COLUMBUS – Ohio has seen it before: legislators and lobbyists embroiled in a pay-to-play scheme, dark money helping to seal the deal, and a northern Ohio electric utility at the center of the scandal.

Common Cause Ohio is convening two panels of nationally acclaimed experts to discuss the FBI’s on-going bribery investigation into Ohio’s passage of a nuclear bailout law. Panel members will offer advice on how to fix the current mess while strengthening the guardrails of our democracy to prevent a similar corruption scandal from happening ever again.

Presenters include officials from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, and experts in utility regulation, whistleblower protections, and government transparency. Each panelist will do a Zoom presentation, and make recommendations. 

Ohioienii sunt invitați să participe Planul pentru democrație: cum putem înceta să fim înșelați on November 16 and 23. The public will be provided an opportunity to weigh in and consider these proposals following the presentations.  

November 16th Panel

CE: Panel with experts on dark money, direct democracy, whistleblower laws, and the legislative process

CÂND: November 16, 2020; 7:00 pm ET

UNDE: RSVP for November 16’s Blueprint Session

OMS: 

• • Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Stetson University and Brennan Center for Justice Fellow
  • Elena Nunez of Common Cause
  • Fred Gittes, Gittes Law Group
  • Aristotle Hutras, founder of the Aristotle Group and former longest-serving Executive Director of the Ohio Retirement Study Council.

MORE INFO: commoncause.org/ohio/blueprint

November 23rd Panel

CE: Panel cu experți în lobby și reforma etică și restructurarea Comisiei de utilități publice din Ohio (PUCO) 

CÂND: November 23, 2020; 7pm ET

UNDE: Răspundeți la Sesiunea Blueprint din 23 noiembrie

OMS:

• • Kedric Payne, consilier general și director principal pentru etică, Centrul juridic al campaniei
  • Edward „Ned” Hill, Colegiul de Afaceri Publice John Glenn

MORE INFO: commoncause.org/ohio/blueprint

Topics and Information about the Panelists:

November 16th Panel:

• Shining a Light on Dark Money: Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Stetson University and Brennan Center for Justice Fellow. Professor Torres-Spelliscy teaches election and constitutional law, is an expert on money in politics and has testified before Congress and state and local legislative bodies on campaign finance reform.
• Îmbunătățirea democrației directe Elena Nunez of Common Cause. Elena Nunez is an expert in ballot measures. She provides direct support to states on campaigns, fund raising and policy, and she helped Colorado to promote voting, expand access to public records and improve campaign finance transparency.
• Strengthening Ohio’s Whistleblower Law: Fred Gittes, Gittes Law Group. Fred Gittes is among the nation’s top civil rights lawyers. He has obtained relief involving promotions and pay for a variety of clients, and he is a passionate voice for whistleblower reforms, calling Ohio’s whistleblower law “one of the worst’’ in America.
• Descoperirea Cine într-adevăr Writes the Legislation: Aristotle Hutras, founder of the Aristotle Group and former longest-serving Executive Director of the Ohio Retirement Study Council.

November 23rd Panel:

• Lobbyist și reforma etică: Kedric Payne, consilier general și director principal pentru etică, Centrul juridic al campaniei. Kedric Payne este expert în etica guvernamentală, reformele lobby-ului și legea electorală și a oferit consiliere în domeniul eticii ramurilor executive în calitate de consilier general adjunct al Departamentului Energiei al SUA.
• Consolidarea Comisiei de utilități publice din Ohio (PUCO): Edward „Ned” Hill, Colegiul de Afaceri Publice John Glenn. As a professor of economic development and a long-time student of Ohio’s ethical lapses, Prof. Ned Hill has watched the PUCO embrace and laws and policies that hurt Ohio’s business climate and its citizens.