This afternoon, the Associated Press reported that a majority of Josh Mandel’s “Ohio Strong” awards have gone to employees at companies that donated to Mandel and other Republican campaigns.  Specifically, the Associated Press found:

• “Executives of 10 out of 17 manufacturing companies whose workers have won a new award established by Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel have donated to Republican candidates.”
• “Campaign finance filings show Mandel’s re-election campaign received donations from executives at three of the firms within weeks of their skilled-trades employees being recognized. One executive who had not given before said his contribution was solicited by a political fundraiser.”
• “Larry Lewark, CEO of Lewark Metal, and Leo Hawk, chairman emeritus of American Trim, were two of three executives of winning companies who gave to Mandel after their workers were honored. Lewark gave $250 and Hawk gave $1,000, both in mid-April.  Hawk and wife Arlene have given more than $600,000 to GOP candidates and causes over the years, including a combined $26,000 to Mandel’s campaigns.”
• “The third executive to donate after Mandel’s awards visit, Rose Metal Industries president Bob Rose, said he received a call from a fundraiser soliciting donations for Mandel’s treasurer campaign about three weeks after the treasurer bestowed the award on four of his employees.”  [Source: Associated Press (5/29/2014), “Most manufacturing firms where workers earned treasurer’s new ‘Ohio Strong’ award give to GOP.”]

In response to Mandel’s election-year inspired gimmick, Ohio Democratic Deputy Communications Director Brian Hester released the following statement:

“Josh Mandel announced a new award from his office just in time for another political campaign designed for nothing more than getting publicity for his business donors and getting more campaign donations.  Mandel continues to find new ways to abuse his office to benefit his campaign.”

BACKGROUND

Ohio election law expert said Mandel’s town halls “blurs the line between politics and governing.”  In response to the Attorney General Opinion authorizing Mandel to hold taxpayer-funded town halls, Ohio State University law professor Dan Tokaji said “It does raise the concern that people are going to be holding campaign events masquerading as informational meetings. I think we all know that almost everything any public officeholder does who’s running for re-election is intended to advance his re-election effort.” [Source: Associated Press (2/20/2014), “Ohio treasurer receives OK to host town halls.”]

Mandel told local residents that working to save 1,000 manufacturing jobs at Ormet “that his office has nothing to do with that.”  As Monroe County faced the prospect of losing 1,000 aluminum manufacturing jobs from the closure of Ormet, Josh Mandel was asked at a community forum what the State could do to fight to prevent those jobs from being lost.  Mandel reportedly replied that “his office has nothing to do with that.”  [Source: WTRF ABC-7 (10/23/13)]

Mandel opposed federal involvement in rescuing the U.S. automobile industry.  In its endorsement of Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate, the Lima News wrote that: “Mandel continues to maintain the bailout was a mistake. There are no “what if’s” here. Voters can see the results: auto-related jobs in Ohio have increased by 6.1 percent, or 11,100 jobs, since the start of the bailout initiative in 2009. The Buckeye state, which has the second-highest total automotive industry employment after Michigan, stood to lose around 200,000 auto-related jobs under a worst-case bankruptcy scenario for General Motors and Chrysler.  [Source: Lima News (10/20/2012), “Editorial: Sherrod Brown our pick for U.S. Senate”]

Mandel even dismissed reports of the jobs saved by the auto rescue.  The Lima News reported that: “At the forum, Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Technicians Local 776 President Mike Knisley asked Mandel why he opposes the auto loans. Knisley spoke about 850,000 jobs in Ohio being tied to the auto industry… That 850,000 jobs number has been tossed back and forth a great deal. Mandel places no stock in it. ’You know that number’s ridiculous. That number comes from a made up organization in Michigan that says if there’s a lady working in a diner five miles from a – ‘ Mandel said to Knisley, not finishing his sentence.

The number came from the Center for Automotive Research, a highly-regarded in-dependent industry research group in Ann Arbor, Mich.” [Source:  Lima News (10/6/2012), “Sherrod Brown vs. Josh Mandel”]