Prior to Mandel taking office a staffer make five trips per week to the Cleveland bank to deposit cash and checks. Even more shocking than the waste of valuable staff time and taxpayer dollars is the security risk created by the old-fashioned approach to doing business. The public is far better served by the new electronic deposit practice and the elimination of check processing fees.

No leaf will be left unturned during Mandel's quest for efficiency and frugality. Terminating a contract with a plant watering service saved the taxpayers approximately $2,000 annually. It is a reasonable assumption that the janitorial staff already on the payroll can squirt indoor and outdoor plants with water on a regular basis. A total of 13 jobs have been eliminated by streamlining tasks and saving Ohioans $850,000 in salary and benefit costs.

Simple measures which corrected a lazy approach to running an office while taking taxpayer dollars for granted garnered another $30,000 in savings by eliminating fax, land lines and mobile phones which were not in use Reducing the number of cellular minutes on necessary mobile lines saved an additional $10,000 of public money.


Consolidating local offices into regional service centers saved $47,000 without decreasing access for the public. Mandel is also protecting against identity theft by upgrading outdated financial software and encrypting records. Nearly 200 old computers and printers have been removed from the office and will be sold at a Department of Administrative Services surplus sale.

Ohio's treasurer also stopped spending taxpayer dollars on "free" promotional items like his Democratic predecessor. Ending the practice of giving away items such as tote bags, water bottles and pens saved $80,000 from the department budget. The large pot of money surely could have been spent better elsewhere last year and rightfully ended when Mandel took the reins.

Perhaps liberals are not really disenchanted with Mandel's attention to office duties but embarrassed by the total disregard for fiscally responsible practices which have now come to light. The same review format is being modeled by many conservative office holders in the Buckeye State. Those elected to govern in Washington should follow the same conscious approach and give taxpayers the respect which they not only deserve, but are now demanding across the United States '" thanks in large part to Tea Party activists keeping the focus on spending issues.