COLUMBUS — No one in Gov. Bob Taft's administration appeared concerned about the $705,000 cost of a series of tourism commercials, the state's watchdog agency said Wednesday.

        A report issued by Inspector General Tom Charles found no evidence of wrongdoing in changes made to the ads, which included adding Mr. Taft at the end, or in a public-records request for documents about their production.

        The report said controversy over the ads and their cost resulted from disagreements between former tourism director Jim Epperson and his superiors at the Ohio Department of Development.

        “Clearly, the administration failed to redirect Epperson's artistic vision earlier and thereby shares some of the responsibility for added costs involved in making needed changes to the rough-cut version of the commercial,” the report said. “We find it distressing that so much money could be spent before anyone voiced the need for these changes.”

        Joe Andrews, Mr. Taft's spokesman, said Wednesday the governor's office has been concerned about the cost of the ads since work on them began.

        The two 30-second and two 60-second TV spots highlight Ohio's new travel slogan — “Ohio ... So Much to Discover!” They were produced in late 2000 and early 2001 and were shown in five other states in April, May and June of last year.

        This spring, they are being shown in Pittsburgh; Detroit; Indianapolis; Charleston and Huntington, W.Va.; and Louisville and Lexington, Ky.

        After viewing rough cuts of the ads in the fall of 2000, Mr. Taft's office ordered that additional work be done.

        A new ending was filmed at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus. It featured Mr. Taft, a Republican who at the time was running for re-election, as well as minority schoolchildren.

        Mr. Taft's office said preliminary versions of the ads lacked racial diversity. Mary Anne Sharkey, Mr. Taft's communications director, said the ads also had to be edited to eliminate an insensitive image of an American Indian, remove an outdated image of Shamu the killer whale at Sea World of Ohio in Aurora and make them more geographically and racially balanced.

        The points raised by Ms. Sharkey were “legitimate considerations” of issues that “could have resulted in confusion, controversy or even litigation had they been part of the final version of the commercial,” Mr. Charles' report said.

        Sen. Leigh Herington, a Ravenna Democrat running for attorney general, had accused the Development Department of withholding records detailing the costs.

        The report found no impropriety involved in the requests for records and said adding footage to include Mr. Taft was acceptable.

        “We would be hard pressed to suggest it is improper to include the chief executive of the state in a commercial created to invite people to visit,” the report said.

        The report confirmed “what we have said all along, that we had serious concerns about the quality and content of the ads and the management of the travel and tourism division,” said Brian Hicks, Mr. Taft's chief of staff. “We also believe it is an appropriate role for the governor to serve as Ohio's number one salesman.”

        In December, the Development Department fired Mr. Epperson, citing problems with the division, including the commercial.

        A message requesting comment was left with Mr. Epperson, now marketing vice president of the Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors' Bureau in Providence, R.I.

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