It’s not unusual for Ohio House and Senate staffers to take a leave of absence to run campaigns. But a recent investigation has found two top Senate staffers decided to use comp time instead -- backed by questionable record-keeping. Critics on the political left say criminal investigations are in order. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
The Dayton Daily News found that Jason Mauk, chief of staff for the Ohio Senate Republicans and Communications Director John McClelland were inconsistent with their record-keeping and even revised their comp time after a public records request was made.
Sam Gresham with the progressive-leaning activist group Common Cause says this backdating is grounds for prosecution on counts of tampering with public records.
Gresham: “It could be sloppy bookkeeping but most likely they were altering public records in light of an expectation of an investigation.”
Progress Ohio has also joined the call for an investigation. Both groups say using comp time instead of taking a leave of absence from office blurs the line between politics and policymaking.
McClelland and Mauk did not respond to a request for comment.