EAR EDITOR:

Ohio auto dealers move Ohio forward. With more than 750 dealerships across the state, they employ over 55,000 people who help customers every day in sales, service, parts and collision centers to meet their transportation needs. Ohio auto dealers invest significantly in their stores, their communities and their employees. Many are multi-generational family businesses. They host toy drives, sponsor sports teams, help build community centers and otherwise support virtually every charitable or civic entity who knocks on their door.

That’s why I was extremely dismayed when I saw a TV attack ad aired by the reelection campaign of Sen. Sherrod Brown against challenger Bernie Moreno, which took a stereotypical swipe at car dealers as somehow inherently dishonest and untrustworthy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The auto sales and service industry is vital and vibrant in Ohio, and it’s filled with professionals committed to their communities. We all know someone who has been positively impacted by Ohio’s auto industry.

Politics can get heated and personal. On behalf of Ohio’s hardworking auto dealers, I hope that future political debate focuses on issues of substance and policy rather than taking undeserved shots at an entire profession.

ZACH DORAN

President, Ohio Automobile Dealers Association

Dublin, Ohio