Householder’s son wants father’s vacant Ohio House seat
(The Center Square) – The son of Ohio’s expelled former speaker of the house is one of 20 people who want to fill the vacant seat for the next 18 months.
Derek Householder, who won election to the Perry County commission in November, submitted his resume to House Republicans a week after House voted 75-21 to expel his father, former House Speaker Larry Householder. It’s also been nearly a year after the elder Householder’s indictment on federal bribery and racketeering charges related to House Bill 6, a billion-dollar bailout of the state’s nuclear energy industry.
Derek Householder joined candidates who include other city and county politicians and a state trooper, among others. The deadline to submit resumes was Wednesday.
Legislative rules say Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, will pick a screening committee to take and review applications for the seat, which covers Perry and Coshocton counties, along with parts of Licking County. That group will name finalists to the House GOP caucus, which will appoint someone to fill Larry Householder’s term.
Householder was removed after a long, spirited debate, which included his denial of any wrongdoing. It was the first time an Ohio lawmaker had been expelled since 1857, when a member was removed for punching another member.
Householder denied he took bribes or engaged in a conspiracy and argued impeachment is the process to remove a member rather than expulsion.
“It doesn’t matter whose name is in that resolution, I would be standing in opposition to this resolution. Frankly, until due process works itself out and until these allegations are proven to be true, you do not know if this conduct occurred,” Householder said from the House floor. “I have not, nor have I ever, took a bribe or provided a bribe. I have not, nor I have ever, solicited a bribe. I have not, nor have I ever, sold legislation, never ever. These accusations are accusations. I intend fully to defend myself, and I intend to be acquitted.”
Along with four co-conspirators, Householder was charged 11 months ago in what federal prosecutors called the most expansive political corruption case in state history. Three of the six entities have pleaded guilty. Householder has pleaded not guilty.
Also charged were former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, lobbyist Neil Clark, the Oxley Group co-founder Juan Cespedes and strategist John Longstreth.
The U.S. attorney’s office said the conspiracy involved more than $60 million paid to a 501(c)(4) entity to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout.
The charging documents said the group conspired to launder millions of dollars in bribes through the entity Generation Now. Court documents show the enterprise received millions of dollars in exchange for Householder and the group’s help in passing House Bill 6, which saved two Ohio nuclear power plants from closing.
Longstreth admitted in his plea to organizing Generation Now for Householder, knowing it would be used to receive bribe money to further Householder’s bid for speaker of the House. Longstreth managed Generation Now bank accounts, and he said he concealed the energy company was the source of the funding.
Cespedes admitted he orchestrated payments to Generation Now, and he knew the payments were meant to help Householder politically in return for help in passing HB 6.
HB 6 created a new Ohio Clean Air Program to support nuclear energy plants and solar power facilities. Electricity consumers were to fund the program with the surcharge that ran through 2027.
The fee, which was scheduled to begin Jan. 1, was stopped by the Ohio Supreme Court in late December. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also reached a deal with FirstEnergy to halt what would have been a $120 million windfall for the company this year based on another part of HB 6.
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