So Long, Larry
If you’re like me and follow Ohio’s state politics, you know that corruption and the Ohio State House go together like peas and carrots. There’s been plenty of scandals over the years in Columbus; Coingate, ECOT and now the House Bill 6 / FirstEnergy scandal just to name a few. The current scandal centers on former House Speaker Larry Householder, an individual that seemed destined to run Ohio’s State House based on his last name alone. Householder has long been a prominent figure within Ohio’s Legislature and has used it over the years to launder money and make himself extremely wealthy. Householder first became a State Representative in 1996 and by 2001 he was already elected to be Speaker of the House. Only God knows what type of shady dealings he maneuvered in order to reach one of Ohio’s most politically powerful positions, but I’m sure it wasn’t great for the Ohio taxpayer or legal. By 2004, Householder and his slimy associates were under investigation by the FBI for money laundering and irregular campaign finance practices. Due to being term limited, he didn’t run again for the State Legislature and he then later served as Perry County Auditor. He laid low and the Feds eventually dropped their investigation. You’d think almost getting caught by the Feds for money laundering and public corruption would’ve been enough for Larry Householder to disappear and count his blessings along with all his dirty money the Feds weren’t able to find. But no, Householder is like that Goofy Meme that occasionally makes the rounds on Twitter.
Because Householder is a power-hungry narcissist, he did it all over again and the FBI actually caught him this time. Householder is one of those mediocre men who always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. In reality, he’s just another corrupt politician who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Householder was able to get by for years in state politics using fear and intimidation to suppress dissent and silence his enemies, but you can’t silence the FBI. And you usually can’t beat them in court, either. Householder orchestrated a $60 million bribery scheme with a company named FirstEnergy. Householder took some of their money and funneled it around to 21 various State House candidates that would vote to make him Speaker of the House. He also spent some of that FirstEnergy money it to fix his deck on his vacation home in Florida. In return, once he was elected Speaker of the House, Householder delivered a $1 Billion dollar bailout of two Nuclear Power Plants owned by FirstEnergy. Who’s paying the $1 Billion bailout? The Ohio taxpayer of course. The bailout will be paid by assessing the tax payer a fee on their monthly energy bill.
Being that I ran against of the most corrupt politicians in our state in 2018, all of this isn’t too surprising. Anyone who pays attention to the Ohio State House knows it currently exists to keep rich white men and the corporations they work for wealthy. My former State House opponent, Bill Seitz, fought tooth and nail to keep Householder safe leading up to a June 16th vote to expel him from office. I assume Seitz hopes his undying loyalty to the very end will mean Householder won’t flip on him. That is yet to be seen, but considering the Republicans run the State House like it’s a Mafia organization, maybe Seitz will be fine. I always wondered how the FBI hadn’t caught onto Seitz when I ran against him. Anyone that can do basic research and can read campaign finance reports will know Bill Seitz is one of the shadiest and most corrupt politicians in the state. Coincidentally, he’s connected to all the other shady people across our city and state. Lately, he’s been working on making gambling legal in Ohio. However, like most things in this state, Seitz and many of his friends at the State House want to choose who the winners and losers are when it comes to Ohio gambling. They want to decide who gets to have the very limited gambling licenses and then extort them for favors, campaign cash and God knows what else.
Nearly a year after being indicted on Federal RICO chargers, the Ohio State House finally kicked Larry Householder to the curb. Hopefully the FBI starts investigating all those jokers in red (and maybe even orange?)
Where do we go from here? I’d say the root cause of most of our problems at the State Legislature are due to extreme gerrymandering. Voters passed a law in 2018 to make districts fairer and more balanced so Republicans don’t get an automatic supermajority every two years, but the law really doesn’t have a lot of teeth. I assume the Republicans will do anything they can to hang on to their power because without a supermajority, how will the Larry Householders and Bill Seitz’s of the world control the ebb and flow of taxpayer money that leaves and enters the State House? How will corporations and billionaires get a taste of that sweet tax payer money without a Republican supermajority? I have no clue where we go from here, but I’m not very optimistic. The corporate influence on governing across our country, state and city is pervasive. It’s time for working-class Americans to stand up and demand our government starts working for us and not their corporate cronies and campaign backers.
In the end, let’s pour one out for Larry Householder; a man that has so much pride and self-confidence that he thought he could fool the FBI not once, but twice. I’ve heard plenty of people involved with the State House over the years talk about how politically astute and brilliant Larry Householder is, but that’s all a fabrication. When you can’t play by the rules, you aren’t smart. You’re just a cheater who’s facing federal RICO chargers and will spend a good portion of your final years in prison. Good riddance and hopefully Bill Seitz is next.