Phil Van Treuren's Lorain County, Ohio Blog: 2012 County Commissioner Election
Jim Slone, Jim Jordan: Lorain County, Ohio Congressional Race 2012
May 12, 2012
Democrat Jim Slone and Republican Congressman Jim Jordan are running for the 4th Ohio Congress District in 2012
Jim Slone (photo credit Chronicle Telegram newspaper)
The recently re-drawn 4th U.S. congressional district in Ohio will see two candidates vie for election on November 6th: incumbent congressman Jim Jordan (a Republican) and Democratic challenger Jim Slone of Elyria.
The fourth congressional district contains parts of the following cities, villages or townships in Lorain County: Grafton, Oberlin, Amherst, Sheffield and Avon. The district contains other cities along the Lake Erie shoreline from Cuyahoga County all the way to Lucas County.
James Slone is the former owner of Jim’s Coffee House in Elyria. He worked at General Motors for 35 years. (NOTE: We were unable to find a website or campaign videos for Jim Slone to include on this post, but please contact us if you know of any, and we will be happy to add them!)
Congressman Jim Jordan
Congressman James Daniel Jordan has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2007. He is a former Ohio State Representative and Ohio State Senator. His political campaign website can be found at www.jimjordanforcongress.com, where you can find more information about fundraising events, volunteering, contacts, issue stances and more data.
Although the race for the fourth district U.S. congress seat will generate a lot of interest in Lorain County, there are other races that will have a much higher profile. In addition to the race between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, Lorain County residents will also choose between Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel for the United States Senate.
Congressman Jim Jordan Video
Sherrod Brown, Josh Mandel: Lorain County, Ohio U.S. Senate Race 2012
May 11, 2012
Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown & Republican Josh Mandel Will Be On The 2012 Lorain County Ballot
UPDATE 5-14-12: Thank you to the observant reader who let me know that there is a third, Independent candidate in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race this year: Scott Rupert. You can read more about Scott Rupert and his candidacy at http://scottrupert.com/.
One of the most high-profile election races that Lorain County voters will see on the ballot in 2012 is between incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and his challenger, Republican Josh Mandel, who is currently the elected Treasurer of the State of Ohio. This race, along with the battle between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, will be getting a lot of coverage in 2012.
Senator Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown, whose residence is in Avon, has been an elected member of the United States Congress representing Ohio for almost 20 years. Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, he was the Secretary of State for Ohio. He won his first term in the United States Senate by beating Senator Mike Dewine, an incumbent Republican, in 2006. His political campaign website can be seen at www.sherrodbrown.com.
Josh Mandel, the Republican candidate who is challenging Senator Brown in this year’s senate race, was elected as Ohio State Treasurer in the 2010 election. He lives in Beachwood and is a former Ohio State Representative, and City Councilman, and United States Marine. You can view his political campaign website at www.joshmandel.com.
Information about volunteer efforts, yard signs, donations, fundraising events, and other data for Sherrod Brown and Josh Mandel can be found on their individual websites.
Treasurer Josh Mandel
Although Josh Mandel is a Republican, he actually received more votes than his Democratic opponent for State Treasurer in Lorain County back in 2010. This is an unusual occurrance for a Republican statewide candidate, because Lorain County has traditionally leaned heavily Democrat. Many observers are expecting the Brown/Mandel senate race to be close this year, and both candidates will likely be focusing heavily on voters in Lorain County.
Lorain County is has one of the largest concentrations of voters in the State of Ohio, and includes cities and townships such as Lorain, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Vermilion, Avon, Avon Lake, Amherst, Sheffield Lake, Oberlin, Wellington, Grafton, LaGrange and Columbia Station (township). The Lorain County Board of Elections is located in the City of Lorain, and can be contacted for more information about early and absentee voting, registering to vote, where to vote and polling locations, and other information.
The General Election date for Lorain County and all of Ohio is November 6, 2012.
Josh Mandel Ohio Senate Campaign Video
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Campaign Video
Map & Directions to Lorain County Board of Elections (to vote for Sherrod Brown or Josh Mandel)
In Elyria, Democrat Mayor Holly Brinda is Keeping Promise of No Tax Increases
May 11, 2012
Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda
One of the driving philosophies behind our campaign for Lorain County Commissioner is “leading by example” . . . working hard to inspire people to do the right thing by first doing it ourselves. I believe that Lorain County residents want more elected officials who lead by example, and who prove that they are willing to make tough decisions to protect taxpayer dollars.
That’s why I’m so happy to see that Holly Brinda, the Mayor of Elyria, is sticking to a campaign promise that she made to not push a tax increase on her constituents this year. Check out this great quote from Mayor Brinda in the Chronicle-Telegram newspaper:
“But it will not be a productive conversation until we have demonstrated to the residents that we have done all we can with what we have,” she said. “I want to be convinced myself that we are using all of our resources wisely.”
I say all the time that fiscal responsibility isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue . . . there are elected officials in both parties who do a good job of protecting taxpayer dollars. Mayor Brinda is one example of a Democrat who is taking these responsibilities seriously, and she deserves the thanks of people in both parties for keeping her promises.
Brinda seems to understand what it means to lead by example: she wants to first prove to the taxpayers that city government is spending their tax dollars as responsibly as possible, before asking them to back any tax increases.
Take a look at my opponent for Lorain County Commissioner, however, and you’ll see an example of the exact opposite. As I mentioned in a post yesterday, Lorain County is going to rake in more sales tax money from residents in 2012 than ever before . . . but my opponent is still pushing for even higher taxes.
Mayor Brinda rightly said that raising taxes “will not be a productive conversation until we have demonstrated to the residents that we have done all we can with what we have.” I only wish that my opponent would have the same attitude as his Democrat colleague when it comes to county government.