Democrats have long campaigned that one of the most corrupt statehouses in the country. The nominee for governor is among them, and said she’s got a plan to fight that.
Any Acton told reporters at a Columbus-area coffee shop Wednesday that corruption is raising Ohio’s costs. She mentioned the House Bill 6 scandal around that now-repealed FirstEnergy nuclear power plant bailout, which resulted in criminal convictions of Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges. Acton said the total of that scandal has cost Ohio ratepayers more than $2 billion.
“When I am governor, hard-working Ohioans will stop footing the bill for the cost of corruption in our state,” Acton said. “It is time to put the needs of working families over the wants of billionaires, corporations and special interests.
Acton said on day one as governor, she would sign three executive orders to combat corruption in government. One would create an anti-corruption task force to conduct audits and make recommendations on how to prevent financial abuse of public funds. A second would block lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who have been involved with organizations regulated by Ohio agencies from serving on their boards within three years, and would require more disclosure of people who are appointed to positions. A third executive order would increase transparency by creating a public database of state contracts.
"We need a good statehouse," Acton said. "We need good elected officials who want to work on the problems of our everyday lives. 95% of what I hear about no one disagrees on—no one disagrees on it. They just want us to get to work solving it. And so it is time for this corruption and this power and this stuff to end. And good people on both sides of the aisle who want to do this work. I welcome that work."
Acton’s Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy has focused most of his comments about corruption in state government on Medicaid fraud. In May, Ramaswamy said he would target waste and abuse in the system, specifically related to home health care providers.
When asked for a reaction to Acton’s plan Wednesday, Ramaswamy’s campaign released a written statement saying it is a matter of “the pot calling the kettle black.” It went on to say Acton has received contributions from dark-money groups and called Acton’s plan “a joke.”
Both Ramaswamy and Acton have benefited from money spent by dark money groups so far in what is expected to be the most expensive gubernatorial race in Ohio history.
