Reasons to support Sen. Sherrod Brown

To the editor:

Sherrod Brown again proved that he is the only candidate in this upcoming Senate race who can be trusted to fight for Ohio's middle class. Here are some reasons Sherrod Brown has my vote.

1. First and foremost, Brown led the charge to rescue Ohio's auto industry, with nearly 850,000 industry-related jobs, which is now thriving as a result, and he stood in opposition to Senate Bill 5.

2. Sherrod Brown knows the middle class is struggling and that we have to find ways to stop jobs from leaving Ohio, and that's why he led the fight against China's illegal currency manipulation, which is costing Ohio jobs. His bipartisan bill has already passed the Senate, has the support of Republican Rob Portman and would help create jobs right away.

3. Sherrod Brown has been a fierce advocate for Ohio's seniors, always standing up against attempts to weaken or end Medicare as we know it and fighting attempts to privatize Social Security.

4. Sherrod Brown has been interviewed and endorsed by many of Ohio's largest newspapers. Josh Mandel could not, or did not, answer their questions or walked out on several of the Editorial Boards' interviews.

Here's why Josh Mandel, his opponent, does not have my vote and should not have yours.

1. He opposed the auto rescue that helped to save or protect those 850,000 industry-related jobs in Ohio, many of which were in Highland and surrounding southern Ohio counties.

2. At age 35, Josh Mandel has held the position as city councilman, a state legislator and currently the state treasurer; however, he's never held any of those jobs long enough to learn them, always positioning himself for the next best thing to come along.

3. He has hired his college friends and campaign workers to positions in the treasurer's office which they were not qualified for and had to be trained at taxpayers' expense. Those jobs pay between $90,000 and $150,000 a year.

4. Just weeks after his swearing in as State Treasurer, he began traveling across the country and abroad, shirking his official duties so he could pursue the job as U.S. Senator. He broke his pledge to serve his full four-year term as treasurer, and he missed every single meeting of the billion-dollar Board of Deposit during his first year in office.

In conclusion, Sherrod Brown has a better grasp of what drives Ohio's economy, evidenced by his understanding of the ramifications of letting the auto industry go bankrupt. Auto-related jobs in Ohio have increased by 6.1 percent, or 11,100 jobs, since 2009 because of Sherrod Brown's actions, and he's led the fight against China's illegal currency manipulation, which is costing Ohio jobs.

Sherrod Brown has the experience you would expect of a U.S. Senator, whereas Josh Mandel has told so many lies during this campaign he should earn the "Pants on Fire King" award. Are we going to let outside interest groups spend close to $22 million to buy this Ohio's Senate race? I hope we send the message Ohio is not for sale! Join me and vote for Sherrod Brown Nov. 6.

Sincerely,
Sam Snyder
Sugar Tree Ridge