Below are two letters written by me in support of Lew Katz for Congress. The first is a letter to Lyin' Steve LaTourette's campaign manager for not bothering to return our phone calls when we invited LaTourette to Hiram College.
The second letter is my response to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's ridiculous endorsement of Lyin' Steve LaTourette.
The best part of this first letter was that I got to write it with my Republican friend Jack. For six years we've been arguing two or three times a week about politics. In August we decided to work together to bring both congressional candidates to Hiram College so the students and faculty could speak with them about the issues. Lew Katz has been to Hiram half a dozen times in the last six months, but LaTourette has been absent. My friend Jack is PISSED and is even considering not voting for LaTourette because of his campaign manager's behavior.
October 23, 2006
Mr. Dino DiSanto, Campaign Manager
LaTourette for Congress
P.O. Box 516
Painesville, OH 44077
Dear Mr. DiSanto,
We'd like to express our extreme displeasure at being ignored by you and your staff.
As you know, in early August we called you to invite Rep. LaTourette to Hiram College for a debate between him and his opponent, Lewis Katz. We received a phone call saying we needed to put our request in writing, which we did and sent to you in early September.
After we sent our letter, we attempted to follow up with you at least a dozen times by phoning the campaign office phone number listed on the web site. We found it very difficult to get a hold of someone. On one occasion in mid-September you spoke with Mr. Frato-Sweeney and told him that while the Congressman was in Washington, you did not want to schedule anything, and that you would contact us in early October. You spoke with Mr. Groselle in early October and said that while a debate was not feasible, you would get back to him with a couple of dates for an information session at Hiram.
We have not heard from you since then, and again we've made numerous attempts to contact you.
We realize that campaign season is very busy, but frankly we are appalled that you did not take the time to return our phone calls. If you never intended to have the Congressman to come to Hiram, then why didn't you just tell us that in August? And if you did want him to come, why did you not return our calls?
The voters of Northeast Ohio - and especially Northern Portage County - deserve better, Mr. DiSanto. Frankly, Republicans and Democrats are feeling like we have no representation at all.
Sincerely,
Jack Groselle
Hiram College Head Swimming and Diving Coach
Republican precinct chair, Hiram Township A
Hiram Township Trustee
Ed Frato-Sweeney
Hiram College Coordinator of Citizenship Education
Democratic precinct chair, Hiram Village
cc: Representative Steven LaTourette, Lewis Katz
And what can you say about the Cleveland Plain Dealer? The "protect the incumbent" racket continues. I thought there might be hope when they endorsed Ted Strickland for Governor, and their politcal blog has been critical of LaTourette recently. Sadly, though, they made the wrong choice in the 14th Congressional District endorsement.
October 23, 2006
Dear Editors,
I was shocked to read your endorsement in the 14th Congressional District. Steve LaTourette has been serving this district since 1994, and while he did help save the defense jobs in Cleveland, you failed to mention a few other "highlights" in his career. Did you forget he promised the voters he wouldn't vote for CAFTA before he turned around and cast the deciding vote for it (after receiving bad information from the Bush administration)? Did you forget he originally voted against the awful budget bill last November before getting his arm twisted by Tom Delay to vote for it? Did you remember he promised to only run four terms and is now running for his seventh? Didn't you read in your own newspaper that LaTourette called the execution of the Iraq war "horrible" and that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld "has been a disaster"? And what about his connections with Jack Abramoff?
Congress is a mess right now. If you want to change Congress, first you have to change your Congressman. I encourage everyone to vote for Lew Katz on November 7th. And next time the Plain Dealer writes an endorsement, you should make sure to consider all the facts.
Ed Frato-Sweeney
Hiram, OH