Pay to Play at the State Level
Part 2 of ?
Written by Brian Massie, Concord Township
We are continuing our reporting on the alleged $60 million bribery scheme involving Larry Householder, Speaker of the Ohio House, and his 501 (c) (4) Non-Profit, Generation Now.
If you have not kept up to date on the HB 6 Ohio Clean Air Program, let’s start with the actual legislation and who were the sponsors. Here is a link that will answer those questions. Sponsoring any legislation does not in itself convey any guilt. The sponsors usually do the “heavy lifting” to persuade the other representatives and senators to support the legislation. They were probably working very closely with First Energy lobbyists to craft just the right legislation.
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA133-HB-6
Primary Sponsors: Jamie Callender (R) District 61 
[our Representative]
Shane Wilkin (R) District 91
Co-sponsors: Jon Cross (R) District 83 / Anthony DeVitis (R) District 36 / Haraz Ghanbari (R) District 3 / Brett Hillyer (R) District 98 / Don Jones (R) District 95 / Bill Renke (R) District 88 / William Seitz (R) District 30 / Dick Stein (R) District 57 / A. Nino Vitale (R) District 86
Senators: John Eklund (R) District 18 / Theresa Gavarone (R) District 2 / Lou Terhar (R) District (Resigned) / Sandra Williams (D) District 21
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2018/04/firstenergy_pac_writes_big_che.html
As they say….follow the money….heck, probably just a coincidence…
We will let our readers decide if this is “pay to play”. Thanks to Cleveland.com for this list.
FirstEnergy PAC donations
| Candidate | District | Donation |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Baldridge | 90 | $11,000 |
| Tim Barhorst | 19 | $7,500 |
| Jamie Callender | 61 | $12,700 |
| Jon Cross | 83 | $12,700 |
| Anthony DeVitis | 36 | $7,707.79 |
| Jay Edwards | 94 | $8,708 |
| Travis Faber | 84 | $11,000 |
| Josh Hagan | 50 | $5,500 |
| Stu Harris | 21 | $5,000 |
| Larry Householder | 72 | $5,207.79 |
| Kris Jordan | 67 | $11,700 |
| Jena Powell | 80 | $12,700 |
| Mike Rasor | 37 | $12,700 |
| Tracy Richardson | 87 | $7,500 |
| Jim Trakas | 6 | $12,700 |
| Shane Wilkin | 91 | $10,000 |
You will find this well written article very interesting:
https://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigation/dark-money-behind-ohios-energy-saga/
Excerpts from the article:
“House Bill 6 gutted Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards while putting ratepayers on the hook for nearly $1 billion in subsidies for nuclear power plants, plus an additional amount for aging coal plants. Multiple groups spent heavily to promote HB 6 and prevent a referendum on the law following its passage.”
“Powerful corporations, and utilities in particular, often fund groups to do their dirty work in an attempt to avoid accountability,” Anderson said. “In the case of Generation Now, that dirty work included millions of dollars in misleading ads and hiring petition blockers to prevent Ohioans from having an opportunity to overturn House Bill 6 when they vote in November.”
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How did our local politicians view House Bill 6?
https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/local-officials-weigh-in-on-rescue-of-nuclear-plants/article_349c062a-86ce-506e-ac62-7fa0902fb591.html
Excerpts from the article:
“Jerry Cirino, a Lake County commissioner, helped conceive of H.B. 6. “It’s something I’ve been working on for over two years, since I’ve been a commissioner,” Cirino said.”
“State Senator Sean O’Brien voted against the bill.”
“It’s a bailout, again, for FirstEnergy, and since 2000, ratepayers in Ohio have given FirstEnergy $12 billion,” O’Brien said. “I don’t understand why their shareholders aren’t bearing the responsibility of their financial mistakes and investments.”
“While the rest of the country is moving forward, Ohio is moving backward, and I can’t support that,” O’Brien said.
*****
https://www.gazettenews.com/~gazetten/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9286:perry-community-celebrates-passage-of-hb-6-with-officials&catid=46&Itemid=222
Excerpts from the article:
“Lake County Commissioner Jerry Cirino took the lead locally and worked with Perry Schools Superintendent Jack Thompson, North Perry Mayor Ed Klco and Perry Fire Chief Jim McDonald.
[LFC Comments: In checking Jerry Cirino’s campaign finance reports for his campaign for State Senator, we found a $5,000.00 contribution made on 3/31/20 from First Energy PAC.] Cirino Contributions 2020
Cirino partnered with Ottawa County Commissioner Mark Stahl and together they worked with state legislators, including current county commissioner and former state Representative Ron Young, state Senator John Eklund (R-Munson Township) and state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord Township) who was a primary sponsor of HB6, all of whom were present for the celebration.”
*****
[LFC Comment: There will be much more to reveal….we promise…stay tuned….]
Categories: Corruption, Uncategorized
Is Jerry going to be named???
We have no knowledge of any individuals that are currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney Office or the F.B.I. However, anyone that was involved with H.B.6 probably will have to answer some questions at some point in time.