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New reporting from Heartland Signal exposes Republican Kevin Coughlin’s lengthy history of “questionable ethical behavior” while serving as Stow Municipal Court Clerk.
After “running Lexington Companies while he was clerk,” requesting “a no-bid state contract be given to his high school friend and campaign supporter,” and “not showing up regularly for his Clerk position,” Coughlin was served an ethics complaint for “favoring close friends, violating state law and being absent from his office for an extended period of time.”
In response, Coughlin “refused to cooperate with city officials and ordered the destruction of Stow court records.”
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
“Kevin Coughlin epitomizes an unethical politician who is focused on helping out his ultra wealthy donors at the expense of Northeast Ohioans. He can’t run from his shady record and voters deserve to know the truth before they head to the ballot box.”
Heartland Signal: Ohio GOP congressional candidate has history of questionable behavior that led to ethics complaint
Richard Eberwein | September 5, 2024
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Ohio Republican congressional candidate Kevin Coughlin engaged in questionable ethical behavior that he [has] been unable to fully explain while he was working as the clerk for Stow Municipal Court in 2015.
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After serving 13 years in the Ohio state legislature, Coughlin founded the consulting firm Lexington Companies in 2010, of which he still serves as president and CEO. In 2013, Coughlin was elected the clerk of the Stow Municipal Court, where his LinkedIn profile says he operated an office of 24 employees.
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In 2015, the Summit County Democratic Party hit Coughlin with an ethics complaint for allegedly favoring close friends, violating state law and being absent from his office for an extended period of time. In 2014, Coughlin requested a no-bid state contract be given to his high school friend and campaign supporter David Stofka to redesign the courthouse’s website. According to a report from the Akron Beacon Journal, it is illegal for public officials to enter into a contract with business associates.
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In addition to being a long-time friend of Coughlin’s, Stofka designed Lexington Companies’ website and was listed as a partner of the firm. After Coughlin’s opponent Diana Colavecchio made a public records request for the contract Stofka received, Stofka’s name was removed from Lexington’s website. Coughlin and Stofka both denied removing Stofka from the “team” page, with Coughlin saying, “I really can’t tell you why that happened.” Stofka, who apparently still maintained the Lexington website at the time, claimed Coughlin was the one who initially listed him as a partner.
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In addition to Stofka’s contract, Coughlin was accused of not showing up regularly for his Clerk position. The Akron Beacon Journal found a 135-day window where Coughlin did not use his security card at the courthouse. When asked about this discrepancy, Coughlin claimed he lost his security card, even though he began using it again after the 135-day stretch. When asked why he began using the card on a regular basis, Coughlin could not explain why.
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Coughlin also admitted to running Lexington Companies while he was clerk.
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When a public records request for his office was made, Coughlin refused to cooperate with city officials and delegated the handling of future requests to his office. He also ordered the destruction of Stow court records and implied the timing was a coincidence.
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After a near ten-year hiatus from elected office, Coughlin is attempting to unseat incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D) to represent Ohio’s 13th Congressional District.
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