Capital News: Widowfield's abrupt departure leaves questions

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by Marc Kovac, Capital Bureau Chief

A state official resigned late last month, and it wasn't Marc Dann.

In fairness to the latter, at least our former attorney general acknowledged wrongdoing, and all of the gritty details have or will be aired in public, via the expected report of Inspector General Tom Charles.

No, last week's resignation came from Rep. John Widowfield, a Republican who, until 1 p.m. May 28, represented part of the Akron area.

He submitted his departure letter to Speaker Jon Husted, a fellow Republican from the Dayton area, noting, "It has been an honor and privilege to serve the 42nd Ohio House District and to serve under your leadership."

That's it. Two sentences and he's gone.

Asked by members of the Statehouse press corps about the reasons, Husted said he knew the representative planned to leave his seat in coming weeks because of a job situation.

Pressed about alleged profiting from the sale of campaign-backed Ohio State University football tickets (one of the perks of Statehouse life is getting first dibs on season passes), Husted offered no comment.

Lawmakers generally don't leave the chambers without acknowledgment unless they or their kids have been flashing pictures of naked women in school classrooms. They wait around long enough for their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up and talk about how great they are and how pleasurable it's been to work alongside them.

That didn't happen with Widowfield. He was a representative in the morning, then long gone by the afternoon, with nary an acknowledgment, other than the standard journal entry from the Speaker.

Widowfield's non-curtain call raises a lot of questions, none of which are being answered (yet). There very likely will be more on the record in days and weeks to come.

In the meantime, there's been nothing forthcoming from the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which monitors lawmakers to ensure they're complying with the state's ethics laws.

The lawmaker panel investigates violations and can impose civil penalties or refer matters for criminal prosecution (you can find out more on its Web site, online at www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us).

JLEC serves a similar role as the state Inspector General, only the former doesn't have to publicly report its findings.

Last week, reporters had to rely on off-the-record sources to determine whether Widowfield had done anything improper.

Contrast that with the inspector general, where any member of the public can access the full details of investigations, whether their subjects were found guilty of wrongdoing or not.

Want to find out about that Ohio Department of Transportation deputy director who allegedly sent his pothole-induced bent tire rim to the road contractor he viewed as responsible?

Or the Bureau of Workers Compensation guy who was using his state computer to promote auditions for a "A Raisin in the Sun" and other theatricals?

You can read all the details on the inspector general's Web site (online at watchdog.ohio.gov).

Want to rub more salt into former Attorney General Dann's wounds? Wait until the inspector general compiles his findings.

Want to know whether Widowfield really sold OSU football tickets bought with campaign funds for a profit, as alleged?

You'll have to wait until some other agency delves into the situation, because JLEC isn't talking.

Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.