It never ends in Ohio, folks.
Just another example of pay to play in Ohio.
All of you Ohio Kossacks need to get on the phone and call John Husted,the GOP Speaker of the Ohio House, and ask him why he thought it was OK to take a fishing trip with 3 lobbyists seeking favors regarding the pending budget bill.
Husted is a young man from Kettering who thinks he has a bright future in the Republican party. Given his brazen corruption, he looks like he has what it takes to go far in the GOP.
Background: Keep in mind first that this budget is horrible for Ohio schools. Funding is not keeping up with inflation but guess what? There is still room to SLASH CORPORATE TAXES.
Details on Husted's chummy relationship with lobbyists, and what they got for it, below.
Here are some highlights from the Cleveland Plain Dealer's article on Husted's fishing trip over Memorial Day weekend (just before the final version of the bill was hammered out) with 3 prominent Ohio lobbyists:
Accompanying Husted on the trip besides Dan McCarthy was Dan Jones, a lobbyist whose clients include the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., which stands to benefit from House-added language that prevents local communities from regulating the labeling, sale, storage and application of fertilizer and seed.
The third lobbyist was Nick Lashutka, director of government relations for the Ohio Business Roundtable, one of the principal architects of the budget's tax-reform provisions.
So Dan McCarthy works for The Success Group, a lobbying firm which according to the Plain Dealer represents Ohio Beer and Wine Dealers. Oh, and coincidentally, a proposed tax on alcohol was scrapped in the final version of the budget bill! What a coincidence!
Now Husted says the men did not discuss politics on the trip. OK, then Dan McCarthy isn't doing his job! Because here is what The Success Group promised its clients on its website: "our primary objective is to position our clients with legislative and other state government audiences." Sounds like if McCarthy had a private audience with Husted, he'd be working him over on the beer and wine tax, or anything else that affected his clients.
I called Husted's office and spoke to Derek, a legislative aide who was nice enough but clearly out of his league. I asked him about the story in the Plain Dealer and he said it wasn't really his job to deal with this! Anyway, I registered my complaint and that was that.
Another nugget from the article. In an emotional interview, Husted said he did nothing illegal or unethical and said he never talked to McCarthy, Jones or Lashutka about their clients or the budget during the trip.
"I can promise you that there are more things that they're upset about than happy about," he said. First, why is Husted so emotional? What, did he cry? Toughen up soldier. Second, if he didn't talk politics, how does he know these lobbyists are upset about anything?
(By the way, from what I can tell, all 3 of these guys got EXACTLY what they wanted out of the budget. Lashutka's group, the Ohio Business Roundtable, more or less wrote the tax reform provisions in the bill, according to the article. Lashutka is the former mayor of Columbus, VP for government affairs for Nationwide Insurance, and a GOP heavy hitter in Ohio. Think he wasn't telling Husted his marching orders? Oh, that's right they were just fishing.)
Citizen Action in Ohio is all over Husted:
(Husted):"I tell people 'no' on a daily basis, including the three people that you just named. These three people are my friends. We don't talk business. We talked about catching fish, because that's what we were there to do."
Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, laughed when Husted's remarks were read to her.
"Most of us would like to find a way to affect the budget, and most of us are not able to go on a fishing trip with the speaker of the House," she said. "It is ludicrous to think that all they talked about in the midst of this budget battle is fishing."
Wouldn't it be fun to call Rep. Husted? Help me out, Ohio Kossacks.
77 S. High St
14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Telephone: (614) 644-6008
Fax: (614) 644-9494
Email Address: district37@ohr.state.oh.us
Something smells, but it ain't fish.