State Rep. Josh Mandel Announces Bid for State Treasurer in 2010

Republican State Representative Josh Mandel, a former endorsee of Buckeye Firearms Association, has announced his candidacy for State Treasurer not through the traditional press release or press conference, but via a video posted on his website, www.JoshMandel.com.

Mandel, who served two tours of duty in Iraq as an intelligence specialist with the United States Marine Corps, is currently in his second term as a state representative. He says the Internet announcement is symbolic of the technological advances he hopes to harness in the state treasurer's office.

"Should I be elected state treasurer, I plan to maximize peoples hard-earned dollars to utilize technology to save costs in the treasurer's office as well as communicate with my constituents directly," he said.

In an email directing supporters to the video link, Mandel said "I decided to run for Treasurer after spending many months on the road, traveling to all corners of Ohio and accumulating over 30,000 miles on my car. Time and time again, I heard the same message from folks throughout the state: they are frustrated that while our economy is hurting and families are tightening their belts, our government continues to over-spend.

"I believe that, to change the direction of our state, we need new leaders who believe in good old-fashioned values like honesty, hard work and fiscal responsibility. I learned these timeless values from my family and they were reinforced in me by the Marine Corps. I have carried them with me throughout my life, and I will work day and night to honor them in my service to you as State Treasurer.

"My most important duty as Treasurer will be to protect the hard-earned dollars of every Ohioan. I have a proven record of standing up for Ohio's taxpayers, including spearheading one of the only municipal tax rollbacks in the State's history as a City Councilman. As State Representative, I helped reform the investment oversight structure for the scandal-ridden Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

"I began my previous campaigns for office by campaigning door-to-door in lake-effect snow storms and by promising my supporters that I will never be outworked. My strategy for this race is no different – I promise to run a high-energy grassroots campaign, utilizing technology and engaging the young and the old alike."

Click here to view the announcement video.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's coverage of the announcement, no other Republican has announced their candidacy for the job.

Should Mandel win the nomination, he will vie against another new face in statewide politics: Democrat Kevin Boyce, a former Columbus city councilman, and the current state treasurer appointed in January by Gov. Ted Strickland.

While Mandel's support for Second Amendment rights is impeccable, Boyce established a record of opposition to the Second Amendment as a city councilman in Columbus. When the City of Columbus passed its now-defunct ban on some tactical rifles in 2005, a Columbus Dispatch story at the time noted that Boyce supported the ban.