Ad Watch: Josh Mandel Laughably Takes Credit For Seventeen Year Old Credit Rating, Cites Award He Got Before He Was Treasurer
As Treasurer, Mandel Skipped Every Board Of Deposit Meeting His 1st Year In Office, Hired Unqualified Political Cronies & Friends With Taxpayer Dollars
Reeling from months of negative press around his decision to skip every single meeting of the billion dollar investment board he’s supposed to chair during his first year in office, and the numerous unqualified political cronies and friends he hired with taxpayer dollars, Ohio’s “Pants on Fire crown” winner Josh Mandel has gone on the air with a new ad.
That attempts to brag about his accomplishments as Treasurer. Seriously.
What does Josh Mandel believe are his biggest accomplishments in the office he’s ignored in order to run for Senate? A nearly seventeen year old credit rating and an award he received from a conservative organization BEFORE he was Treasurer.
Josh Mandel “Results” Ad Watch, 8/7/12
|
CLAIMS |
FACTS |
| Announcer: “You gave a big job to a young Marine named Josh Mandel. At age 34, Treasurer Josh Mandel delivered results. Earned Ohio the highest investment rating in the nation.”
On Screen: State Treasurer Josh Mandel
Josh Mandel – Age 34
Josh Mandel – “AAA” Investment Rating Columbus Dispatch, 9/8/11
|
Josh Mandel Hired Inexperienced Campaign Staffers Into High-Ranking Jobs In The State’s Treasurer Office. In March 2012, The Dayton Daily News reported “Republican Josh Mandel hired young, relatively inexperienced staffers from his 2010 campaign and gave them high-ranking jobs in the state treasurer’s office, a Dayton Daily News examination found.” [Dayton Daily News, 3/31/12]
Mandel Missed His 14th Consecutive State Board Of Deposit Meeting, “And He’s Just Fine With That.” In February 2012, The Columbus Dispatch reported “State Treasurer Josh Mandel missed his 14th consecutive Ohio Board of Deposit meeting yesterday — and he’s just fine with that. Mandel has skipped every monthly meeting of the board, of which he is chairman, since becoming treasurer in January last year.” [Columbus Dispatch, 2/24/12]
Josh Mandel’s Public Schedule “Was Virtually Devoid Of Appointments” The Same Year As “He Appeared At Numerous Out-Of-State Fundraisers.” In a January 2012 article The Associated Press reported that Josh Mandel’s “public schedule since taking office in January 2011 was virtually devoid of appointments outside of staff meetings and speaking engagements in a year when he appeared at numerous out-of-state fundraisers.” [Associated Press, 1/25/12]
STAR Ohio Fund Received The Same “Highest” Rating For 16 Years Before Mandel Took Office. In October 2011, PolitiFact Ohio reported “The STAR Ohio fund did, in fact, receive the highest rating possible, as Mandel’s email claimed. But the rating already had been in place for 16 years. It did not improve under Mandel, as a reasonable person might assume from his email. And while he gets some credit for maintaining the rating, his email overstated the case. Those are important details that add context. We rate the statement Half True.” [PolitiFact Ohio, 10/5/11]
FactCheck.org: The Impression That Mandel Improved State’s Credit Rating “Is Not The Case.” In a piece titled “Mandel’s Deceptive Defense Against Sen. Brown,” the non-partisan FactCheck.org wrote “The ad then goes on to tout some of Mandel’s accomplishments as state treasurer, saying, for example, that he ‘earned the highest possible credit ratings as state treasurer.’ That could give viewers the impression that Mandel improved the state’s credit ratings, but that is not the case. Under Mandel, the state’s STAR Ohio investment fund has maintained its “AAA” rating from Standard & Poor’s. But even the state treasurer’s office acknowledges that the fund has had that same rating since 1995.” [Factcheck.org, 5/29/12]
|
| Announcer: “Cut his own budget, named watchdog of the Treasury for strong fiscal performance.”
On Screen: Josh Mandel – Cut His Own Budget Columbus Dispatch, 7/12/11
Josh Mandel – “Watchdog of the Treasury” UCO Award 2007-2010
|
Mandel Touted Award From Conservative Group Given To Him Before He Was Treasurer. According to his own ad, Mandel was named “Watchdog of the Treasury” by a conservative group, United Conservatives of Ohio, while he was a State Rep. from 2007-2010 and before he even took office as Treasurer in 2011.
2010: Mandel Is “Far From The Only” Official To Win Watchdog of the Treasury Award – It’s Given To Many Public Officials By The United Conservatives of Ohio. In a September 2010 ad watch, the Columbus Dispatch noted “Mandel is far from the only one to win the watchdog of the treasury award; it’s given to many public officials by the United Conservatives of Ohio.” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/24/10]
And It’s No Surprise He Got An Award From A Conservative Group When Voting With Republicans 95.5% Of The Time During His Four Years In The Ohio House. In July 2012, The Dayton Daily News reported “On the campaign trail, Republican Josh Mandel repeatedly assures supporters that in addition to standing up to Democrats and special interests in Washington, he’ll buck his own party when necessary while in the U.S. Senate. But a Dayton Daily News investigation shows Mandel rarely opposed his party during his four years in the Ohio House, voting against the GOP on just 29 occasions during 654 votes, or about 4.5 percent of the time.” [Dayton Daily News, 7/7/12]
|
| Announcer: “Josh Mandel. Imagine these kinds of results in Washington.” | Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Predicting What Kind Of Senator [Mandel] Would Be Is Made Tougher By The Fact That His Spokesman Has Publicly Discouraged Reporters From Asking For Mandel’s Thoughts On Active Legislation.” In a January 2012 article The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote “Predicting what kind of senator he would be is made tougher by the fact that his spokesman has publicly discouraged reporters from asking for Mandel’s thoughts on active legislation. Mandel, the spokesman said, will not ‘pretend like he’s there and voting on every bill.’” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/30/12]
Cleveland Plain Dealer: After Being Sworn In As Treasurer, Mandel “Immediately Began (Actually, Continued)” His Senate Campaign. In an April 2012 editorial, The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote “Mandel was no sooner sworn in as treasurer in January 2011 when he immediately began (actually, continued) a quest to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Avon Democrat, who is running this year for re-election.” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, Editorial, 4/15/12]
Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Josh Mandel Seemingly Puts Election To Higher Office Above Every Other Consideration.” In a February 2012 editorial, the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote “This page has had serious issues with the way Josh Mandel seemingly puts election to higher office above every other consideration — from completing the jobs voters elected him to do, starting in Lyndhurst City Council eight years ago, to his judgment in allowing gutter attack ads against his Democratic opponent in 2010 when he was running for his current job as state treasurer.” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2/18/12]
|
“Only someone as desperate to hide his record as Josh Mandel would pat himself on the back for a seventeen year old credit rating and attempt to fool Ohioans into believing he’s done his job by bragging about an award from a conservative group that he received before becoming Treasurer,” said Sadie Weiner, spokeswoman for Friends of Sherrod Brown. “Unfortunately for the Pants On Fire King, Ohioans know Josh Mandel skipped every single meeting of the billion dollar investment board he’s supposed to chair during his first year in office, that he hired unqualified political cronies and friends with taxpayer dollars and is nothing more than a politician who can’t be trusted.”
