ODP Chairman Residency Scandal: New Evidence Emerges

Just this Wednesday, we broke the news that Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, candidate for Ohio House District 89, doesn't actually live in his district.  And it's not even close.  His actual residence is some 120 miles from HD 89, in Bexley, a suburb of Columbus.

And after some digging, the evidence just keeps piling up.

Yesterday, Third Base Politics was tipped off by a commenter that not only does Redfern not live in the 89th district, the property he maintains there is for sale.

That's right, folks.  Redfern's home at 2841 N. Bluff Ridge in Port Clinton--the one Redfern claims to be his residence--is for sale.  What's more, it wasn't even purchased by Redfern, but rather an LLC, and was only transferred (and not properly validated) to Redfern and his wife in 2010.

If Redfern planned to reside in the 89th district, why would he be selling the only property he has in the district?  And it's not a recent development--it's been on the market since July.  Tack on the fact that he bought a house in Bexley just this January, and Redfern's intent is clear: he has no desire, no commitment, to remain as a resident of the district in which he's running.

So why would he sign off, under penalty of election falsification, on his nominating petitions that he lives in the district?

 

The answer, like Rep. Wachtmann put it, is that Redfern and his Democrat colleagues have no respect for the laws of the land--even the election laws that they've ranted and raved about for the past year.

[Update (Nick)]: You can view all of the forms that Redfern turned into the Erie County Board of Elections here. Note that the address he lists is the exact address of the above home listed for sale since July.

But Ohioans know that talk is cheap.  It's your actions that speak for themselves.  And when Redfern admits, on his website and on official state documentation, that he lives outside the district; when Redfern represents Franklin County, and not Ottawa County, at the Democratic National Convention; when public records show Redfern has two houses, both purchased AFTER he left office in 2007; when Redfern's wife operates her business out of their house 120 miles from the district; and when Redfern puts up for sale his only property within the district, his actions speak loud and clear.

Redfern has never had any intent to remain a resident of the 89th House District.  And he should be held accountable.