Team Strickland Gets Caught Red Handed Selling Public Policy
Invitations to two fundraisers for Gov. Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign that advertised special access to state officials appear to perpetuate a pay-to-play political system that the governor promised in 2006 that he would end.
A third fundraising invitation by the Ohio Democratic Party to join Strickland and a high-ranking party official “to discuss Ohio’s current issues” raises questions about whether input on public policy can be bought for a political contribution.
The Strickland campaign and the party say the wording on the invitations slipped through their vetting processes and is regrettable, and it was corrected in all three cases.
“I have not seen this and I think that it does not look good,” a clearly disturbed Strickland said when shown an invitation to a Sept. 4 Cincinnati-area campaign fundraiser for him.
What was the invitation? It was a ticket for special access:
The Sept. 4 fundraiser was sponsored by Rob Smyjunas and Dave Noonan of Vandercar Holdings, owner of Corridor 75 Premier Logistics Park. The event, which Smyjunas said drew about 30 local contributors, was held at the 429-acre industrial park that Vandercar is developing at an I-75 interchange in Monroe.
The invitation promoted “a private lunch reception with Gov. Ted Strickland and special guests, county and state economic development officials.” Smyjunas said Noonan “wrote that and sent it out without ever talking with anybody. He sent it out by e-mail.”
Smyjunas and Pickrell said that when the campaign saw the invitation, it immediately issued a new one after removing the reference to economic-development officials.
Economic-development officials…. as in those who direct state grants and stimulus dollars to various projects. They knew exactly what they were selling, and are only embarrassed that they worded their pay-to-play scheme so poorly.
And Chris Redfern, fresh off of an embarrassing week of stories concerning his party in Athens County paying voters $5 dollars to vote in targeted district, once again shows how touchy he is about Democrats looking corrupt as we enter the 2010 campaign season:
The Ohio Democratic Party fundraising invitation in question was for a brunch Saturday at the Bexley Monk restaurant. Party Chairman Chris Redfern said the original invitation sent to lobbyists and others promoted a meeting with him and Strickland “for an insider’s discussion on what the Ohio Democratic Party is doing to prepare for the 2010 elections.”
But a follow-up reminder e-mail sent Oct. 27 from party Finance Director Joe Rettof told invitees that the event “will be a great opportunity for you to discuss Ohio’s current issues with the governor” and the party’s executive director, Doug Kelly.
“I did not give final clearance on this,” Redfern said. “It was a mistake.”
Redfern acknowledged that the follow-up e-mail implied a chance to discuss public policy with Strickland in exchange for a campaign contribution.
“That’s why I’m troubled by this, because we got to this position, in some measure, by pointing out the weakness of the Republican Party and the former leaders of this state,” Redfern said. “So with that criticism comes a great deal of responsibility going forward to conduct ourselves in an appropriate, ethical and clearly legal way.”
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