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Ryan spent campaign money on hotel stays in California, airline flights
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s finance report shows he traveled to four locations in California, to Miami and stayed at a Hyatt in Washington, D.C., using $4,920 in campaign funds to pay for hotels there during the first three months of the year.
The report, filed Wednesday, provides information on what Ryan, D-13th, of Howland, raised and spent during the year’s first quarter.
Overall, he took in $88,805 and spent $116,542 during the first three months of the year. Because of money he carried over from 2014, Ryan had $358,385 in his campaign fund as of March 31.
His hotel bill at the Hilton Bentley in Miami cost his campaign $919. The Hyatt Washington Park bill was $540.
Ryan’s hotel bills in California were at locations in Napa, San Francisco, West Hollywood and Venice.
The seven-term congressman’s report showed he received campaign contributions from donors at each of the locations he visited.
Ryan is apparently a fan of Uber, a mobile app that provides taxi service, as he used it a dozen times during the year’s first three months.
He also spent $3,000 in campaign funds to pay Fab Limousines of Austintown for transportation as well as rent a car twice, and reimbursed himself $189 for mileage.
Ryan flew about a dozen times during the year’s first quarter.
Perhaps the Air Line Pilots Association Political Action Committee and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association PAC were appreciative. The Washington, D.C.-based PACs gave $2,500 and $1,000, respectively, to Ryan’s campaign.
Other PAC money came from General Electric, Employees of Northrop Grumman, Duke Energy Corp., United Mine Workers of America, CSX Corp. Good Government Fund, and General Dynamics Corp.
Among Ryan’s biggest expenses in the first three months of the year were $9,982 to Fraioli & Associates of Washington, D.C., his longtime fundraising consultant, and $10,180 to Matthew Kaplan, a campaign staff member.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, spent $2,641 on hotels during the year’s first quarter.
Johnson’s report shows his campaign paid $419 to the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Fla.
He also billed his campaign for stays at Westin hotels in National Harbor, Md.; Washington, D.C.; and Columbus, and at the Salt Fork State Park and Conference Center in Lore City, Guernsey County, which is part of Johnson’s congressional district.
Johnson flew four times, rented a car once, took Amtrak once, and spent $1,962 in campaign money for Worldwide Transportation. Worldwide bills itself on its website as “providing the highest level of corporate sedan, executive limousine, van and coach services in more than 500 destinations worldwide.”
Unlike Ryan, Johnson raised more money in the year’s first quarter than he spent. The Republican raised $223,419 and spent $58,575. With money leftover from last year, Johnson had $500,807 in his campaign fund as of March 31.
Despite having plenty of money in his account, Johnson loaned it $6,000 on March 28.
Johnson received money from various PACs including Allied Pilots Association, Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, CSX, American Medical Association, Duke Energy, GE, Employees of Northrop Grumman, Ford Motor Co., and Ohio Coal.
His biggest expense was $15,000 to 814 Consulting LLC of Alexandria, Va., for a “fundraiser retainer.”