**Media Release on State Auditor Campaign**

The expected announcement by Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper that he will seek the office of Auditor of State in Ohio comes as no surprise to the citizens of Hamilton County. Mr. Pepper has been a career politician who has sought the office of Cincinnati city council, Mayor (unsuccessfully), and county commissioner over just the last few years.

Ohio's Auditor, Mary Taylor, is the first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to hold that position. She has done an outstanding job for the citizens of Ohio because she has superior qualifications and is the most well-qualified for the position. Mr. Pepper, a lawyer, has no experience in accounting or auditing and is simply trying to climb the Ohio political ladder. Mary Taylor is a qualified, committed, and intelligent public servant who deserves re-election.

Statement by Chairman Alex M. Triantafilou

"State Auditor Mary Taylor is the best qualified person to serve as Auditor of State in our state's history. The first CPA to hold the position, Mary Taylor received a degree in accounting and a masters degree in taxation. She has served as a state legislator and on the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee. She is uniquely qualifed for this position and she deserves re-election.

"Mr. Pepper's short tenure as a Hamilton County Commissioner provides no basis for voters to promote him to statewide office. Our county faces a fiscal and public safety crisis after Mr. Pepper and his colleagues brazenly raised taxes without a vote of the citizens only to be rebuffed by the voters for the irresponsible size of their tax increase proposal. The failure of the commissioners to successfuly fund public safety has left our county with a dangerous lack of jail capacity. Services have been severely diminished with no end in sight to the fiscal crisis faced by the county. Now, the President of the County Commission will leave Hamilton County and travel the state campaigning during this crisis. Even in politics, this is irresponsible."