Cordray's tough talk upsetting lobbyists

Attorney General Richard Cordray riled the Capitol Square lobbying community by issuing what some characterized as an overly strong news release that mentioned corruption and using his authority to investigate lobbying activity.

The release came Tuesday night, after Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe sent the names of 15 lobbyists and employers to the attorney general's collections enforcement section for failing to pay $2,200 in late fees. The penalties were assessed for not filing expenditure statements on time.

The release, which attributed quotes to Cordray, made little mention of the late fees. It did note that "lobbying activity in Ohio is at an all-time high," and "any hard-working Ohioan in this tough economy would love to see that kind of job growth."

"They put some lines in there that were probably unnecessary," said Victor Hipsley, president of the Ohio Lobbying Association.

In the line that got the most attention, Cordray said: "Clearly, more than ever, the expertise of the attorney general's office is needed to help prevent corruption as wealthy and well-connected special interests increasingly attempt to shape the laws and public policies that affect ordinary Ohioans."

Hipsley and other lobbyists thought Cordray was implying he knew of corruption. They also worried that Cordray was trying to move in on the enforcement of state lobbying laws, a role handled by Bledsoe's office under Ohio law.

Hipsley said he was satisfied that is not the case after he met with Cordray yesterday afternoon.

A Cordray spokeswoman said: "We shared with them and the Ohio legislative inspector

Source:dispatch.com/

Cassidy & Assoc

Groups That Have Retained Cassidy & Assoc: Client Total Subsidiary (Lobbied For)
Activeion Cleaning Solutions $20,000 -
African Chamber of Commerce $50,000 -
Alenia North America $320,000 -
Alfred University $80,000 -
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers $120,000 -
Allstate Insurance $40,000 -
American Superconductor Corp $130,000 -
American University $70,000 -
Annenberg Center for Health Sciences $10,000 -
Anonymizer Inc $20,000 -
Antares, Walter et al $60,000 -
AOptix Technologies $20,000 -
Arent Fox $0 -
Assisted Living Federation of America $80,000 -
AT&T Inc $100,000 -
Big Thought $10,000 -
Bjc Healthcare $100,000 -
Blue Sun Energy $20,000 -
Bombardier Inc $180,000 -
Bombardier Inc $170,000 Bombardier Transit Corp
Bon Secours Richmond Health System $20,000 -
Boston College $100,000 -
Boston University $480,000 -
Briggs & Stratton $30,000 -
California Polytechnic State University $100,000 Cal Poly Corp
Campaign for America's Wilderness $20,000 -
City of El Segundo, CA $80,000 -
Claflin University $50,000 -
CME Group $120,000 -
Conservation Trust Fund of Puerto Rico $80,000 -
Cornet Technology Inc $20,000 -
Council on Pakistan Relations $20,000 -
Creighton University $80,000 -
Crowder College $20,000 -
Dart LLC $20,000 -
Detroit Tool & Metal Products $80,000 -
Deutsche Telekom $120,000 T-Mobile USA
Doe Run Co $160,000 -
EaglePicher Technologies $140,000 -
Eisenhower Medical Center $100,000 -
Elmira College $100,000 -
Energy East $20,000 -
Energy Free Home Challenge Foundation $60,000 -
Estee Lauder Companies $60,000 -
Fairview Hospital & Healthcare Services $160,000 -
FuelCell Energy $160,000 -
GeoEye Inc $100,000 -
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation $20,000 -
Greensmith Energy Management Systems $50,000 -
Henry Ford Health System $100,000 -
Holy Family University $40,000 -
Hospital for Special Surgery $30,000 -
Hunt Consolidated $100,000 -
Indra Systemas SA $120,000 Indra Systems
Institute for Student Achievement $80,000 -
Intel Corp $160,000 -
International Titanium Powder $100,000 -
Intl Snowmobile Manufacturers Assn $60,000 -
Iscon Video Imaging $60,000 -
Janya Inc $10,000 -
Keane Inc $100,000 Keane Federal Systems
Liebert Corp & Emerson Network Power $80,000 -
LifeWatch $60,000 -
Lockheed Martin $40,000 -
Lorain County Community College $100,000 -
Los Angeles Community College $120,000 -
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute $60,000 -
LS Power $120,000 LS Power Development
LS Power $60,000 White Pine Energy Assoc
M2 Technologies $60,000 -
Major League Baseball Commissioner's Ofc $100,000 -
Manhole Barrier Security Systems $80,000 -
Memorial Health System $140,000 -
Meth Project $60,000 -
MGM Mirage $180,000 -
Motion Picture Assn of America $80,000 -
Mullen $70,000 -
National Aquarium in Baltimore $30,000 National Aquarium In Baltimore
Natl Forest Counties & Schools Coalition $0 -
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Healthsys $160,000 -
Ocean Spray Cranberries $200,000 -
Oneida Healthcare Center $80,000 -
Ormat Nevada $30,000 -
Powder River Energy $10,000 -
Protean Electric $50,000 -
Publivia SA $100,000 -
Puget Sound Blood Center $80,000 -
Rambus Inc $120,000 -
Research Foundation City University NY $100,000 -
Rhode Island School of Design $100,000 -
Rush System for Health $160,000 Rush University Medical Center
Santa Clara University $30,000 -
Scott County, MN $60,000 -
Seattle University $80,000 -
St Alphonsus Regional Medical College $60,000 St Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
St Leo University $100,000 -
State Farm Insurance $160,000 -
State of Illinois $100,000 -
State of Wyoming $100,000 Wyoming Infrastructure Authority
Telos Corp $110,000 -
Tiffany & Co $160,000 -
TriHealth Inc $110,000 -
Trout Unlimited $0 -
Umass Memorial Health Care $280,000 UMass Memorial Health Care
University of San Francisco $100,000 -
University of Wyoming $100,000 -
US Tennis Assn $40,000 -
Vion Corp $60,000 -
Walt Disney Co $60,000 -
Westchester County Healthcare Corp $60,000 -
Whirlpool Corp $120,000 -
Whittier College $60,000 -
Women's Hospital $100,000 -
Worcester Polytechnic Institute $120,000 -
Yakima Basin Storage Alliance $40,000 -