Ohio advocacy group hits Gov. DeWine over HB 6 scandal in new video: ‘The Bribery Bunch’

The fourteenth video in the Crime with DeWine series, the video uses the infamous Brady Bunch style and opening jingle to specifically name those most closely related to the scandal, including both Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

All of the previous Crime with DeWine videos can be seen on the Ohio Citizen Action YouTube Channel or at www.crimewithdewine.com. Nearly 32,000 individuals have watched the campaign’s launch video.

“We are approaching the two-year anniversary of the House Bill 6 scandal news breaking,” said Rachael Belz, CEO of Ohio Citizen Action. “In those two years, Ohioans have been calling on Governor DeWine and Lt. Gov. Husted to demonstrate the kind of leadership needed to take utility money and influence out of Ohio politics. We have been demanding that they institute real reforms at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and reject campaign contributions from regulated electric utilities. We have not heard word one from the Governor’s office in response to our calls.”

On Wednesday, June 1, Ohio Citizen Action staff and volunteers took to the streets of downtown Columbus with signs and flyers that called on the Administration to “End the Culture of Corruption,” and accept “No More Utility Campaign Cash.” They flanked a mobile billboard that parked between the Statehouse and the Riffe Center that asked the Governor directly why the culture of corruption continues in Ohio after House Bill 6.

Thousands of Ohioans have sent letters, placed phone calls, and communicated directly with the Governor asking him to clean house at the PUCO and immediately replace members of the staff that still have ties to FirstEnergy, former Speaker of the House Larry Householder, and former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo.

“To harken back to the Brady Bunch days, the lack of leadership coming from the DeWine Administration is anything but groovy,” said Belz. “Until we see real change around the way regulated utilities work in Ohio, ratepayers in our state will continue to fund dirty coal plants on their bills every month while power companies hold the reins and control public policy. We deserve better, and we deserve a Governor and Lt. Governor who will protect Ohioans instead of the profits of utility companies. We deserve answers, Governor DeWine.”

The Crime with DeWine campaign will continue to release videos on Tuesdays at 2pm, spoofing the popular “Wine with DeWine” press conferences conducted by the Governor and Lt. Governor during the early days of the COVID-19 quarantine.

The Crime with DeWine effort is not tied to any election-related activities or a partisan campaign. Rather, this grassroots effort specifically asks Governor DeWine and Lt. Gov Husted to act in their current official administration roles to reduce utility corruption and enact real reforms at the PUCO.