Tracy Richardson, seen on the left in a photo from her Facebook page, may have been part of a group of representatives specifically chosen and supported by Larry Householder, right. Householder was arrested earlier this week on federal charges. Richardson said she had no knowledge of Householder’s activities. (Photo submitted)
A local representative is speaking about her connection to Ohio Speaker of the House, Rep. Larry Householder.
“Tuesday was a sad day for the Ohio House of Representatives and for the people of Ohio,” Rep. Tracy Richardson, of Marysville, wrote in a statement to the Journal-Tribune this morning. “The allegations against Larry Householder stunned so many of us and sent shock waves through the Capitol. I felt particularly duped and disappointed since I had supported the Speaker with my vote at the start of the 133rd General Assembly.”
On Tuesday, Householder was arrested as part of a federal bribery investigation. Householder, a two-time speaker from rural Perry County, is alleged to be at the top of what prosecutors believe is the largest money-laundering scheme in state history. Investigators say Householder and his associates received $60 million, funneled through a network of secret accounts, in exchange for passing a roughly $1 billion nuclear plant bailout bill last year and overturning a subsequent repeal effort.
Householder was Speaker of the House from 2001 to 2004. At the time, Householder and others were under federal investigation for alleged money laundering and irregular campaign practices, though no charges were ever filed and Householder was term-limited out of office.
In 2016, Householder was elected to the House of Representatives. Following a contentious election cycle and leadership fight, on Jan. 7, Householder was elected as Speaker of the House.
As Richardson said, she was part of the effort to elect Householder to the position.
In fact, she may have been targeted as a candidate for that reason. The federal investigation revealed that Householder and others identified candidates who would support him if elected.
In the 2018 election cycle, Householder reported giving out about $92,500, to 12 different candidates, including Richardson.
Political action committees for FirstEnergy and Murray Energy as well as Wayne Boich, chairman and CEO of Boich Companies, whose holdings include coal mines, all made significant campaign donations to Householder-backed candidates, including Richardson.
Since beginning her run for the state legislature in 2017, Richardson has received $10,000 in campaign donations from FirstEnergy PAC, $8,344.61 from the Larry Householder Campaign, $7,500 from Cynthia and Wayne M. Boich and $2,500 from Murray Energy.
Richardson has also received contributions from Neil Clark, a veteran Statehouse lobbyist described as Householder’s political “hit man.” Clark was one of the individuals arrested Tuesday with Householder.
The federal complaint alleges the nonprofit organization, Generation Now, was a conduit for money moving from an unidentified “Company A” to what’s dubbed the “Householder Enterprise.”
Prosecutors say the money was used to boost Householder’s campaign, to elect a slate of candidates who would support his bid for speaker and then for bribes that secured needed votes.
While the company is unnamed, facts in the complaint point to FirstEnergy Corp.
That company owned a pair of struggling nuclear plants, owned by FirstEnergy Solutions, that were slated to close without an infusion of money. Parent company FirstEnergy Corp. had lobbied lawmakers unsuccessfully for years for help.
Prosecutors allege Householder handpicked freshman Republican lawmakers to introduce House Bill 6 which provides money to the nuclear plants by charging Ohio ratepayers an 85 cents per month fee on utility bills.
Ultimately, the bill passed the House and Senate narrowly and was signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in July 2019. Opponents of the bill attempted to put the matter on the ballot for voters to decide, but following a well-funded campaign against it, the referendum effort failed.
Richardson said she looked at House Bill 6 the way she does all legislation.
“Each time I prepare to go to the floor of the House, I do my very best to read the bill, research the issue, contact individuals in my district who may be impacted by the bill for their input and then vote my conscience,” Richardson wrote. “My goal is to have the most meaningful outcomes for the people of Ohio. My approach to my decision for HB 6 was no different.”
She called House Bill 6, “a complex bill.” She said she looked at the legislation’s impact on the state and its residents. Richardson said the campaign donations did not influence her votes and she was not “unduly influenced by anyone during the process.”
“I view any contributions to my campaign to be solely a donation in support of my vision to serve Ohioans. I’ve never accepted donations in exchange for voting in a particular way on any issue,” Richardson wrote. “Nor has anyone ever offered me a contribution in exchange for my vote.”
Richardson said she supported Householder not because of his contributions to her campaign, but, “because I believed he would bring Democrats and Republicans together for the good of all Ohioans.”
The representative said that when she heard the allegations against Householder, she couldn’t fathom what she was hearing. She said that she knows there is a tendency for people to believe she is guilty by association.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth regarding my relationship with Speaker Householder,” Richardson wrote. “I had no knowledge of any of his alleged wrongdoings at any time.”
She said details of the evidence presented by federal investigators are “unsettling” adding that she was among the first lawmakers to call for Householder to step down as Speaker.
“As I said Tuesday and reiterate today, the members of the Ohio House must be united and focus on the compelling issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic – something we cannot do with a cloud hanging over the Capitol,” Richardson wrote.
She added, “these issues as well as, protecting our health and stimulating the economy are too important to get derailed by this scandal. We must continue moving forward so we can move Ohio forward.”