Ex-Ohio governor candidate Joe Blystone fined $105K, can't run for office for 5 years
Ex-Ohio governor candidate Joe Blystone’s sloppy campaign donation collection led to a $105,000 fine and a five-year ban on him running for office − but he won't face criminal charges.
Blystone, a cowboy hat-wearing outsider who challenged Gov. Mike DeWine in the GOP primary last year, admitted Thursday that he violated state rules on how to run a campaign and accept donations. The $105,000 fine is what's left in Blystone's campaign account, minus $75,000 set aside if his campaign owes money in a pending Delaware County lawsuit.
The Ohio Elections Commission unanimously approved the penalties, which were negotiated as part of a deal to resolve the lengthy case. Blystone declined to comment following the meeting.
"None of the parties were happy with the agreement, but everybody was exhausted with it and we're ready to make an agreement that everybody got something and nobody got everything," Blystone's attorney Josh Brown said.
The Ohio Elections Commission case stemmed from a slew of campaign finance violations committed by Blystone, a Canal Winchester farmer and businessman. Blystone's ex-campaign manager, Sarah Chambers, initially raised concerns about how the candidate raised money. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office then reported problems with about 55 contributions totaling $82,204.
"There were many red flags along the way," Chambers said. "I knew that things were not being done right and I could not keep my integrity and remain with a campaign that was breaking the law."
In several instances, Blystone’s campaign didn’t properly keep track of donations from supporters, instead reporting them under the broad category of contributions of $25 or less.
The campaign also reported donations from locations and businesses rather than detailing specific individuals – which is not allowed under Ohio law.
Attorneys for the Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office and Blystone’s former campaign manager initially wanted Blystone’s violations sent to the Franklin County Prosecutor for possible criminal charges, saying that was the only fair penalty for such egregious violations.
But Blystone’s attorney Brown contended the violations were merely mistakes made by an amateur campaign. “There’s plenty of evidence of incompetence and there’s plenty of evidence of not getting it right.”
Ultimately, the Ohio Elections Commission did not refer Blystone for criminal prosecution. Chambers said she was hoping for criminal charges "because he is a criminal and he has stolen from the people of Ohio and his donors have been cheated."
Blystone's attorney disagreed. "There were lots of efforts to fix it and mitigating factors that kept it from being really a crime," Brown said.
Blystone also avoided the maximum fine, which could have included $543,765 for the misreported contributions, $10,000 for failing to file proper paperwork and $100 per day for late filings, which would total $86,300.
Blystone has been under scrutiny for his campaign donations for more than a year, but the Ohio Elections Commission case was delayed because of a lawsuit that Blystone’s campaign filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. That case was ultimately dismissed, allowing the proceedings to continue.
Still pending is a Delaware County lawsuit that Blystone filed against Chambers, the former campaign manager.
“Mr. Blystone has treated these complaints and this commission like a joke,” said Republican attorney Scott Pullins, who represented Chambers. Pullins also asked the commission to require Blystone to remove his signature black cowboy hat, but they did not.
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ex-Ohio governor candidate Joe Blystone fined $105K
