Democrats touring Ohio by bus

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U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown says crowds at the Democratic events have been growing.

By JEFF ORTEGA

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ted Strickland and other Democratic candidates reached into the heart of rural Ohio Friday, stumping for votes and vowing to bring change if elected.

"There is a hunger and a thirst in Ohio for change," Strickland told dozens gathered at a rally in this rural Knox County city an hour north of Columbus. "We are offering change," the congressman from Lisbon said.

Strickland vowed to work to improve Ohioans' access to health care and to work to help make college more affordable for people.

Strickland, who faces Republican nominee J. Kenneth Blackwell in November, was joined by other Democratic statewide candidates on the first leg of a three-day bus tour of Ohio. Democrats stopped in Mount Gilead and Upper Sandusky later in the day.

"We will bring you government you can be proud of again in Ohio," said state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Dann faces Republican Betty Montgomery, currently the state auditor, in November. At the Mount Vernon rally, Strickland supporters, such as Duane Johnson, lined the streets to the public square, waved Strickland placards and chanted " Let's Go Ted!"

"I've been around a long time," Johnson, a 54-year-old Mount Vernon resident, said. " I've seen too much corruption. It's time for a change."

Several Blackwell supporters, such as Marilyn Ward of Knox County, also lined the streets and supported their candidate.

"He's really pro-life," Ward said of Blackwell. Ward said Blackwell, currently Ohio's secretary of state, also has opposed tax increases.

Controversies

Republicans around Capitol Square have been mired in controversies in recent years. GOP Gov. Bob Taft, who's prevented from running again because of term limits, gained notoriety as the first sitting Ohio governor charged and convicted of a crime. Taft pleaded no contest in August 2005 to misdemeanor ethics violations for not reporting free rounds of golf and other gifts. Taft was convicted and fined $4,000 in connection with the case.

Also, controversies surrounding a $50 million investment by the Bureau of Workers' Compensation, the state's insurance fund for injured workers, continue to send shock waves through state government.

Speaking on behalf of the Blackwell campaign, state Rep. Steve Reinhard, a Bucyrus Republican, said the GOP has worked to lower taxes in Ohio. Reinhard cited a 21 percent state income tax cut passed as part of the two-year, $51.2 billion state budget that runs through June.

Reinhard characterized Strickland's voting record in Congress as liberal. " He's all about big government and more spending," Reinhard said.

U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown of Lorain, D-13th, who's challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine this November, said the crowds at the Democratic events have been growing. " The crowds are bigger. They just know that this is the chance for us to change the state," Brown said.

Today's stops on the bus tour include Cincinnati, Dayton, Middletown and Lebanon. Sunday's bus trip includes stops in Columbus, Marion, Crestline, Norwalk and Elyria.

Saturday, August 19, 2006