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Shoot the budget director?

Some reward for defending the governor and his priorities

Published on Wednesday, Mar 18, 2009

This editorial page has expressed its share of grumbling about budgeting in the governor's office. We've criticized the calculations of school funding, wondered about the larger share of money flowing into wealthier districts, worried about the harm to the governor's credibility when the state auditor has an opening to blast the budget office for failing to produce timely financial statements.

Is this the moment for Pari Sabety, the governor's budget director, to step down?

William Batchelder thinks so. The House minority leader and Medina Republican fired off a letter to Ted Strickland this week asking for Sabety's resignation. He argued, among other things, that ''proposing a balanced budget that is based on accurate and timely information has proved to be a difficult exercise for the director of budget and management.'' The request is overblown, much like a Democratic call in 2003 for Bob Taft's budget chief to resign.

If criticism of Sabety and the governor has been warranted, so is acknowledgment of the difficult circumstances, say, crafting a state budget when Congress is weighing the size and shape of a stimulus package. Give Sabety credit for being quick and nimble in using various tools to protect the governor's priorities, especially higher education. Have some maneuvers raised eyebrows? All that onetime money at work? Of course. Sabety has been seeking to weather a most turbulent budget time.

What's more, Pari Sabety isn't in charge. Ted Strickland is governor. She serves at his pleasure. She has been defending his interests.

This editorial page has expressed its share of grumbling about budgeting in the governor's office. We've criticized the calculations of school funding, wondered about the larger share of money flowing into wealthier districts, worried about the harm to the governor's credibility when the state auditor has an opening to blast the budget office for failing to produce timely financial statements.

Get the full article here.


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gozips

Posted 09:34 AM, 03/18/2009

I agree with the editorial, that she is promoting the Governor's agenda. Also, budget estimates are just that, and only based on information and past history, a means to predict the future. No one knows how Revenues will come in. The issue is there needs to be solutions long term to balance the budget, not one time federal dollars. All the governor is doing is delaying the problem until after 2010 re election. Don't kill the messenger.
















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