Jones-Kelley quits, two others departing, over Joe the Plumber searches

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

UPDATED: Jones-Kelley quits, two others departing, over Joe the Plumber searches

Helen Jones-Kelley, the state official placed on unpaid leave for improperly accessing confidential information from state databases on “Joe the Plumber,” has resigned.

Two senior managers at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services who were involved in the incident also are being ousted, The Dispatch has learned.

Jones-Kelley, the agency's director, had been scheduled to return to work Monday following a one-month suspension without pay.

In a four-paragraph statement, she said, "it is with sadness and clarity that I have decided to resign...This decision comes after having a time of pause, in which I realize that I continue to be used as a political postscript, providing a distraction from urgent state priorities. My professional career, and the legacy of service I have established, has been, and continues to be, far too important for me to allow my reputation and my commitment as a servant leader to be disparaged. I also remain concerned for the safety of my family and myself."

Gov. Ted Strickland suspended Jones-Kelley last month after a report by Inspector General Thomas P. Charles found that checks into the background of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher that were approved by Jones-Kelley were not conducted for any legitimate governmental purpose.

Read more: http://blog.dispatch.com/dailybriefing/2008/12/joneskelley_quits_over_joe_the.shtml

What they did was wrong relative to the law. However, I am glad they did it. They exposed this fraud for who he is.

eom

(as in WTF have you been smokin', Joe?) really was a licensed plumber and legitimately intended to buy his employer's business, instead of the wannabe fuckwad that he really is.

She's a "servant leader" (whatever that means) who totally screwed up but helped the world out by doing so. Thank you, Helen.

I would think it did not pertain to her job, but not that it lacked governmental purpose.