Gerberry Proposes Prohibiting Private Pay to Governor
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Statewide elected officials would be largely prohibited from receiving private-sector compensation while serving in office under a proposal unveiled Tuesday by state Reps. Ron Gerberry and Nicholas Celebreeze.
The proposal follows recent reports that Gov. John Kasich received deferred compensation checks for unknown amounts from Worthington Industries, a company that received more than $600,000 in tax credits from the Kasich administration. Kasich also recieved some $103, 000 in compensation for his 2011 role on the company’s board.
Last week the Ohio Ethics Commission briefly considered a complaint against Kasich and payment from one-time employer Worthington Industries. The panel’s chairman, who is also a Kasich contributor, according to a news release jointly issued by Gerberry and Celebreeze, said it was not unethical for Kasich to collect compensation from Worthington Industries while serving as Ohio governor.
“The idea that the governor of Ohio can somehow collect a paycheck from a private company while managing the affairs of our state is astounding,” said Gerberry, D-59, Austintown. “It greatly undermines public trust in our state government and elected officials, and it creates a potential environment for corruption and pay-to-play politics.”
The legislation would “prohibit Ohio statewide elective officers from receiving compensation while in office from any entity, including but not limited to, an entity seeking state funds.” The legislation includes exemptions for retirement or pension benefits and the officeholder’s regular state salary.
“It is disconcerting that we are in a situation where we have to spell this out through legislation,” said Celebrezze, D-15 Parma. “I think most Ohioans would agree that this just doesn’t pass the smell test. We need to ensure our top public officials in Ohio can’t be bought, and one way to do this is through prohibiting private sector pay while in office. We can’t have an appearance of impropriety at the highest levels of our state government.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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