By Dan Horn
Enquirer staff writer

Joe Deters joked Monday that he'd have at least one thing going for him when he runs as a write-in candidate for Hamilton County prosecutor.

"I've got an easy name to spell," Deters said.

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But he and everyone else in county politics know that the Deters name carries other benefits as well.

Despite a recent campaign finance scandal that touched his treasurer's office in Columbus, Deters remains one of the most powerful forces in Hamilton County politics.

He's a popular politician who, although still relatively young at 47, has been rising through the Republican ranks for two decades.

"For Joe to come back is very good news," said Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, an anti-pornography group that typically backs GOP candidates. "We'll have a tried and tested veteran who won't miss a beat."

Deters' ascendancy in local politics began long before his first political race. He became interested in politics as a kid while working on the campaigns of his grandfather, former Hamilton County Sheriff Dan Tehan.

Tehan, a politically savvy Democrat, told his grandson to join the GOP if he was serious about a career in politics.

As an assistant county prosecutor, he worked closely with former Prosecutor Arthur Ney on the Donald Harvey serial murder case. That case put his name and face on the evening news for weeks and paved the way for his move in 1989 to the clerk of courts job.

He took over as prosecutor in 1992 and became such an imposing political figure that the Democrats couldn't find a lawyer to run against him in 1996.

He turned down a chance to be George Voinovich's lieutenant governor in 1994 - saying he wasn't interested in leaving the prosecutor's office - but decided he couldn't say no again when the treasurer's job opened up in 1998.

During his six years on the job, Deters won praise - and some criticism - for his aggressiveness.

He created the popular victims' assistance program in the office, which caters to the needs of crime victims, and he cemented the county's reputation for leading the state in death penalty prosecutions.

He also pushed through an innovative but controversial "rapid indictment" policy that eliminated the traditional pretrial hearing that followed a suspect's arrest. Some lawyers complained the new policy hurt their ability to defend their clients, but others said it saved the county thousands of dollars in court costs and overtime.

Many defense lawyers have said they respected Deters, even when they disagreed with him.

"I found him to be very reasonable to deal with," Hal Arenstein said. "I found him to be an honorable guy."

Those who know Deters say his decision to pursue the prosecutor's job makes political sense.

It gives him a chance to enhance a public image that took several hits in the past two years during a grand jury investigation into a major campaign contributor.

Two Deters associates were convicted of crimes, but the special prosecutor said there was not enough evidence to tie Deters to any criminal conduct.

The prosecutor's job also would keep Deters positioned to run in two years for Ohio attorney general.

"I don't think it changes the equation at all," Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett said. "Joe is still going to consider his options in 2006."

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E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com