Last week, Kory Wood represented himself to House lawmakers as the spokesperson for DefendDowntown.com. He said it was a diverse coalition of residents and business owners concerned about a new downtown fee.

During testimony for House Bill 1199, Wood read the comments of several individuals identified only by a first name and last initial, each of them appealing to state lawmakers to repeal the Mile Square economic enhancement district authorized by state law last year to address homelessness and other issues.

“I think transparency was the issue here,” Wood told lawmakers. “It was an expedited process, and clearly several residents did not have a say in passing this,” he said later.

What Wood, an Indiana-based partner at Ascent Strategic, did not mention during the hearing is that the day before, he had registered with the state as a paid lobbyist for the American Jobs and Growth Fund, a Virginia-based group that he described as “an organization that supports pro-taxpayer and pro-business policy.”

Pressed by Democratic lawmakers who support the district, Wood acknowledged the Virginia fund’s involvement. But when asked if DefendDowntown.com had received any out-of-state money, he said, “None that I’m aware.”

In fact, the American Jobs and Growth Fund, in addition to whatever amount it is paying Wood, has spent more than $11,000 on Facebook ads that linked to DefendDowntown.com and urged Indianapolis residents to oppose the district. And new lobbying disclosures show the involvement of Joel Riter, an elusive political operative with a reputation for propping up political groups to direct anonymous donations toward conservative causes in several states.

Whether this money is from out-of-state donors, or if the fund is acting as a pass-through organization for downtown residents and property owners, is unknown. Donations to the group are private.

There are no requirements for that information to become public, according to Matt Corley, chief investigator for the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. His organization has worked extensively to uncover the trail of political spending by groups run by Riter and those who work with him.

“My guess would be someone wanted to oppose this, but they didn’t want their name attached to it,” Corley said. “And Riter and his associates have a long track record of injecting anonymous funds into elections and policy issues.”

Mirror Indy’s attempts to reach Riter were unsuccessful. And Wood, who replaced former Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma as DefendDowntown.com’s spokesperson, did not respond to a list of emailed questions about the group’s members and funding.

Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, told Mirror Indy that he had a sense of who Wood worked for before the hearing, but was unaware that Wood had registered to lobby on behalf of the American Jobs and Growth Fund.

“I would have loved to, for example, have him explain why that group in Virginia cares about our downtown homelessness problem. I would have been very interested in having him try to explain that, but he chose not to do that,” DeLaney said.

Several other lawmakers contacted by Mirror Indy for this article did not respond, including two key Republicans behind House Bill 1199: Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis, and Rep. Jeffrey Thompson, R-Lizton, who chairs the committee. 

If their effort is successful, and the bill to repeal the downtown district becomes law, proponents of the district say they would not be able to sustain funding for services, such as cleaning crews, additional police patrols and homeless outreach that for the last couple of years have been bolstered by federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. And it could also endanger Indianapolis’ ability to tap into a $20 million state grant to build a low-barrier shelter in Fountain Square.

The House Ways and Means Committee is set to hear amendments and vote on the measure Wednesday, Jan. 24. If the bill passes, it would next head to the full House.

What we know about Joel Riter

It’s unclear what, if any, interest Riter has in Indianapolis.

Riter is a former aide to Josh Mandel, former Republican Ohio treasurer who in 2012 unsuccessfully campaigned to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Since then, Riter has quietly made a name for himself as a master of political action committee spending. Following Mandel’s Senate bid, Riter established several groups to promote conservative candidates in Ohio, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 

Riter is currently listed as treasurer for 14 political action committees, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. In IRS filings, Riter is or was listed as the director or chairman of four nonprofits in three states, including the American Jobs and Growth Fund.

According to the organization’s IRS filings, the American Jobs and Growth Fund received $4.78 million in 2022, the most recent year for which information is available. The nonprofit spent almost as much as it brought in, mainly on two firms that place political ads.

The full extent of Riter’s reach is likely larger. He’s not affiliated, at least on paper, with the American Jobs and Growth Political Action Committee. But that group’s former treasurer, Ohio lobbyist Tom Norris, has worked with Riter in the past.

Currently, the Federal Election Commission lists that group’s treasurer as Dustin McIntyre, who is also listed as treasurer for 43 other political action committees. All but a few of those, including the American Jobs and Growth PAC, are listed at the same address in Alexandria, Virginia.

Calls and emails to McIntyre through the contact information on the political action committee’s official filings have not been returned.

Most of the issues and candidates supported by Riter’s groups are at the state and federal level. But the network has waded into a local issue at least one other time.

Crain’s Cleveland reported in 2020 that a mysterious group had sent mailed advertisements urging residents to vote no on a resolution to raise taxes to pay for schools, claiming the measure would increase rents and close Cleveland businesses.

The people behind the effort were largely anonymous until the teacher’s union settled a lawsuit in 2021 with Cleveland’s Future Fund LLC, which had funded the ads. 

That company received $100,000 from the Government Integrity Fund, another Riter-linked group.

Mirror Indy reporter Emily Hopkins uses data to write stories about people. Contact them at 317-790-5268 or emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis.