Pepper vows to end 'pay-to-play' in Ohio AG's office
David Pepper, Democratic candidate for Ohio Attorney General, has announced a plan to end what he calls "the cycle of pay-to-play in how the Ohio Attorney General’s Office awards certain special counsel and other contracts."
"The Attorney General, as the top law officer of the state, must himself display the highest level of public integrity in order to have the credibility to take on corruption and pay-to-play wherever they occur,” said Pepper.
“By adding transparency, merit-based standards and best practices from around the country, we can restore trust that the Attorney General is not breaking the very laws and rules he is tasked to enforce.”
The Dayton Daily News revealed that since 2010, firms and companies doing business or seeking to do business with the Attorney General have contributed $1.3 million to Mike DeWine’s campaign, his son’s campaign, and the Ohio Republican Party.
Many contributions were made at the same time as bids were being submitted or while bids were being considered – sometimes on the same day, Pepper said.
Much of the money was used to pay back a $2 million personal loan DeWine made to his 2010 campaign. And DeWine has already had to return $16,000 in illegal contributions revealed by the Dayton Daily News, according to a news release from the Pepper campaign.
Pepper’s plan will increase transparency in contract bidding by posting lists of all special counsel and vendors online, including the terms of their contracts and any performance evaluations.
He will establish clear, written standards for measuring the qualifications of firms or companies bidding for work and will create an independent review board to screen bids and make written recommendations.
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Pepper said will require bidders to make a public disclosure of all contributions to Attorney General campaign or party committees, and he will bar bidding firms from making any contributions around the submission deadline or while bids are under consideration.
“By taking these steps, we will root out any opportunity for pay-to-play, ensure high quality advocacy for Ohio’s pensioners and other clients, and restore Ohioans’ confidence that the Attorney General works for them, not for big donors.”
Pepper is a former Hamilton County Commissioner who is running for Attorney General to clean up government, fight for public safety, and be a leading watchdog for Ohio’s taxpayers.
To read the full plan, visit: www.davidpepper.com/integrity
According to The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, DeWine said last week that the contributions did not influence his decision to place firms on the panel or award contract work.
"We're following the law and that's all there is," DeWine said. DeWine said there is "total transparency" in his office and anyone who wants information about contract work can file a public records request, according to The Plain Dealer.