Ethics investigation concludes but is kept secret

Ethics investigators concluded a review of two high-level Ohio Senate staffers who were paid $79,800 for political consulting work at the same time that they maintained their state jobs but exactly what was found will be kept secret.

Following a closed-door Joint Legislative Ethics Committee meeting on Tuesday, Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe said state law prohibits committee members and staff from publicly disclosing JLEC agenda items or investigations.

Records obtained through Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien indicate that JLEC discussed Ohio Senate Chief of Staff Jason Mauk and former Senate Communications Director John McClelland and concluded its review of the two men.

In September 2014, a Dayton Daily News investigation revealed that Mauk and McClelland formed PenMen Group LLC, a for-profit political consulting firm hired by the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. PenMen raked in a $79,800 payment in April 2014 for consulting the duo did in 2013 and 2014. It was unclear from parking and leave records whether they were doing political work on state time and the arrangement raised questions about how much oversight Senate leaders provide of top staff.

After the Daily News began requesting parking and time records, Mauk and McClelland submitted leave requests dating back several months even though the employee handbook said leave must be approved in advance and comp time must be filed within two weeks, Mauk approved leave records for McClelland — his close friend and business partner — up until PenMen was formally incorporated, and Mauk parked in the state garage while his calendar showed he was off for most or all of the day.

State law prohibits employees from conducting outside business on state time or using state resources, such as parking or phones, to do so.

In April, O’Brien was copied on correspondence between Bledsoe and Gregory Peterson, an attorney who represents PenMen. The Dayton Daily News requested records from O’Brien earlier this year but he declined to release them until JLEC completed its review. O’Brien released them Tuesday.

Peterson wrote that his clients “recognize in hindsight that a more timely approach to the review and submission of leave requests might have avoided some of the questions raised in this matter, and they regret that actions taken with good intentions led to the scrutiny that has subsequently unfolded.”

Peterson also noted that the Senate updated its employee handbook, which he described as having “guidelines” instead of strict regulations, and the Senate instituted a time keeping system for its workers. Peterson noted that the state was reimbursed $564 for parking.

He also noted that Senate President Keith Faber allows his senior staff to work a flexible schedule as long as they put in the required 80 hours in each two-week pay period.

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