OH Teamster takes OH congressman to task

Betty Sutton

Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton, who opposes job-killing trade deals, is fighting to keep her seat. Ohio lost population and so Sutton's district was combined with Republican Rep. Jim Renacci's in the recent redistricting. Now they're competing for the same seat.

Brother Fred Crow from Local 436 in Valley View, Ohio, has Sutton's back. Renacci recently attacked Sutton for receiving money from Rep. Charles Rangel six years ago. 

Brother Crow fired off a letter to the Cleveland Plain Dealer pointing out that Renacci received $80,000 from a company under federal investigation. His letter was published last week.

Here's the letter,

So 10 months after it was first reported, Josh Mandel returns $105,000 in Justice Department-investigated campaign contributions from employees of a firm owned by Republican donor Benjamin Suarez (Plain Dealer, May 24). Rep. Jim Renacci's campaign, which received close to the same amount from employees of the same company, seemingly has chosen to hang on to the donations (just in case they're OK?) and has decided to go on the offensive, attacking Rep. Betty Sutton's campaign for receiving $7,000 in 2006 from Rep. Charles Rangel and his political action committee. 

Fred Crow, Jr.

Rangel was reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee for taking trips to the Caribbean that were improperly funded by corporations. Well, not only did Sutton donate the money to charity, she called on fellow Democrat Rangel to resign from Congress. 

I find it odd that one of the richest members of Congress -- who himself paid nearly $1.4 million in penalties and back taxes for misreporting his income -- would steadfastly hang on to more than $80,000 of federally investigated campaign donations. 

Fred Crow Jr., Parma Heights

Campaign season is coming up, brothers and sisters. Let's all look for opportunities to write letters to the editor in support of the elected officials who support us.