WASHINGTON -- You've seen U.S. Sherrod Brown criticized in TV ads over economic and energy policy. Now Brown is hitting back, starting tonight with a tough, 30-second commercial that accuses his opponent, Josh Mandel, of hiring inexperienced, "unqualified" buddies and giving them big raises in the Ohio treasurer's office.
The commercial shows pictures of six Mandel aides and focuses on three in particular: Mandel's former campaign manager, earning $100,00; his former college friend, earning $150,00, and his former 26-year-old campaign aide, earning $90,000.
"Mandel made him Ohio's director of debt management," the announcer says of the latter aide, "even though he had no finance experience."
"Josh Mandel," the announcer says. "He's just a politician we can't trust."
Each of these claims is based on reporting by the Dayton Daily News. The newspaper reported on March 31 that Mandel, a Republican elected as state treasurer in 2010, hired young, relatively inexperienced staffers from his campaign "and gave them high-ranking jobs in the state treasurer's office."
Mandel's hiring practice stood out, though not because he was different from other newly elected officeholders who hire people they know. Rather, the newspaper reported, Mandel had made a fuss over his predecessor, Democrat Kevin Boyce, doing the same thing.
Mandel defended his hiring and promotion practices, telling the Dayton newspaper that he has qualified professionals "who we are proud to stack up against past administration in Ohio and any treasurer administration throughout the entire country.”
The aides that Brown's commercial refers to are:
• Joe Aquilino, who was Mandel's 26-year-old political director in the treasurer's race and subsequently became director of debt management, earning $90,000 a year.
• Seth Metcalf, Mandel's general counsel. He has a law degree from Cornell and spent eight years as a public finance and municipal bond attorney. Mandel was criticized because Metcalf was a college friend and managed Mandel's campaign to become student government president at Ohio State University in 1999. Mandel hired him at $125,00 a year, raising it to $150,000 when Metcalf became chief financial officer as well.
• Michael Lord, Mandel's campaign manager who had previously been an aide earning $13.95 an hour when Mandel was a state legislator. Lord, who also served as a paid political consultant, has a $100,000 salary under Mandel in the treasurer's office.
The Brown-sponsored ad will run in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Dayton, at a cost of about $150,000, Politico reported. It stands in stark contrast to Mandel's own ad, released April 18, that was biographical and inspirational, using images of Marines and boots -- and of Mandel, an Iraq war veteran, lacing up his boots.
"Marine veteran Josh Mandel knows America's strength begins with the middle class," the announcer in Mandel's ad said. "Grandson of a soldier and a blue-collar laborer, Josh Mandel served two tours in Iraq, and came home to protect our tax dollars."
The Mandel ad concluded with the announcer saying that "Washington is broken and needs new leaders. And this Marine is ready to answer the call."
Separately, outside groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the 60-Plus Association and Crossroads GPS have spent $5 million in Ohio to run commercials critical of Brown. There are more than six more months to go until the election.