Here’s story of state plane and bailout vote

“I think the speaker is arranging for the state plane to fly to Chicago to pick up the 3 Reps. who are here. However, I’d rather not spread that around.”

Rep. Bob Cupp, R-lima, didn’t want it broadcast that he might be winging back to Columbus aboard a state plane dispatched at taxpayers’ expense to Chicago only hours before a critical vote on House Bill 6.

The flight, designed to ensure enough “yes” votes were on hand for Tuesday’s House session in which a $1 billion nuclear plant bailout for Firstenergy Solutions was narrowly approved, ultimately was canceled 10 hours later.

The measure was passed with only one vote over a majority.

Records obtained by The Dispatch show the State Highway Patrol flight was in place less than an hour after Cupp sent the email to his legislative aide.

Shortly before noon Monday, Staff Lt. Justin Cromer, patrol aviation unit commander, informed House Chief of Staff Jonathan Mcgee of the schedule for the Tuesday morning flight to Chicago and back.

Patrol Lt. Col. Marla

Gaskill then told Public Safety Director Thomas Stickrath that “final arrangements for the flight tomorrow are in place.”

At 2:25 p.m., Stickrath emailed Laurel Dawson, Gov. Mike Dewine’s chief of staff, with the cost for the flight — $1,722 for the salaries of the pilot and co-pilot — including 5.5 hours of overtime pay for each — and $3,906 for the cost of the eight-hour round trip, for a total of $5,677. The first-year Republican governor supported and signed House Bill 6.

Curiously, Dawson emailed Mcgee at 3:53 p.m. to tell him to contact the commander of the patrol’s aviation unit to arrange the “official business”

flight — which already was arranged. The email was confirmation of an earlier call between Mcgee and Dawson, a Dewine spokeswoman said.

The Dispatch posted an online story about the flight shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, with the House not responding to a request for comment until nearly 11:30 p.m.

“We considered using the state plane and researched the cost of the state plane versus flying commercial or driving. The members decided to fly commercial or drive back for session on Tuesday,” wrote a spokeswoman for House Speaker Larry Householder, R-glenford.

The patrol later reported

the flight was canceled at 8:47 p.m. Monday, although no records concerning its cancellation were received in response to a Dispatch request.

In addition to Cupp, two other Republicans, House Speaker Pro Tem Jim Butler of Oakwood and Tom Brinkman of Cincinnati, were attending the Council of State Governments conference in Chicago. All voted in favor of House Bill 6 on Tuesday.

Rep. David Greenspan, R-westlake, also was attending the conference, but said his previously booked commercial flight returned him to Cleveland on Monday night. He voted “no” on the legislation.

An Ohio Department of

Transportation twin-engine turbo plane originally was scheduled to make trips to Chicago, but was canceled, officials said Monday. The only record received from the agency shows the plane had been scheduled to make two round-trip, backto-back flights between Columbus and Chicago on Monday afternoon and evening. Dawson also had approved those flights, a Dewine spokeswoman said. Officials did not respond when asked why two flights had been scheduled.

Neither patrol nor ODOT records listed the names of any would-be passengers on the scuttled flights.