Fighting over the idea

Butler County urges statewide foster parent tracking
Commission candidate accuses Furmon of plagiarizing her idea for a statewide notification system.
Picard, Amy. Oxford Press, Aug. 14, 2007.

HAMILTON — Butler County Commissioner Charles Furmon authorized new Children Services Director Michael Fox to send a letter to the Ohio Attorney General's office urging the state to develop a system capable of tracking law enforcement contacts with foster parents.

The system envisioned in Friday's letter would record all police contact with foster parents so area child welfare agencies would be able to take appropriate actions.

A similar system already is in place for individuals licensed to carry concealed weapons, who are flagged so that police know to be cautious when initiating traffic stops.

"The state has a system in place to help us protect our children, and all we want them to do is use it," Furmon said.

Rawnica Dillingham, executive director of Mental Health Matters and candidate for Butler County Commissioner, criticized Furmon, her opponent in the 2008 race, on Monday for taking credit for the idea she said was hers.

Dillingham suggested a similar system to the commissioners in October, which the commission unanimously supported.

"Simply because Mr. Furmon now realizes he is in serious jeopardy of losing an election, he opted to basically plagiarize an idea brought before this commission by myself 10 months ago," Dillingham said.

Furmon said they weren't able to get the Children Services Board to take the idea seriously at that time, but since the board was disbanded and Fox was named director, the idea is being re-examined.