Johnson accused of using tax funds for mailing in 6th Congressional District race

October 23, 2014 at 12:02a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Jennifer Garrison, the Democratic challenger in the 6th Congressional District race, filed a complaint with a U.S. House committee contending incumbent Rep. Bill Johnson violated a congressional rule about “the inappropriate use of taxpayer funds for self-promotion” right before the general election.

But Johnson’s campaign says the congressman didn’t violate the rules.

A mass mailing, paid with tax dollars, isn’t permitted if it’s “postmarked less than 90 days before” an election “in which such individual is a candidate for public office,” unless the mailing is fewer than 500 pieces, according to a House rule that is enforced by the Committee on House Administration.

Garrison, of Marietta, filed a formal complaint with the committee calling for an investigation into a piece of mail from the congressional office of Johnson, a Republican from Marietta, that recently was sent. The mail was about a bill that passed in the House on May 8 to make education research more relevant, and “autonomous from political influence and bias.”

However, Mark Weaver, Johnson’s campaign spokesman, said the mailing was legal as it was sent to fewer than 500 people.

“Bill Johnson thinks it’s important to communicate with his constituents and does it year in and year out, and he always follows the rules,” Weaver said.

Johnson’s office also sent mail to constituents that arrived in mid-August — one criticized Obamacare and touted his “Seniors’ Fairness Act,” and the other was about him “protecting gun ownership for law-abiding Americans” and receiving an A rating from the National Rifle Association — during that 90-day period.

“Both of these are mass-mail pieces that were approved by the bipartisan House Franking Commission and were dropped by the blackout deadline,” Weaver said. “We don’t control when each local postal office delivers them or when each person gets these in their mailboxes. Garrison reached out to House administration several weeks ago complaining about this and got nowhere.”