Reelect Sprague as Ohio treasurer

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and his Democratic challenger, Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer, agreed on a key point in separate endorsement interviews: The Treasurer's Office should be the least partisan of all the statewide executive offices. Sprague, a Republican, has kept politics out of the office and remained focused on the job, which involves collecting taxes and fees, balancing the state's books and overseeing its investments. For that, we believe Sprague has earned another term. Keeping the office apolitical was not the strong suit of Sprague's predecessor, Josh Mandel, a Republican who seemed to view the job as a stepping stone to higher office. Sprague, 49, hasn't done so. In fact, you rarely hear about Sprague or his office, although he appears to have been a good steward of taxpayer dollars during his nearly four years as treasurer. He kept in place Mandel's signature achievement, the Ohio Checkbook, which makes local governments' records public by putting them online. It's a worthwhile public service, and one Schertzer said he, too, would keep. Sprague told us he believed in the "power of finance" to tackle difficult problems, pointing to his office's budding ResultsOhio program as an example. Working with private partners, it aims to get eye exams and glasses to students in Appalachian counties. While the initial funding for the program has come from private and nonprofit sources, if it proves successful the state would cover the cost. In the early days of the pandemic, Sprague and his staff found an innovative way to help hospitals struggling with their debt obligations by offering access to cheaper interest rates, thereby helping them maintain financial stability. He told us the program involved roughly $750 million. He also has made use of an expanded program to help farmers obtain the operating capital they need at reduced interest rates. It's also important to note that last month Ohio's credit rating was upgraded to AAA. It's the first time since 1979 it has been that good, Sprague told us. The credit for that partially belongs to Sprague, but also, as he pointed out, to the General Assembly and Gov. Mike DeWine. Schertzer, 56, is a former history teacher, who was first elected mayor of Marion in 2007 following several years on City Council. He also worked in the Treasurer's Office when Democrat Mary Ellen Withrow held the job three decades ago. Statewide, Schertzer is probably best known for his brief stint as former state Rep. Connie Pillich's running mate when she sought to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2018. She dropped out of the race and endorsed the party's eventual standard bearer in that race, Richard Cordray. Although Schertzer has impressive credentials, Sprague's are even more so. Before becoming treasurer, he served as a state representative and prior to that he was the elected city auditor and treasurer in Findlay. He also has experience in the private sector, including at the accounting firm of Ernst & Young. We liked Schertzer and believe he'd make a decent treasurer, but he failed to make a case for why Sprague needed to go. He pointed to the scandal surrounding House Bill 6, an energy bailout that cast a cloud over Republicans in Columbus, as an example of the problems with one-party rule. Near as we can tell, however, Sprague had nothing to do with that. Schertzer also complained that the various state pension boards to which the treasurer appoints a member have lost money in recent years. That is indeed unfortunate, but Ohio's pension funds are hardly alone in struggling with market conditions. Besides, the state treasurer names only a single member to each of those boards. The State Teachers Retirement System's board, for example, listed 11 members on its website. Sprague said he told his appointees to make smart investments and not to be political about it. Schertzer didn't provide any evidence of wrongdoing on their part. Four years ago, when we endorsed Sprague in both the primary and the general election, we wrote that voters should prize a "sober and stable" candidate for treasurer. Sprague, we concluded, was just such a candidate. He's shown himself to be that kind of treasurer as well, which is why voters should keep him right where he is.