Pickaway Democrats Take Pumpkin Show Parade Fight to the Attorney General

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CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – The Pickaway County Democratic Party has shared with Heritage Headlines the complaint it filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section over this year’s Circleville Pumpkin Show parade, and the party chair answered our questions about it Thursday night. The complaint is a filing with the Attorney General’s office. It is not a lawsuit in any court, and our own check of the Pickaway County Common Pleas civil index found no suit filed by the party or against the show.

Party chair Carolyn Loxley of Orient is the named complainant. The Attorney General’s record, incident number 114700, is dated October 27, and Loxley told us she filed it on Wednesday, October 28. The complaint names Pumpkin Show President Marc Rogols, who also serves as Pickaway County Administrator.

The complaint as filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section, incident No. 114700. The complainant’s home address, phone number, and email address have been blacked out.

The complaint centers on the Friday night parade, held October 23. It says the show’s own written rules require parade entries to be received no later than noon on the Wednesday before the show, which this year was October 14. The rules it quotes say candidates for office may ride in the Friday night parade only, must line up after 7 p.m., must stay in or on their vehicle, and may not walk. It also quotes the rule that political and partisan participation is not permitted in the Friday night parade beyond what the candidate rules allow.

The Pumpkin Show’s parade rules as quoted verbatim in the complaint’s supplement, which says they come from page 24 of the show’s regulations, followed by the filing’s statement that Ramaswamy did not file a valid entry form. Highlighting was added by Heritage Headlines.

The complaint says Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor, never filed a valid entry form by the deadline, yet he and other Republican candidates were placed at the front of the parade, directly behind Circleville Mayor Blanton and ahead of everyone else. A supplement attached to the complaint, submitted by Dr. Brad Cotton on behalf of the county party and the Don Leonard campaign, names Brian Stewart, John Husted, Keith Faber and Frank LaRose as riding or walking with that group. The complaint also objects to Republican candidates gathering at the show’s opening ceremonies, saying it made the opening look sponsored by the party, and to a Republican fundraiser held just outside the show grounds at 5 p.m. that Friday.

The supplement says candidates who did file on time were placed in what Cotton was told was the “Politician” section at the very end of the parade. It names Cotton himself, who is running for coroner, State Senate candidates Michele Reynolds and Stacie Baker, and U.S. Representative Mike Carey. Reynolds and Carey are Republicans. Baker is a Democrat.

The supplement also says a parade attendee, Jenna Parker Acklin, reports that Parade Chairman Chuck Wellman told her “the powers that be” decided to allow the exceptions because the governor’s race between Ramaswamy and Dr. Amy Acton “is so close.”

Don Leonard is the Democratic candidate for Congress in Ohio’s 15th District. (Pickaway County was moved out of the 2nd District in the most recent redistricting, a correction Loxley made to our question.) The complaint says Leonard’s campaign filed after the deadline and was turned down, and that when the campaign asked again after learning the Republican group had been let in late, it was turned down again. The supplement says campaign event manager Kyra Paul was told the campaign had filed 36 hours past the deadline, and that the campaign was never told late entry had become available. Loxley told us the exchanges were by phone and nothing was put in writing.

The Pumpkin Show is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the complaint argues that a charity may not show even the appearance of favoring one candidate or party over another. The supplement asks for an IRS investigation of the show’s tax-exempt status. Loxley told us the party’s request is simpler: that the show’s written rules be applied as written, equally to everyone, or revised. “The fundamental issue here is compliance with their own written rules,” she wrote. “Changing those rules with short or no notice is a concern.” She also asked how the late-entry openings were communicated to candidates, if they existed. “How were these opportunities communicated to anyone?”

One point in the party’s own filing appeared to cut the other way. Loxley emphasized to us that “there is no law suit” and “no intention to file a law suit,” calling reports of a suit a misrepresentation. A supplement attached to the complaint says the party “shall file a lawsuit for monetary damages, especially on behalf of the Don Leonard campaign.” Asked about the difference Friday morning, Loxley said the complaint itself is the official submission, and the supplement is a supporting document, firsthand statements gathered by one member as background for the Attorney General’s investigation. “That document is not the official submission,” she wrote. “It was written by an individual who does not speak for the party or for the Don Leonard campaign.”

From the supplement to the complaint, submitted by Dr. Brad Cotton on behalf of the county party and the Don Leonard campaign. Party chair Carolyn Loxley told Heritage Headlines the supplement is a supporting document, not the official submission, and does not speak for the party. Highlighting was added by Heritage Headlines.

Show officials have pushed back on the favoritism claim. Rogols told ABC6 the show works to accommodate every candidate, that late requests were granted and spots were reserved for late registrants, and that the show never received calls from the Acton or Brown campaigns. Show attorney Mark Weaver told ABC6 the organizers are volunteers, that late applicants from either party were allowed, and that the show has no control over private events on private property.

We asked the Circleville Pumpkin Show office for comment on October 29 and sent the same core questions directly to Rogols on October 30, with a reply deadline of 5 p.m. Monday, including when the Ramaswamy entry actually came in, how many late entries were accepted from each party, who set the parade order, and whether the show will release its parade application records. Neither the show office nor Rogols responded. If they do, we will update this story.

Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com.

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