LOUIE TODAY: Political hitman Steven Marks; Chief Hughes

Steven Marks, author of "Confessions of a Political Hitman, My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy, and Dirty Attacks That

Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't)" will give his perspective on Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann to Louie Free, Vindy.com's news radio partner, on today's Brainfood From the Heartland.

Marks will tell what he thinks the AG must do to retain his office and what the opposition needs to turn that.

“Political hitmen” are the shadowy figures used in all campaigns to dig up dirt on the political opposition.

Campaigns go to great effort to distance themselves from such operatives, but they wield a secretly powerful position in today's American politics, where scandals derail campaigns and negative campaigning decides who gets elected.

Marks is a Republican political hitman whose book details how he dug up dirt on politicians, ending with his disillusionment of both political parties while taking a toll on his personal life. He wrote and produced negative ads against John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000, and was caught in the middle of George W ., Jeb Bush and Florida’s Katherine Harris presidential election fiasco, leading to her crushing defeat in 2006 for the U.S. Senate.

Also,Youngstown Police Chief,Jimmy Hughes will talk about recent shootings, murders, and other cases in the city, plus the hot summer ahead.