netrashetty
Netra Shetty
Diebold, Inc. (NYSE: DBD) ( /ˈdiːboʊld/, DEE-bold) is a United States-based security systems corporation that is engaged primarily in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems (such as ATMs), electronic and physical security products (including vaults and currency processing systems), and software and integrated systems for global financial and commercial markets. Diebold is the largest U.S. manufacturer of ATMs.[1]
Diebold was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in August 1876, and is headquartered in the Akron-Canton area; its mailing address is the city of North Canton,[2] but its physical address is located in the city of Green.[3]
Diebold's Board of Directors on April 19 elected Walden W. O'Dell as chairman of the board. He takes over the position from Robert W. Mahoney, who is retiring as Diebold's chairman. O'Dell will serve as chairman in addition to his duties as president and CEO. Among the highlights of Mahoney's 15 years at Diebold were the company's $1 billion revenue milestone in 1996, development of Diebold's own international distribution channels and the company's shift from a hardware-intensive business to a services and software-based business. "I am very excited to assume this responsibility and build upon the solid foundation that Bob Mahoney has placed during his tenure at Diebold," O'Dell said. "Under Bob's leadership, Diebold has had many accomplishments, and I intend to continue moving ahead by making the company the global leader in self-service hardware, software and services." During the company's annual meeting, the board declared the second-quarter cash dividend, a 15.5 cents per share cash dividend on all common shares to be paid June 2 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12. The board also re-elected company officers, and Diebold shareholders re-elected the Board of Directors.
Director, Dan Bartlett, dispensed with the usual "let's wait and see what happens" stance and boldly stated that Ohio is a done deal for George Bush.
BARTLETT: "Well, it's gonna be close. No question about it. But, what we're seeing in our polling, what other news organizations are showing, is that President Bush - not only over the course of the campaign - has shown the capability of breaking out with a much more substantial lead. But we've been persistently right there. We're gonna spend a lot of time there in the next few days and I'm confident, President's confident, not only in our ground game but in our message there and I'm GUARANTEEING A VICTORY THERE ON TUESDAY (emphasis mine)."
O'REILLY (surprised): "You're 'guaranteeing' a victory? Is that what you said, Mr. Bartlett?"
BARTLETT: "Guaranteeing."
O'REILLY: Wow!
BARTLETT: Bank it.
O'REILLY: "You and Muhammad Ali and Joe Namath!" (Bartlett laughs.)
Comment
Looks like Mr. Bartlett's either got a great crystal ball or the fix is in.
Here's a reprint of an article published a year ago by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer from August 28, 2003. It explains why Mr. Bartlett might be feeling pretty confident right about now.
Voting Machine Controversy by Julie Carr Smyth
COLUMBUS - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.
Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems.
In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates - money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell.
They urged Blackwell to remove Diebold from the field of voting-machine companies eligible to sell to Ohio counties.
This is the second such request in as many months. State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, asked Blackwell in July to disqualify Diebold after security concerns arose over its equipment.
"Ordinary Ohioans may infer that Blackwell's office is looking past Diebold's security issues because its CEO is seeking $10,000 donations for Blackwell's party - donations that could be made with statewide elected officials right there in the same room," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg DiDonato.
Diebold spokeswoman Michelle Griggy said O'Dell - who was unavailable to comment personally - has held fund-raisers in his home for many causes, including the Columbus Zoo, Op era Columbus, Catholic Social Services and Ohio State University.
Ohio GOP spokesman Jason Mauk said the party approached O'Dell about hosting the event at his home, the historic Cotswold Manor, and not the other way around. Mauk said that under federal campaign finance rules, the party cannot use any money from its federal account for state- level candidates.
"To think that Diebold is somehow tainted because they have a couple folks on their board who support the president is just unfair," Mauk said.
Griggy said in an e-mail statement that Diebold could not comment on the political contributions of individual company employees.
Blackwell said Diebold is not the only company with political connections - noting that lobbyists for voting-machine makers read like a who's who of Columbus' powerful and politically connected.
"Let me put it to you this way: If there was one person uniquely involved in the political process, that might be troubling," he said. "But there's no one that hasn't used every legitimate avenue and bit of leverage that they could legally use to get their product looked at. Believe me, if there is a political lever to be pulled, all of them have pulled it."
Blackwell said he stands by the process used for selecting voting machine vendors as fair, thorough and impartial.
As of yesterday, however, that determination lay with Ohio Court of Claims Judge Fred Shoemaker.
He heard closing arguments yesterday over whether Sequoia was unfairly eliminated by Blackwell midway through the final phase of negotiations.
Shoemaker extended a temporary restraining order in the case for 14 days, but said he hopes to issue his opinion sooner than that. (End article.)
From the official White House Biography of Dan Bartlett:
"Before joining the Bush Administration, Dan Bartlett served as a senior spokesman and the Director of Rapid Response for the Bush for President campaign in Austin, Texas. He has served President Bush since 1993, working on both successful campaigns for Governor of Texas. From 1994 to 1998, Bartlett worked in the Governor's Office as Deputy to the Policy Director. During the 1998 re-election campaign, he served as Issues Director. Before joining President Bush, Mr. Bartlett worked for Karl Rove and Associates, an Austin-based political consulting firm."
Diebold was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in August 1876, and is headquartered in the Akron-Canton area; its mailing address is the city of North Canton,[2] but its physical address is located in the city of Green.[3]
Diebold's Board of Directors on April 19 elected Walden W. O'Dell as chairman of the board. He takes over the position from Robert W. Mahoney, who is retiring as Diebold's chairman. O'Dell will serve as chairman in addition to his duties as president and CEO. Among the highlights of Mahoney's 15 years at Diebold were the company's $1 billion revenue milestone in 1996, development of Diebold's own international distribution channels and the company's shift from a hardware-intensive business to a services and software-based business. "I am very excited to assume this responsibility and build upon the solid foundation that Bob Mahoney has placed during his tenure at Diebold," O'Dell said. "Under Bob's leadership, Diebold has had many accomplishments, and I intend to continue moving ahead by making the company the global leader in self-service hardware, software and services." During the company's annual meeting, the board declared the second-quarter cash dividend, a 15.5 cents per share cash dividend on all common shares to be paid June 2 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12. The board also re-elected company officers, and Diebold shareholders re-elected the Board of Directors.
Director, Dan Bartlett, dispensed with the usual "let's wait and see what happens" stance and boldly stated that Ohio is a done deal for George Bush.
BARTLETT: "Well, it's gonna be close. No question about it. But, what we're seeing in our polling, what other news organizations are showing, is that President Bush - not only over the course of the campaign - has shown the capability of breaking out with a much more substantial lead. But we've been persistently right there. We're gonna spend a lot of time there in the next few days and I'm confident, President's confident, not only in our ground game but in our message there and I'm GUARANTEEING A VICTORY THERE ON TUESDAY (emphasis mine)."
O'REILLY (surprised): "You're 'guaranteeing' a victory? Is that what you said, Mr. Bartlett?"
BARTLETT: "Guaranteeing."
O'REILLY: Wow!
BARTLETT: Bank it.
O'REILLY: "You and Muhammad Ali and Joe Namath!" (Bartlett laughs.)
Comment
Looks like Mr. Bartlett's either got a great crystal ball or the fix is in.
Here's a reprint of an article published a year ago by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer from August 28, 2003. It explains why Mr. Bartlett might be feeling pretty confident right about now.
Voting Machine Controversy by Julie Carr Smyth
COLUMBUS - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.
Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems.
In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates - money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell.
They urged Blackwell to remove Diebold from the field of voting-machine companies eligible to sell to Ohio counties.
This is the second such request in as many months. State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, asked Blackwell in July to disqualify Diebold after security concerns arose over its equipment.
"Ordinary Ohioans may infer that Blackwell's office is looking past Diebold's security issues because its CEO is seeking $10,000 donations for Blackwell's party - donations that could be made with statewide elected officials right there in the same room," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg DiDonato.
Diebold spokeswoman Michelle Griggy said O'Dell - who was unavailable to comment personally - has held fund-raisers in his home for many causes, including the Columbus Zoo, Op era Columbus, Catholic Social Services and Ohio State University.
Ohio GOP spokesman Jason Mauk said the party approached O'Dell about hosting the event at his home, the historic Cotswold Manor, and not the other way around. Mauk said that under federal campaign finance rules, the party cannot use any money from its federal account for state- level candidates.
"To think that Diebold is somehow tainted because they have a couple folks on their board who support the president is just unfair," Mauk said.
Griggy said in an e-mail statement that Diebold could not comment on the political contributions of individual company employees.
Blackwell said Diebold is not the only company with political connections - noting that lobbyists for voting-machine makers read like a who's who of Columbus' powerful and politically connected.
"Let me put it to you this way: If there was one person uniquely involved in the political process, that might be troubling," he said. "But there's no one that hasn't used every legitimate avenue and bit of leverage that they could legally use to get their product looked at. Believe me, if there is a political lever to be pulled, all of them have pulled it."
Blackwell said he stands by the process used for selecting voting machine vendors as fair, thorough and impartial.
As of yesterday, however, that determination lay with Ohio Court of Claims Judge Fred Shoemaker.
He heard closing arguments yesterday over whether Sequoia was unfairly eliminated by Blackwell midway through the final phase of negotiations.
Shoemaker extended a temporary restraining order in the case for 14 days, but said he hopes to issue his opinion sooner than that. (End article.)
From the official White House Biography of Dan Bartlett:
"Before joining the Bush Administration, Dan Bartlett served as a senior spokesman and the Director of Rapid Response for the Bush for President campaign in Austin, Texas. He has served President Bush since 1993, working on both successful campaigns for Governor of Texas. From 1994 to 1998, Bartlett worked in the Governor's Office as Deputy to the Policy Director. During the 1998 re-election campaign, he served as Issues Director. Before joining President Bush, Mr. Bartlett worked for Karl Rove and Associates, an Austin-based political consulting firm."