Many people have asked me why the Paul Brown Stadium cost overruns are an issue in my campaign for Hamilton County treasurer. After all, they say, the treasurer is not responsible for the mismanagement and poor planning that contributed to the skyrocketing stadium budget.

It's true that the county commissioners, and not the treasurer, are directly to blame for the stadium fiasco. If it hadn't been for outrageous provisions in the stadium lease agreement and an unrealistic completion deadline, the taxpayers would not have been forced to pay for massive overtime and last-minute change orders.

The mismanagement of the stadium contract is indicative of how business is conducted by current county government. Elected officials are supposed to serve as watchdogs for taxpayers' money. The county commissioners bungled the contract by paying too little attention to the details, and this same lack of effort to oversee the use of your tax dollars can be found in the current treasurer's office.

The incumbent treasurer must share responsibility for what is happening on the river because of his continued silence in the matter. Where tax dollars are concerned, our elected officials have a duty to speak out when they see something happening that is illegal, unethical or otherwise improper. While the county treasurer does not have the legal authority to prevent the commissioners from wasting your money, I believe he has a moral obligation to shine a spotlight on foolish expenditures.

"Shouldn't the treasurer just do what he is required to do by law?" you may ask. Well, yes and no.

Many of our elected officials and their employees consist of a tight-knit group of friends, relatives and political cronies who are afraid to "rock the boat" so as not to jeopardize their political and employment futures. Campaign contributions depend on friendly relationships among elected officials and their supporters. When everyone in charge of county government is tied politically to everyone else, most are afraid to criticize the bad decisions. Instead of speaking up, too many of our county officials merely shut up when they see their colleagues making bad decisions that waste public resources.

There is too much cowardice and not enough courage in county government. Those who lead seem to do so with a leash. And if those at the other end of the leash want the political equivalent of a doggy treat, they must roll over, wag their tails, and keep quiet.

The Paul Brown Stadium is the single most costly project that Hamilton County has ever undertaken. Because of the staggering amount of public money involved, the treasurer should have been watching how every penny was being spent. While the county commissioners were frittering away tens of millions of dollars to appease Bengals owner Mike Brown, the treasurer should have been openly questioning the outrageous provisions in the stadium lease agreement. After all, the treasurer is the county's money manager. But instead of challenging the poor decisions made by our county commissioners, the incumbent treasurer remained as silent as Paul Brown Stadium will be 355 days out of the year.

The football stadium is symbolic of what is wrong with Hamilton County government. For too long, there have been too few checks and balances. The same power structure has been in charge in county government for more than three decades, and during that time, the majority of our leaders have been more concerned about protecting each other's jobs than with doing what's right for the taxpaying public.

As treasurer, I will work closely with County Auditor Dusty Rhodes to be a true watchdog for your tax dollars. When I see a public official doing something wasteful, I will not be afraid to speak out. And if I am doing something that someone else disagrees with, I will be willing to listen to feedback. This isn't about interfering in somebody else's business. County government is EVERYBODY'S business. It's your money.