Today, David Pepper, Democratic Candidate for Ohio Attorney General, announced his concrete plan to end the cycle of pay-to-play in how the Attorney General’s office awards certain special counsel and other contracts.

“The Attorney General, as the top law officer of the state, must himself display the highest level of public integrity in order to have the credibility to take on corruption and pay-to-play wherever they occur,” said Pepper.  “By adding transparency, merit-based standards and best practices from around the country, we can restore trust that the Attorney General is not breaking the very laws and rules he is tasked to enforce.”

The Dayton Daily News revealed that since 2010, firms and companies doing business or seeking to do business with the Attorney General have contributed $1.3 million to Mike DeWine’s campaign, his son’s campaign, and the Ohio Republican Party.

Many contributions were made at the same time as bids were being submitted or while bids were being considered—sometimes on the same day. Much of the money was used to pay back a $2 million personal loan DeWine made to his 2010 campaign. And DeWine has already had to return $16,000 in illegal contributions revealed by the Dayton Daily News.

“By taking these steps, we will root out any opportunity for pay-to-play, ensure high quality advocacy for Ohio’s pensioners and other clients, and restore Ohioans’ confidence that the Attorney General works for them, not for big donors.”