Senate Democrats, however, put a speed bump in that process, calling for public hearings on Republican Gov. Bob Taft's appointment of Mabe before officially confirming him for the job.

Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said he planned to meet today with Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss, D-Cleveland, who requested the hearings.

"I think the objective for the governor was to find a person who has a broad base of leadership in the private sector, but also has a very good comprehension of insurance, and ... it would appear to me that Mr. Mabe fits that," Harris said.

Mabe already is on the job and Prentiss acknowledged that the Senate's "recent tradition" has been to belatedly consent to such appointments after they have been made.

In making the appointment, Taft called Mabe a "proven leader with a strong track record of improving private sector operations in need of turnaround."

The agency collects insurance premiums from employers, then invests the proceeds and uses the money to pay claims from injured workers. It has 2,659 employees and a $14.4 billion investment portfolio.

Mabe, 58, a retired executive from Nationwide, the Columbus-based insurance and financial services company, said leading the agency would be a "great challenge."

"Restoring trust takes a real hard effort in a number of areas," said Mabe, a senior vice president of Nationwide Provident Operations, a Nationwide subsidiary, when he retired in 2003.

Mabe will earn $165,006 and get a $500 a month car allowance, up from Conrad's annual salary of $150,696, with a $498 monthly car allowance, state officials said.

Before appointing Mabe, Taft got a ruling from the Ohio Ethics Commission that Mabe's ties to Nationwide would not present a conflict of interest.

The facts of the case would not prohibit Mabe from taking the job, but he would be prohibited from using his position to "secure any definite and direct benefits for himself, his family members or a business associate," Jennifer Hardin, chief advisory attorney, wrote in the Ohio Ethics Commission opinion.

This is cache, read story here