Ohio Dem wants public disclosure of how much state spent to protect DeWine at Super Bowl

A Democrat in the Ohio House wants to shed more light on how much money the state spent protecting Gov. Mike DeWine while he attended Super Bowl 56 with 19 family members.

State Rep. Eliot Forhan, D-South Euclid, plans to introduce a bill to force disclosure of records showing how much it cost to send Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to the event with DeWine.

Earlier story: Security costs to escort Mike DeWine to Super Bowl aren't public records, court says

“Most Ohioans don’t get to ever go to a Super Bowl, let alone in a 20-person entourage,” said Forhan in a written statement. “I don’t think it’s fair that they have to foot a hefty part of the bill for the governor to do that but aren’t allowed to know how much it cost them. Ohioans deserve transparency regarding how the governor spends their tax dollars. My bill, the Super Bowl Entourage Expense Act, will provide it.”

Opinion: Another loss for Ohio: Supreme Court rules DeWine's Super Bowl visit cost can stay secret

But Forhan's bill is likely to go nowhere.

Here is why:

• the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the records are not subject to disclosure under the state's open records law;

• DeWine isn't likely to sign such a bill into law;

• Forhan is a Democrat, which is the minority party in the Ohio General Assembly;

• Forhan is being investigated by the Ohio Attorney General over allegations of a "continued pattern of harassment, hostility and intimidation."

DeWine and his wife Fran paid their own expenses for the February 2022 trip to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. But the Ohio Department of Public Safety denied a Feb. 14, 2022, public records request for the flight, hotel, meal, vehicle rental and overtime expenses for troopers who made the trip. The department said the information could be used to attack or sabotage the governor or his detail at future outings.

The Cincinnati Enquirer sued to force disclosure of the records.

In a 4-3 decision, the court said the requested records could be withheld because they fell under the security records exemption in the law. Four Republicans signed onto the majority opinion. Three Democrats signed onto the dissent, written by Justice Michael Donnelly.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Democrat wants disclosure of cost to protect Mike DeWine