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Democracy really does die in darkness

DEAR EDITOR:

Twelve jurors and four alternates were picked recently to weigh the evidence in the trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and ex-Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges in U.S. District Court in the state’s largest public corruption case.

Federal prosecutors allege nearly $61 million was paid to help Householder win control of the Ohio House of Representatives, pass a $1 billion nuclear plant bailout for FirstEnergy Corp. and defend that law against a ballot initiative to block it.

The trial comes two-and-a-half years after FBI agents arrested Householder, Borges, lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes and political consultant Jeff Longstreth and charged them with racketeering.

Longstreth and Cespedes pleaded guilty in October 2020. Clark died by suicide in March 2021. Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. signed a deferred prosecution agreement in July 2021 in which it agreed to pay a $230 million fine and admit that it paid bribes to Householder and attorney, Sam Randazzo. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Randazzo to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Randazzo hasn’t been charged and has said he did nothing wrong.

Interesting how this comes up years after the crime but months after we are again saddled with DeWine. Ohio, a state where gerrymandering is so thick that even when the voters say that it must be fixed, the Republicans stack committees, ignore judge’s rulings and continue to elect criminals. If my memory serves me correctly, Householder was re-elected after these crimes were common knowledge.

His voters don’t care.

BETTS ADGATE

Cortland

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