Shine a Light on the Statehouse Event—Follow-up Action and Materials
Many thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate Sunshine Week 2023 with us. It was a fantastic event, with an amazing turnout! Your enthusiasm for moving Ohio towards a brighter future is what made it such a success. Special thanks to our panelists: Laura Bischoff, Dave Davis, Kathiann Kowalski and Sandy Theis.
We are pleased to provide the Shine a Light on the Statehouse Recording and Presentation Slides.
Next Steps – Take Action!
- Consider putting in a public records request. Check out Ohio’s Sunshine Manual for good information and suggestions. Randy Ludlow, former Columbus Dispatch reporter and open government advocate, and Catherine Turcer have graciously offered to help answer questions on public records. Send an email to rglindy56@gmail.com or cturcer@commoncause.org if you want some tips.
- Look up your Ohio Representative and Senator and tell them to take action so that this kind of scandal cannot happen in Ohio ever again. You can call Governor Mike DeWine at (614) 644-4357 or (614) 466-3555.
- Support local and nonprofit journalism: Reporters are the lifeblood of transparency and shining a light on what’s happening in Ohio. Some examples of nonprofit journalism: Are you interested in utility policy? Check out Energy News Network. Interested in what’s happening at the Statehouse? Check out the Ohio Capital Journal.
See below for resources shared during the presentation:
- Download the 2023 Sunshine Law Manual to learn more about Ohio’s Sunshine Laws.
- Learn about Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the billions of dark money dollars that have flowed from that decision, and the lack of transparency in being able to follow the money.
- Investigate the problem with keeping records of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission secret so we can’t see who is responsible for writing legislation and proposing amendments.
- Check out panelist Kathiann Kowalski’s article about how Ohio’s energy policy has been influenced by utility interests. Laura Bischoff, who attended the Householder/Borges trial every day, dives into dark money, Ohio politics and power, and shares the impact of Householder/Borges’ guilty verdict.
For additional information on the Householder trial, take a look at our HB6 Scandal website, and check out the Ohio Politics Explained podcast. Special thanks to our co-sponsors: ACLU Ohio, All Voting is Local, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio Fair Courts Alliance and Ohio Voice who join Common Cause Ohio every day to fight for increased transparency and reform.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to shine a light on dark money, and for taking action. It is PAST TIME for Ohio to enact anti-corruption laws that will lift our state out from the slime of pay-to-play and racketeering. In the wake of this verdict, let’s make some noise!