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Where in the world was Chuck Blasdel?

COLUMBUS – Where in the world was Chuck Blasdel on Tuesday?

While both the Ohio House and Senate debated and tried to protect Ohioans from unregulated construction and debris landfills, Chuck Blasdel was absent from the House this week amid yet another pay-to-play scandal in what continues to be a culture of corruption in Ohio politics.  

Officially the Ohio House of Representative’s gave Blasdel an absence from voting, however, common discussion in the Ohio House is that Blasdel was on vacation on the day of the vote.

That is convenient because some of the landfills that were grandfathered into the bill remain unregulated from site requirements protecting Ohio homeowners. That includes a controversial landfill owned by Total Waste Logistics with distinct ties to Chuck Blasdel.  

What raises eyebrows is the fact that Total Waste Logistics President Guy Fragle gave $1,000 to Blasdel’s campaign for Congress on September 19, 2005, shortly after Blasdel entered the race for the vacant seat of Rep. Ted Strickland who is running for Ohio Governor. [Source: Ohio Federal Elections Commission]

Additionally, Fragle has given donations to other Ohio Statehouse Republican leaders including Former Speaker Larry Householder, Speaker John Husted, St. Rep. Ron Young, St. Rep. Jim Trakas (Republican candidate for Secretary of State), and Gov. Bob Taft. [Source: Ohio Secretary of State]  

“While Chuck Blasdel ducked the vote and allowed the insertion of a provision leaving an unregulated landfill in his district, State Senator Charlie Wilson was fighting to strip the provision exempting Total Waste Logistics exemption,” said State Sen. Marc Dann, a leader in the fight against out-of-state waste. “Where in the world was Chuck Blasdel. His absence smacks of helping a campaign contributor through pay-to-play while ducking a vote that is important to the people he wants to represent in Congress.”

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