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The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call has taken on the unenviable task of counting federal lawmakers’ money, and two Ohio lawmakers have cracked the top 50.
Cleveland-area Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, is the 15th wealthiest member of Congress, the newspaper reports, with a net worth of $28.08 million – down from $35.9 million last year, when he was the 10th wealthiest member of Congress.
Renacci, a former Wadsworth mayor, began his career as an accountant, but has dabbled in professional sports teams, including serving as part owner and general manager of the now-defunct Columbus Destroyers, and also has real estate holdings in Canton, Alliance and Wadsworth. He’s also got a hefty stake in Harley Davidson dealerships. His minimum assets, the newspaper reports, are $29.08 million and he has a minimum of $1 million in liabilities.
Sen Rob Portman, R-Ohio, ranks 45th in wealth, the newspaper reports. That’s up from his ranking of 48th wealthiest in Congress last year. Portman has $8.6 million in net worth, with minimum assets of $8.6 million and no minimum liabilities. He is the only person on the list who is thought to be a possible contender on the 2016 national Republican ticket.
Roll Call reports that Portman’s minimum net worth increased by $1.3 million, or 18 percent, in the past year — partly because of gains in his investments and also because he has eliminated all of his reportable liabilities, which exceeded $350,000 a year earlier.
Portman reports rental income from more than $200,000 in commercial and residential properties in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. His largest investment, however, is his share in the Golden Lamb Inn, in Lebanon, the oldest continuously operating business in the state. That investment is worth between $1 million and $5 million.
The next closest to Portman and Renacci among Ohioans in wealth is Rep. David Joyce, R-Russell Township, worth $2.38 million and House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., worth $2.32 million.
The wealthiest man in Congress, for the second year in a row, is Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., worth a whopping $357.25 million. He is the current chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Local representatives Mike Turner, R-Dayton, and Jim Jordan, R-Urbana are mentioned as possible successors to Issa as chairman.
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